Deceptively Delicious - Jessica Seinfeld [33]
½ cup sweet potato puree
½ cup nonfat (skim) milk, or lowfat
(1%) buttermilk
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, or whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a doughnut mold or 12-cup mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, pumpkin and sweet potato purees, milk, egg white, margarine, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spice, and mix until completely incorporated.
3. Divide the batter among the muffin cups or fill the doughnut mold. Bake until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the doughnuts out onto a rack to cool. When cool, dust with confectioners’ sugar.
4. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Julian: My friends love my mom because she makes us doughnuts.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip
(WITH CARROT)
Serve as a snack or dessert with vegetable sticks or fresh fruit wedges.
Prep and serve: 5 minutes • Serves 4
½ cup (creamy) natural peanut butter
½ cup fat-free cream cheese
6 tablespoons chocolate syrup
¼ cup carrot puree
½ teaspoon salt
fruit slices, for dipping
Stir the peanut butter, cream cheese, chocolate syrup, carrot puree, and salt together in a bowl until smooth.
Banana Marshmallow Dip
(WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH)
Another veggie-filled dessert!
Prep and serve: 5 minutes • Serves 4
1 cup butternut squash puree
1 cup banana puree
1 cup mini-marshmallows
Fruit slices, for dipping
In a microwavable bowl, stir together the squash and banana purees. Cover and microwave until warm, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the marshmallows and serve warm.
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
(WITH PUMPKIN AND YELLOW SQUASH)
Chocolate chips and maple syrup, and the whole family is in heaven.
Prep: 10 minutes • Total: 35 minutes • Makes 12 cupcakes • Packable
CUPCAKE BATTER
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
½ cup yellow squash puree
½ cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
½ cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
FROSTING
1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
2. Put the pumpkin and squash purees in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the brown sugar, water, oil, and vanilla, and beat until well blended.
3. Now add the flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips, and mix until completely incorporated. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes are lightly browned and spring back to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the cupcakes out onto a rack to cool before frosting them.
4. For the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the maple syrup, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Spread the frosting over the cooled cupcakes.
5. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month.
If We Whine, So Will They
ONE NIGHT, back when I used to beg my children to eat their vegetables, I heard myself groveling and pleading and realized that I was sounding just like them. It wasn’t pretty. Everyone knows that children mimic their parents. I realized that if I whined at them about their vegetables, they’d whine back about that (and everything else).
Frozen Yogurt Pops
(WITH BERRIES)
Your kids think they’re just getting a treat, but these popsicles are a great low-calorie, lowfat alternative to high-fat ice cream. If you’re using raspberries, use ¾ cup sugar, because raspberries