The 2013 Bariatric Foodie Season of Giving - Week One Contest!

It's that time again, kids!

"What time Nik???"

It's the holiday season! Last year, if you were around, you might remember I did the "Mother of ALL Decembers" giveaway event. Well this year we're doing the "Bariatric Foodie Season of Giving."

Here's how it works. It's very simple.

1. Each week I put up a new item to give away. When I do please read the entire blog post. I know it's a drag but most times if you do read the post you run into fewer problems. :)
2. You claim as many entries as you can get your hands on.
3. Each week three of you will win a prize!

This week is my birthday week (Dec. 4 - and, yes, I am accepting all the love and well wishes I can get on that day, thank you in advance!) so in celebration of the "12th anniversary of my 25th birthday" I am giving away a product that is near and dear to my heart. Click Espresso Protein!!!

I literally drink this stuff every day. I mean...every. Day. Most often I drink it in a Click Frapp of some variety but I also like to drink it warm during the winter and my favorite way to do so is with a splash of Torani sugar-free English Toffee syrup.

New post-ops don't fret! Click also comes in decaf (although only in the mocha for right now) so you can win some too!

If Click isn't your thing, check back next Sunday, December 8 to congratulate this week's winner and see what else I'm giving away. Please note that if you are experiencing trouble with Rafflecopter, 99.9% of the time it's because you are using a mobile device with software Rafflecopter doesn't play nice with. If you can, try entering on a computer or laptop. If THAT still does not work, then email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com, but be warned that if you did not try from a computer/laptop first, that's what I'm going to ask you to do!

Also be warned that I am out of town for my birthday this weekend. If a Rafflecopter armageddon happens and massive amounts of Foodies are unable to enter this contest do NOT freak out. Simply leave a blog comment noting that you tried to enter and could not, along with your email address. I'll contact you when I'm back and will credit you the chances if need be, k? Bottom line here: No freaking out allowed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bariatric Deals for Black Friday

As I type this I am laying in my nice, warm bed with absolutely no intentions of doing any shopping today - online or in-store. Yes, there are great deals to be had and, yes, I could probably stand to go out and seek them but...no. It's the day after Thanksgiving, I'm tired and I have two final projects due for grad school so Nik is going to be here all day. Feel free to send me an email to say hey. I'm sure by this afternoon I'll be cross-eyed.

ANYWAY...I digress.

My email inbox is full of online deals applicable to the Foodie Nation so I thought I'd start a running list of them here. I'll try to update this list throughout the day if I get more offers in my email inbox. If you hear of anything good, post it in the comments!

Please note that my listing of these deals is in no way an individual endorsement of the products (although I wouldn't post anything I outright do not believe is good for us, I've simply not tried all these products).

AmeriWell Products (Bariatric Vitamins)

Deal: 40% off site-wide
Code: AMER40
Website: www.ameriwellproducts.com

Building Blocks Vitaimins
Deal: 10% off any purchase of bariatric vitamins or protein supplements
Code: BF2013 (enter at check-out)
Website: www.bbvitamins.com

Bi-Pro USA (makers of unflavored whey isolate protein)

Deal: Free shipping on any order
Code: BLACKFRIDAY
Website: www.biprousa.com

Click Espresso Protein

Deal: 30% off all orders over $25
Code: BLACKFRIDAY13
Website: www.drinkclick.com

Kay's Naturals (makers of protein cereals/protein snacks)

Deal: 50% off 1.2 oz. cereals (through Sunday, December 1), $20 off Kay's gift packs (variety gift pack and gluten-free gift pack, regularly $39.99, on sale for $19.99 while supplies last)
Code: None. Simply shop www.kaysnaturals.com and discounts are taken at checkout.

Portion8 (formerly Bari-Ware...that company that makes the teeny dishes and bowls with sections that are the right size for our portions)

Deal: 20% off site-wide (ends midnight Friday, Nov. 29)
Code: BlackFriday (note: case-sensitive, no spaces)
Website: www.portion8.com

BF Top 5: Best Food Photographs on Bariatric Foodie

Who's cooking for Thanksgiving? Not me!

Instead I'm at home trying to organize BF’s extensive food picture collection (God help me!) and in doing so I've come across some really bad photos (this is a learning process for me!) but also some really good ones!

So I thought I’d share my top seven (yes, seven) favorite photos on Bariatric Foodie!

In no particular order:

Curried Chicken

I love this photo for a few different reasons. Firstly, because I took it with my then brand spanking new Nikon D-5100 camera. I’ve been putting that thing to good use lately but in the beginning I was a little lost (and yes I did read the user’s manual!). I’d bought the camera so I could take better food pictures and I was about to lose hope until…this.

The other thing I love about this picture is that everyone assumes this is rice beneath the curried chicken (I’ve gotten more than a few snide emails to that effect) when in fact it’s my cauliflower rice! At any rate this recipe is quick, warm, pretty and yummy. 

Here’s the recipe!

Protein Pumpkin Bread

You’ll notice this wood table in a lot of my pictures. It’s ancient and soiled with years worth of water color, finger painting and other spills from when it was a play table for my kids. Now it sits in front of a window in my kitchen, making it the perfect spot to snap a picture because even on cloudy days the light is really good.

Here's the recipe!

Mocha Toffee Twist Hot Protein Drink

Yeah this photo…man…this photo. What more is there to say? I mean (not to toot my own horn) when you look at this photo you can’t help but think, “If this protein drink tastes half as good as it looks, things might just be ok!”

Which was the point!

The recipe was one of last year’s Holiday Survival Kit flavors, but now that that’s over I can share the recipe!

Nik’s Mocha Toffee Twist Protein Drink

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. cold milk
• 6-8 oz. boiling water (depending on the size of your cup!)
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp. good instant decaf coffee (I use instant decaf espresso)
• 2 tbsp. Torani sugar-free English Toffee syrup
• No-calorie sweetener, to taste

Directions:

In a mug, mix together protein and milk and stir until a smooth, lump-free paste forms (make sure to stir thoroughly…the entire success or failure of your drink depends on this!). After you’ve got all the lumps out, add the cocoa, coffee and syrup and stir again. The coffee obviously will not dissolve and you’ll be able to see it.

SLOWLY add the boiling water, stirring with one hand, pouring with the other. The coffee should dissolve in the boiling water and what you should be left with is a smooth drink. There might be a little bit of froth action at the top. Skim it off if you don’t like it.

From here if it isn’t hot enough for you, it’s safe to microwave it until it reaches your desired temperature. Top with whipped cream if so desired.

BONUS PIC: I was so inspired by this drink I made it into a Mocha Toffee Protein Pie! (Which also made a great picture!)

Taco Casserole

This has the distinction of being the ONLY photo on this list I did not take! Instead a Foodie sent me her picture and it is soooo good! I consider this the flagship recipe of this blog. It is the most accessed, most downloaded, most “played with” recipe. It combines the elements of many Mexican-style dishes into one dish that’s soft and easy to eat (and share!). If you haven’t tried this one yet, you must! 

Here's the recipe! 

Sugar-free Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Pecan Topping

Yes, I just posted this the other day. But it’s one of the best pictures on this blog! It’s not hard to see why either. Look at it. You just want to…eat it. Right? If you do, here’s the recipe!

Eggs Rosettes

This was a cute idea I came up with a few years ago mainly as a brunch offering. But many of you have told me you make them "just because!" It's basically an egg concoction baked up in a "crust" made of thin sliced deli meat. Here I served it with two slices of bacon and some homemade fruit salad. Doesn't it look delightful! Here's how to make Eggs Rosettes.

I hope this little foray into my photography efforts here on the blog has given you respite from all things Turkey Day. Now if you're cooking, get back to it! If you're like me, a guest at a dinner, well...do something...productive...maybe.

Happy Thanksgiving, Foodies!

Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake (with Sugar-free Salted Caramel Pecantopping)

I know, ok? I know. I posted this recipe on Facebook like a week ago and folks have been patiently waiting for me to post the recipe.

As it usually happens, by the time I get around to figuring out a share-able recipe, very few people care anymore! But for accountability's sake, here we go.

This recipe was a bit tricky because it came about by accident. I was making a sugar-free pumpkin pie and I made the mistake of using the recipe on the can of pumpkin which yielded WAY too much pie filling for one pie shell. Not wanting to throw the rest of the filling away, I played with my food and came up with a very yummy (but small and thin) crustless cheesecake. Here it is:

But those who have made cheesecake before know the methodology is a bit different from a pumpkin pie and so I wasn't sure how this recipe went without me having first mixed up too much pie filling! That was my objective: to find out.

And I have!

I made a few noticeable changes to this recipe in its final format. Firstly, it's a full-size cheesecake. Secondly, as such I baked it in a springform pan. You can still use a baking pan if you want, just make sure to refrigerate it a few hours before cutting it and use a pie knife to lift the pieces if you go completely crustless. OR you can try one of these delicious nut crusts I keep hearing about. If you have a good recipe, post it in the comments so your fellow Foodies can share in the love!

Nik's Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. low-fat cream cheese (NOT fat-free), softened
• 6 oz. unflavored Greek yogurt (yes you still need this even if you use the cream cheese made with Greek yogurt)
• 1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling!)
• 1/2 - 3/4 c. Splenda (or your favorite sweetener's equivalent of 3/4 c. sugar) NOTE: If everything tastes too sweet to you, go with the lower amount. If you are serving this to a lot of non-ops go with the higher amount!
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 egg whites
• Optional: 2 servings (whatever that is on the canister) of either vanilla or unflavored protein

Directions:

Arrange your oven racks so there is a rack at the bottom and one in the middle. Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees and put a large pot or full kettle of water on to boil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Beat on medium with a hand mixer until they are thoroughly combined.

Add in pumpkin, sweetener, protein (if using), pie spice and vanilla and blend again until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, beat your egg whites until they form soft peaks (about 3-4 minutes on medium).

GENTLY, tip your egg whites into the cream cheese mixture and use a scraper or a long wooden spoon to gently fold the egg whites into the mixture (folding is gently turning the batter over on itself over and over again). NOTE: It may take a few minutes to get it all combined. Do not rush and do not use the hand mixer!

If you're using a baking pan, spray it down with non-stick cooking spray. If you're using a springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper (you can also just spray it down, but parchment paper makes it easier to remove the cake from the pan later). Scrape the batter out of the bowl and then spread it evenly.

In the bottom rack of your oven, set a large baking dish and then fill it with the boiling water. In the center oven rack, set your baking dish.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until the cheesecake seems mostly set (it will start to pull away from the sides of the baking dish and will appear firm). Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open and allow the cheesecake to stay in there while the oven cools down, usually about 20 - 25 minutes. This is what it looks like at the point when you turn off the oven. As you can see it retains the little swirls from me spreading it in the pan. If you are a perfectionist...well...make sure you spread the top flat! You'll notice some cracking. That happens. I am not a master baker so my cheesecakes almost always crack a little. Usually small cracks are a good indication it's time for the oven to go off.

When the oven is cooled remove the cheesecake to a cooling rack and cool thoroughly before covering and refrigerating. I get the best results when I refrigerate overnight, but I think 2-3 hours would do the trick.

If you used a springform pan, run a sharp knife around the perimenter of the cheesecake before releasing the springform.

UPDATE:

So here's what had happened. After I shut down the computer and was all set to lie down while the cheesecake cooled down I realized it wasn't as set as I thought so I turned the oven back to let it cook a few more minutes...then promptly fell asleep!

Thankfully my little nap only lasted 20 minutes (I had intended to only let the cake go about 7 more minutes) but it was just enough time to...produce really HUGE cracks!

So how did I get to the thing of beauty at the beginning of this post? Well my motto is, "If life gives you a cracked cheesecake, make a topping!" For this one the topping is super-simple, with only four ingredients!

Nik's Sugar-Free Salted Caramel Pecan Topping

Before I give you this recipe I need to stress this is holiday or party food. Unless you have big family dinners regularly or just have a gargantuan sized family, don't be making this all the time, k?

Ingredients:

• 2 c. chopped pecans
• 2 tbsp. butter (or whatever you use in place of butter)
• 1/2 c. Smucker's sugar-free caramel sauce
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions:

Set a pan over medium flame with no non-stick, no nothing and let it get HOT!

Add the pecans and toast them, stirring often, until you can just begin to smell them. Transfer to a bowl.

In that same pan, melt your butter. Add your caramel sauce. Almost instantly the caramel sauce is going to change from a lighter tan to a darker brown. That is good and right and normal.

Add the salt and stir until it begins to boil and bubble. Make sure the sauce, butter and salt are all mixed together before pouring into your bowl of pecans. Then stir the mixture thoroughly. Here's my batch.

Allow the mixture to cool for about 3 minutes (you want it cooler but not completely cooled) before setting it atop your cheesecake. From there I DARE anyone to notice the cracks!

Thanksgiving Prep: How Bariatric Post-Ops (Should) Do Pie

Pictured: Nik's Sweet Veggie Pie (recipe link below)

Yep. Let's talk about pie for a minute. Because Thanksgiving is coming. And there will be pie. Ohhhhh yes...there will be pie!

For some of you it might be pumpkin pie. For others, sweet potato. (Side note: I'm not sure if it's cultural or regional but my family resolutely refuses to eat pumpkin pie...hmmm...) And for some of you there will be pecan and other sorts of yummy concoctions which WILL leave you either (a) grateful for your picky pouches (or sleeves) (b) wishing for your old stomachs for just a day or (c) down right testy!

But did you know that you can do pie?

"Stop messing with me Nik...this is a touchy subject!"

I kid you not! You can do pie. And I'm going to show you how.

You can do...

Protein Pie

Like my "Amp'd Sweet Potato Pie" which is made with a sugar substitute and protein powder. Nobody could tell the difference frankly and it was GOOD! Or if you're feeling adventurous and want to go totally covert on your family you can give my Sweet Veggie Pie a shot! With or without protein you'll feel a deep sense of pride for pulling that pie off!

Protein Pudding/Frozen Pie

I usually tell people about the frozen in the summer but they work equally well at Thanksgiving, especially because you have to let it sit for a minute before slicing them! Or, like in the picture above, you can simply make a protein pudding pie. If you don't share my love of Fiber One Original cereal, choose a high fiber and/or high protein cereal that crushes well. Here's my top favorite cereals.

And here are the recipes to:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Frozen Pie
• Rocky Road Protein Frozen Pie
• Cookies 'n Cream Protein Frozen Pie
• Mocha Toffee Protein Pudding Pie

Pie in a Ramekin

This is good because you can either skip the crust or make a very small one for the top. I make my crusts out of a simple dough of low-carb baking mix, a little sweetener, salt and water. It comes out very nice!

Here are the recipes to:

• Ramekin peach pies
• Ramekin banana cream pie
• Ramekin pumpkin pie

Pie Reinventions

Like my Apple Brown Nik. This recipe combines apples, fall spices, crushed cereal and nuts. It's been a hit since the first time I brought it to Thanksgiving dinner (and it got pilfered before I even got any!). If you don't want to use the cereal I used, use the cereal of your choosing OR you can just go with a crushed nut topping.

Also a noteworthy mention is my Sweet 'n Salty Potato Casserole. To be fair, it's half pie reinvention, half side dish and all wonderful. BUT...for that recipe, you'll have to look to "The Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Guide." It's on sale in hard copy form on Amazon and at Smashwords for Nook and iPad. Believe me, for that recipe alone the book is worth it!

I should also mention that many of the recipes listed above are included in the holiday book but there are so many more. Like a totally good, yet cookie-less, protein banana pudding recipe and several kosher recipes written by my friend Joy of Kosher Bariatric.

Super Juicy Meatloaf

So...if you had absolutely no life, an abundant amount of time on your hands and no responsibilities and happened to have the interest in perusing the history of this blog...you would see that ground meat and I have a precarious relationship.

Which is funny because I have lots of recipes on this blog using ground meat (like my "Magic Meatballs"). But those are recipes I've only ever been able to take a few bites of before I feel like I swallowed a gold brick.

But yesterday I had a taste for meatloaf. And when you have a taste for meatloaf, it cannot be denied.

Wait...let me correct myself. I had a taste for my mother's meatloaf. Oh her meatloaf was the thing of iconic food dreams. It sliced perfectly yet was dripping with juices, it was so moist! Unfortunately, in her recipe that also meant it was also full of fat, which put together with ground meat is a sure-fire way to get me to pray at the temple of the porcelain gods.

When Mama Foodie passed away, I tried to play with her recipe and wasn't very successful. The meatloaves were "ok." But they didn't achieve that level of moisture she got with the high fat meats and bread soaked in milk and yadda, yadda.

But yesterday I decided to give it one more shot. And...I was successful! So I'm sharing the recipe (sorry, without process pics because I didn't start off making this for the blog). You can make this in a muffin tin, mini-loaf pan or whatever you want. I made a big loaf because I was feeding three non-ops.

Nik's Super Juicy Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. whatever ground meat you like (I used 85/15 fat percentage, I wouldn't recommend super lean meat)
• 1 c. diced onions
• 1 c. grated zucchini (grated zucchini = peel skin, bust out the good ol' fashioned grater and put in some arm work!)
• Any other chopped veggies you like. Red peppers would be nice for color variation!
• Your preferred seasonings (I used salt, pepper, a bit of garlic powder, a pinch of sage and a little bit of red pepper flakes)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. steak sauce (I prefer it over Worcestershire Sauce but if you like that better, use it!)
• 1 c. no-sugar added and/or low-sodium ketchup
• 1/4 c. steak sauce (yes, in addition to the tablespoon above)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine meat with onions, zucchini, any other veggies you're using and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add egg and the tablespoon of steak (or Worcestershire sauce) and mix again.

Bake for about 40 minutes for a whole loaf. Mini loaves should only take about 30 minutes. I baked it uncovered but if you are using a lower fat cut of meat, cover with foil to preserve as much moisture as you can.

My general (read: Old Wives) method of checking the done-ness of meat: Poke your finger in the thickest part of the loaf. If it feels soft under the surface it isn't done. If it feels firm when you press it, it's done. If after the allotted time you're not sure if it's done all the way, turn off the oven and let the loaf sit in the oven as it cools.

Remove loaf from oven to a cool surface for about 10 minutes before cutting. Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine ketchup and steak (or, again, Worcestershire sauce) in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. I also include a bit of the extra pan juice from the meatloaf but that adds fat to the sauce so if you don't want it, don't use it!

Pour the sauce on top of the loaf and slice! If using mini loaves you can either put it on the individual loaves or set it on the table in a bowl for people to take what they like.

This is the world's simplest meatloaf recipe but so good and so JUICY!

Five Products Every Bariatric Patient Should Know About

One of the things I love about this blog, and our communities on Facebook and Twitter is that it’s constantly growing! As folks get their surgeries they are discovering Bariatric Foodie and joining in on the fun.

That’s great, but it occurs to me that sometimes I reference products I love like everyone knows what they are. So new Foodies, this one’s for you! Here are five products every Foodie should know about, with links to check them out!

PB2

What is it?

PB2 is a product made by Bell Plantation. It’s actually a by-product of peanut oil. When peanuts are pressed for oil, they leave behind a powder that, when added to foods, gives the flavor of peanuts with a fraction of the calories and nearly all the protein! Two tablespoons of peanut butter is roughly 200 calories, 17g fat, 7g protein. Two tablespoons of PB2 is 45 calories, 1.5g fat, 5g protein.

How do you use it?

I personally like to put it in yogurt, in my oatmeal, in protein shakes. But the possibilities really are endless! Here’s a link tocheck out PB2!

And here's my all-time favorite recipe using PB2.

Textured Vegetable Protein

What is it?

Textured Vegetable Protein (or TVP) is a soy-based product that is often used in foods in place of meat. If you’ve ever eaten imitation bacon bits (voluntarily or otherwise) you’ve eaten TVP. While there are debates about the benefits and drawbacks of soy, TVP packs a powerful protein punch in a small quantity. A quarter cup of TVP is 80 calories with 12g protein!

How do you use it?

I personally use it in a variety of ways. I add it to my oatmeal, I use it to make the “tuna burgers” my youngest daughter loves so much.  It can usually be found in your local grocery store in the health food or organic aisle. The most common shelf brand of TVP is called Bob’s Red Mill.

Here’s my tutorial on how to use TVP.

Sugar-free Syrups

What are they?

Sugar-free flavored syrups are most commonly used in coffee shops to flavor coffee. But us Foodies know there are many other uses! The two most popular brands are Torani and Davinci. Syrups come in a plethora of flavors with new ones coming out all the time.

The one drawback some Foodies have with these syrups is that they are made using either Splenda or sucralose (which is the main ingredient in Splenda). Some Foodies either don’t tolerate Splenda or sucralose well or don’t desire to use them. I’m currently checking out some syrups with natural sweeteners, so stay tuned for more information.

How do you use it?

The better question is how don’t you use it? You can use these syrups in protein shakes,yogurt, oatmeal, desserts and much, much more!

Here’s a link to my top 10 favorite syrups!

Quest Bars

What are they?

I have a well documented love for Quest bars! To me they are what every protein bar should be. They usually have between 190-200 calories and 20g of protein, most with fewer than 5 net grams of carbs. You can't beat that with a stick! I always give newer folks the advice to eat only half (or a quarter) of one to start and to microwave it about 12 seconds in the microwave. 

How do you use it?

I'm pretty straight up with my bars. I eat them as-is, although on the Quest Facebook Page they often share that other customers like to bake them and include them in different kinds of recipes.

Here are my reviews to date of Quest Bars flavors:

• Double Chocolate Chunk
• White Chocolate Raspberry
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• Banana Nut Muffin
• Peanut Butter Supreme and Mixed Berry (Note it's a review of two different bars, same for the below links!)
• Apple Pie and Peanut Butter & Jelly 
• Vanilla Almond Crunch and Chocolate Brownie

Carbquik

What is it?

Although in recent times I had switched to now discontinued Atkins Baking Mix (which was low-carb and high-protein), Carbquik is definitely worth knowing about. 

It's a baking mix, which means  you can easily make baked goods with it (along with things like pancakes and waffles) because it already includes some baking powder. It also has a boatload of fiber, which is why it's low carb. (Educational Moment: Any starch claiming to be low-carb can only be low-carb by adding fiber, which the human body cannot digest, thus taking away from the carbs we absorb.) 

How do you use it?

I've used it a few things and interestingly enough the net carbs per serving always comes to 3g. Freaky. Anyway, here's a link to where you can get some and here's a few ideas on how to use it:

• Pancakes
• Single (us) serving pot pies

Thanksgiving Covert Cooking: Nik's Sweet Veggie Pie

Forgive the crust. It was a quick job!

When you all get your copies of the “Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Guide” you’ll read all about a concept I call “covert cooking. (Side note: For folks who snagged one of the now sold-out Survival Kits, your copy of the book is coming with your kit! Otherwise, I know the rest of you are planning on ordering it from Amazon, right???)

Long story short, covert cooking is taking a dish your family loves and making it healthier but doing so in a way where it looks, smells, tastes and feels like the original. And then not telling your family (at least not when they are eating it) that it’s healthier. I go into the topic in more length in the book (as well as why you have to be REALLY careful how you change holiday recipes!) But the bottom line is this: to successfully covert cooke, you have to make smart (and believable) swaps.

This pie is an example of covert cooking, although an accidental one. What I mean by accidental is that I didn’t go into this with the intention of withholding any information from my children. They know me. They know a pie is never just a pie.

The accidental part came in because they got to the pie before we had any conversation about it. They tasted it and decided maybe, for once, I just let a pie be a pie and made pumpkin pie (my kids have such discerning pallets that they can quickly and easily tell a pumpkin pie from a sweet potato pie from sight alone).

Little did they know, the pie was not made out of pumpkins but out of these:

Check out my Basset Hound, Benji, trying to photo bomb!!!

“What the HELL is that, Nik?”

I’m glad you asked. I have a friend. Her name is Margaret and she runs a blog called "Feed My Sleeve." Margaret is everything I want to be someday because she produces a lot of the food she and her hubby eat on her very own property! This year she had a bumper crop of round zucchini and earlier this summer she gave me some. One cool day I decided to roast them and noticed the insides of the larger ones were similar to butternut squash in color, texture and flavor. So when she gave me another boatload of them recently I decided to see if I could pass the flesh from the zucchini off as pie.

The above picture is the result.

For those of you who don’t happen to have access to a round zucchini, the same could be done with the yield of butternut or acorn squash. Just make sure it’s orange! Here’s the rest of the recipe, including an option to make a protein pie (although this one is not).

Nik’s Sweet Veggie Pie

Ingredients:

• 15 oz. of some sort of orange veggie (Veggies in the gourd family work best: butternut squash, acorn squash, etc.), cooked soft and pureed
• 1 c. no-calorie sweetener of your choice (I used Splenda)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• A “splick” (about 1/16 tsp.) salt
• 1 heaping tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 egg
• OPTIONAL: 2 scoops (doesn’t matter the size) vanilla or unflavored protein powder
• 12 oz. fat-free evaporated milk
• 9-inch pie crust of your choice (Or you can go crustless. Since I made this mostly for the kids, I just got a storebought crust. If you choose a no-crust option be sure to spray your pie plate down well with nonstick cooking spray!) 

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350. Make sure to pre-heat it for a while so that it is HOT when you are ready to put your pie in.

If you’re using a prepared pie crust, place it in your pie plate and pre-bake the pie crust for about 7 minutes. Remove to cool and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine pureed veggie, vanilla, salt and pie spice (and if you are using protein, add it at this stage) and mix well. (Tip: I usually use a hand mixer on low speed.)

Add egg and mix again until fully incorporated. Finally, add condensed milk and mix thoroughly. Mixture will look soupy.

Pour mixture into pie shell and place pie plate on a baking sheet and into the center rack of your oven.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until fully set. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow it to cool one hour before cutting.

The verdict? The kids liked it!  I still haven’t told them it's squash. My youngest would not mind. My oldest would feel a DEEP sense of betrayal (she’s the proverbial “picky one”). I think I’ll keep it to myself. But this recipe is definitely a keeper for Thanksgiving. I’m going to make one (and probably use acorn squash unless Margaret’s zucchini plant yields anything else), put it on the table and walk away very fast!