Guiltless Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie is always a Thanksgiving and Christmas favorite. And with one minor ingredient substitution, you can change this favorite from a fat and calorie negative to an acceptable low-fat treat. This change can also be made to your favorite pumpkin pie recipe. The change I am referring to is the simple switch from using canned evaporated milk in your pie to using plain soy milk. While making this change does not affect the texture or flavor of sweet potato pie, soy milk has about one – third the calories of canned evaporated milk. Remember the soy milk should be plain and not vanilla flavored.

Pie Crust:

1 deep – dish pie shell, 9” unbaked

Pre-made pie shells are convenient and readily available, however they are not difficult to make. One simple recipe is:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup canola oil

5 tablespoons cold water

Mix flour and salt well. Add water to oil then mix with flour. Roll the crust dough between two sheets of waxed paper. If you dampen the counter top, it will prevent the waxed paper from sliding while you roll the crust. This recipe will easily make one 9” deep-dish pie shell.

Filling:

¾ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)

½ teaspoon ginger (ground)

¼ teaspoon cloves (ground)

2 large eggs

2 ½ cups cooked and smashed (unseasoned) sweet potatoes

1 ¼ cups plain soy milk

Mix all dry ingredients well. Add eggs, sweet potatoes and soy milk.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Place the pie on a cooling rack and allow it to cool for 2 hours before serving or refrigerating. Just like pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie can be served with a low-fat whipped topping and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

Mary Spargo Marquez was first published in 1994 and writes about a variety of topics. She has a degree in Computer Science and has been employed in business, state government, and for a national laboratory. Please visit her at http://usefulideas.info.