fresh food bites an average joe’s guide to eating healthier
LOSE THE PIE
With Halloween just around the corner, it was a no-brainer to pull out something related to this most scary – and, often, silliest – of holidays. What food is a better representation of Halloween than that squash-like fruit, the pumpkin? Yes, the pumpkin, the Rodney Dangerfield of fruit. No one really thinks about the poor pumpkin until it is time to carve it up and turn it into a front porch decoration. It is easy to see why the pumpkin might feel unappreciated as a food. Heck, even fruitcake, the butt of many a Christmas holiday joke, gets more respect. But, the pumpkin is much more than merely a canvas to hollow out and turn into a candleholder. Pumpkin pie has long been THE traditional Thanksgiving dessert, and has found a spot on many Christmas dinner tables. Americans love them some pumpkin pie, especially with a dollop of whip cream on top. But how fun is it to stay healthy by just having a “sliver” of pumpkin pie? That’s enough to make even the tamest of Halloween creatures seem diabolical. What if you could have your pumpkin pie and eat it, too? Try this twist on pumpkin pie that takes a page from another holiday tradition – custard pie. After all, if custard can go without crust, why can’t a pumpkin? You won’t have to worry about all the fat in that old dry pie crust or even taking up space in your oven.
Uncrusty Low-Fat Pumpkin Pie INGREDIENTS 1 (15-ounce) can of pure pumpkin ¼ cup water 2 (1-ounce) packages of unflavored gelatin 2 cups fat-free evaporated milk ¾ cup packed brown sugar (or Splenda brown sugar blend) 1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp of nutmeg ¼ tsp cloves 1 tsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS 1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. 2. Place water in a large bowl, slowly add gelatin and let sit for five minutes. 3. Heat one cup of the evaporated milk into a small pan until boiling, then stir into gelatin. 4. Stir in rest of evaporated milk. Then add the pumpkin and dry ingredients. 5. Stir until well blended. 6. Pour mixture into pie dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and refrigerate for two hours. You will end up with a pumpkin pie, which in some ways could almost double as a thick pumpkin pudding that serves eight. Each serving is a mere 152 calories, containing less than one gram of fat, 2 mg. of cholesterol, 85 mg of sodium, around 32 carbs and a pretty nice five to six grams of protein. With those stats you might just feel up for a second slice! by JOHN “STONEY” CANNON John believes that anyone can learn to eat healthier - in small steps - taking one bite at a time.
a taste of autum
chow bella simple tips and recipes on cooking with natural goodness
pumpkin spice latte
“Pumpkin Spice Latte” is certainly a buzz phrase this time of year. It seems I can’t go in a coffee shop without hearing those three words uttered in giddiness. I agree, the impending holiday season and the weather calls for a festive drink to herald the autumn and all of its festivities. You would think that Pumpkin Spice Latte was a synonym for ambrosia, and I’m sure we’ll hear plenty of lament when coffee meccas put it away. Pumpkin is not my favorite flavor, but I thought I would get in the spirit of the season and challenge myself to enjoy the seasonal drink. And to aid autumn-loving friends, I decided to find a recipe befitting this beloved beverage. As I write this, I am in bed with a humdinger of a cold, tissues and a laptop. I’m a sight sad, but somehow staggered out of my haze to whip up this drink. It hit the spot and was just what I needed! Even though I haven’t tried the original Pumpkin Spice Latte, I love this version and will be making it again – probably within a few hours of writing this (and toasting to my recovery from this evil sickness that’s had me in bed for a week). I can now proclaim I love pumpkin-flavored things, although the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie might still be too much of a leap for me. I found this particular recipe online at thekitchn.com. They claim it is just like the original that you can get from a popular coffee chain that shall remain nameless. My only other suggestion is to not skimp on the whipped cream; it makes everything better. article and photo by ELLIE BENSON boyandabride.virb.com
from chow bella’s kitchen: pumpkin spice latte A perfect blend of fall flavors. Makes 1 to 2 servings.
INGREDIENTS: 2 cups milk 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin 2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute (you can cut this in half, if it’s too sweet for you) 2 tablespoons vanilla extract ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice* 1 to 2 shots espresso (about ¼ cup of espresso or ½ cup of strong brewed coffee, if you don’t have an espresso machine.)
DIRECTIONS: 1. In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. 2. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy or simply whisk the mixture well with a wire whisk. 3. Pour into a large mug or two mugs. Add the espresso on top. Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice*, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top. *I created my own pumpkin pie spice, using three equal parts nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. I used the extra to sprinkle on the top of my whipped cream.
new bakery at flowers xpress
Flowers Xpress, at 1046 Broad St., has expanded to include a bakery and ice cream refrigerator, filling a niche that owner Kathy Norman believes downtown Augusta has been lacking for some time. “We have been the florists here for a little over two years and we saw there was a need that wasn’t being filled,” she said. “My family owns a restaurant and ice cream parlor in the North Georgia Mountains, but there just wasn’t one downtown so we thought we would do one.” The Department of Agriculture completed its inspection of the property just in time for First Friday in October, giving the bakery the thumbs-up to begin selling packaged icecream treats, cookies, cupcakes and cake pops, which contain cake and frosting inside a candy shell on a stick. Norman also hopes to begin selling cakes and pies that people can order in advance. “We are thinking about calling it Big Mama’s Incredible Edibles,” she said. “Flowers are fun. T-shirts are fun. So we want the bakery to be fun as well. We’re going to be experimenting with different recipes, taking requests and just playing it by ear until we find out what our customers like most.”
Most of the ice cream novelties sell for $1 or $1.50, while cookies start at 50 cents each and cake pops are $2. The flower shop also contains a wide variety of flowers, including 70 cm long-stemmed roses shipped directly from a farm in Ecuador that are larger than those produced locally. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 706.722.3277 or visit FLOWERSEXPRESSONLINE.COM.
by Christopher Selmek
vergelive.com | community driven news | October 19, 2011 27