Good Food Made Better: Pumpkin Custard

"Good Food Made Better"

I have really enjoyed cooking lately. After years and years of a “love-hate” relationship with food, I began my quest to modify favorite foods and recipes to yield healthier results. In the past, at times when I felt the need to drop extra pounds, I would turn to those specialty food products, guaranteed to be so disgusting you’d lose weight simply because you couldn’t stand to eat them… The alternative was to eat a deprived and boring diet – with the occasional splurge which left me feeling guilty.

I felt there had to b a better way! There must be a way to incorporate those foods I love so much into a healthy way of eating. I set about tinkering with recipes to develop healthier alternatives – lower fat, higher protein, less sugar/carbs, more fiber, etc… But without sacrificing flavor.

It has been a journey of much trial and error. Many times I’ll go through a recipe 3 or 4 times, each flop improving on the last, until I have a perfected recipe. At times, it has been more “science experiment” than anything! But I have had some great success, and I’m so happy to share.

No more “forbidden foods”, no more guilt…

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Pumpkin Custard - high protein

So, this is a modification on pumpkin pie filling. It's basically the pumpkin pie without the crust... Really, you won't miss the crust I promise!

Ingredients -
12 oz canned pumpkin (not the sweetened stuff)
12 oz cottage cheese (I used 2%)
4 eggs (I used chicken eggs ;-)
3/4 cup milk (I use 1%)
1 cup sweetener of choice (I used Splenda)
2 tsp (give or take) pumpkin pie spice
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 scoops vanilla flavored whey protein (Biochem)

Directions -
Preheat oven to 350

In blender (Vitamix is the bomb, it'll blend nails into a smooth puree), combine eggs and cottage cheese. Blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. You'll probably need to stop periodically to scrape down the sides. Pour into 6 custard dishes or 6oz ramekins. Place in cake-sized pan, place in oven, fill pan halfway with hot water. Bake for 45 min.

Remove from oven, remove dishes from hot water to stop cooking process. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in fridge for up to a week.

Serving suggestion - microwave for 30-45 seconds, top with a dollop of aerosol whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.

Calories-145
Fat-4.6g
Carbs-13g
Fiber-3g
Protein-18g

Good Food Made Better