Sugar Free Sunday--The Post That Almost Wasn't

Welcome to this week's Sugar Free Sunday post!

I came really close to not having a post at all. It's been a scorcher again this week, so I haven't been cooking much. And besides that, this has been one of those weeks where nothing I've touched has turned out right!

Remember last week's sugar-free bean pie? I left out the butter, and while it was palatable I thought it was a bit dry, and it looked funny, too...

I made a load of Italian herb bread in the bread machine, and forgot both the butter and the salt. (What is it about leaving out the butter with me lately?) It, too, was edible, but just not the same.

I had just about decided to throw in the towel with the sugar-free baking for this week. I had promised myself when I first started on this sugar-free kick that half-way through the summer I was going to have an "indulge" weekend, and this was going to be it. I was really craving some ice cream and some doughnuts. Not together, that's just the two things I thought I wanted. So yesterday I decided that what I really wanted was a thick, creamy, vanilla milkshake from one my favorite places, the kind where they put whipped cream and a cherry on top. And then today would be doughnut day, from the place where they light up the sign when they have fresh hot doughnuts. You know where.

First up was the milkshake. It was hot outside and I really really wanted that milkshake. Not a regular, a large. If I was going to do it, I was going to do it good! I drove to the place, paid my money, and got my milkshake. First I ate the cherry off the top. Umm, not bad. Cough. Maybe a bit sweet. Then a big old draw on that thick milkshake. Ummm. Really good. Really really good. Another big sip. Umm. Good. um, that's good. really, really good. that's pretty good. It's okay. really.

I thought I was going to be sick. Really. For the rest of the night I thought I was going to be sick. Hours and hours of feeling like I was almost going to be sick.

And so this morning--doughnuts? No way. Not this weekend, anyway.

And so I made another bean pie. With Splenda, just like last week. Only this time I added slightly more Splenda, and the butter, and a little extra on the spices. And I also sprayed the top lightly with cooking spray before I baked it, for more even browning.

It did look better...


...and while it's never going to taste exactly the same as the regular version...

...this one turned out very well.

And so this is the version that I did this week:

• 1 c cooked, drained navy beans
• 1 1/4 c Splenda
• 1/2 c powdered milk
• 1/2 c evaporated milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 T flour
• 3/4 t cinnamon
• 3/4 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t baking powder

I used canned navy beans, drained and well rinsed. Next time I'll just use the whole can, and increase the sweetener and spices just a smidge. Put everything in the blender, and blend until smooth. You could use a food processor or even a hand mixer (mash the beans first if you use a hand mixer.) Pour into an unbaked single crust pie shell. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes, or until lightly browned and set in the middle.

Allow to cool (it's normal for it to puff up while baking and "fall" and crack slightly when it cools. Even the full sugar version does it.)

Topped with some sugar free whipped topping, if desired.

I do still miss some of my full-sugar treats, and I'm sure the milkshake was a fluke--but I have to say that I'm finding my palate much more sensitive these days, not just to sweet, but to saltiness, as well.

Do you find your tastes changing as you consistently leave certain things out of your diet?

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating...

Sugar Free Sunday--Bean Pie

Welcome to this week's edition of Sugar Free Sunday!

My son has been requesting another navy bean pie, and since he's been eating sugar-free right along with me, he asked me to try a sugar free version.

After actually reading the Splenda bag last week and discovering that I needed to add 1/2 cup of powdered milk and 1/2 t baking powder for every 1 cup of Splenda that I substitute for sugar when making baked goods, I was ready to tackle another sugar-free challenge.

Ingredients:

• 1 c cooked navy beans (I used canned)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c evaporated milk
• 1/2 stick (1/4 c) butter
• 1 T flour
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 c sugar Splenda
• 1/2 c powdered milk (added due to the Splenda substitution)
• 1/4 t baking powder (I wasn't sure if I would need this addition for a pie, so I used a little less than the 1/2 t recommended)

Put everything into a blender and process until well blended.

Pour into a single crust pie shell. (I used a refrigerated pie crust that you unroll, but you could use a frozen (thawed) crust, or one made from scratch.) The original recipe calls for baking at 350 for 50-60 minutes; I baked this one about 35-40 minutes and it was done.


I don't know how, but I messed this up a bit, I totally forgot to add the butter. So I actually made a pie that was both sugar-free and fat-free. So, instead of my pie looking like this:


(my first bean pie--the one with sugar and butter in it)

...it came out looking like this.

Just a bit disappointing? Another thing that's mentioned on the back of the Splenda package is that baked goods made with Splenda don't brown the same way as those made with sugar. You can lightly spray the top with cooking spray if you want the browning. I have a feeling that even having butter in the batter might have helped the looks of this!

As far as taste goes, it was okay--I think the butter would have really helped it--and the texture was just a bit dry. I will make this again, this time with the butter, and possibly lightly spraying the top, as well.

What sugar-free goodies have you made this week?

Until next time...

You'll Never Guess What's in This Pie

I'm bringing back an earlier post to link to Love the Pie at Tidy Mom--thanks for visiting!


We have a saying in my family, dating from when my grandmother was alive. "You'll neeevvver guess...(who I saw today; what I had for lunch; who called me;) (fill in the the blank).

Well, I made a new pie this weekend--one I've never eaten or seen before, and had never even heard of it until recently. I was a bit skeptical about it, right up until I smelled it and tasted it.

And you'll neeevvvver guess what's in it.....

Navy beans!

You read that right. And it's a sweet pie; light and custard-y and smelling of the best fall and holiday spices. And guess what else I found? Navy beans aren't the only beans you can make into pies. I found recipes for pinto beans pies and Great Northern bean pies, too. Some of them are made similar to pecan pie, with beans substituting for nuts; others are made of mashed beans; but if navy bean pie is any indication of what the others will taste like, I can't wait to try them, too!

My first task in my journey to bean pie was finding navy beans with a minimum of seasonings. Believe me, for a sweet pie you don't want beans flavored with salt pork or bacon. I thought I was going to have to cook dry beans, but I finally found a canned variety that had only salt and water as an added ingredient. Even so I drained and rinsed them well before I used them.

Ingredients:

• 1 c cooked navy beans
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c evaporated milk
• 1/2 stick (1/4 c) butter
• 1 T flour
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 c sugar
• crust for a single crust pie

I started with my favorite pie crust--Pillsbury Ready Crust, found in the refrigerated section--let it sit out for about 15 minutes it will unroll better, then place in your pie dish.

Place the beans, butter (the recipe didn't say melted, so I just cut mine in small chunks), eggs, milk, and seasonings in the blender and blend.

The recipe I used then stated to pour into a mixing bowl before adding the sugar, but I didn't see the point of dirtying up another dish, so I just added it to the mixture in the blender and blended it all together for a few seconds, then hit pulse once or twice or three times for good measure.

Pour into your uncooked pie crust. At this point, it smells (and tastes!) a little like eggnog--and what's not to like about that??

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. I set my timer first for about 50 minutes--it was beautifully browned and pretty by then, but I could tell the middle wasn't set, so it for me it did take pretty much the whole hour to bake.

Doesn't it look pretty? And trust me, it smells so good---it shouts fall and holidays and all the good smells of baking, all rolled into one.

I did wait for it to cool well before cutting into it, but it was hard!

If I had never tried this for myself, I don't know if I would have ever believed it, but now that I've smelled and tasted of navy bean pie, I think I'll try some of the others, too!

For more recipes, please see the links at:

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

The Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom

Foodie Friday at Desgins by Gollum

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!