Monday, April 11, 2011

Un-Blueberry Pie

Remember the 1200 calorie nightmare? Well, every dinner has to have a dessert. Right? I'm very big on desserts.

I happened to know that my friend on the 1200 calorie a day diet loves blueberry pie. I had blueberries, but how could I cut back on the calories?

Naturally, I nixed the notion of a pie crust immediately. Consequently, I was trending toward more of a blueberry cobbler. But most cobbler toppings are fairly heavy in the calorie area.

A quick look in my pantry yielded an interesting solution -- honey graham crackers. Instead of using them to make a pie crust, I would crumble them on top. But it seemed like something was still missing -- specifically ice cream or whipped cream. I landed on miniature marshmallows with a mere 100 calories in 2/3 cup! Not too bad for the payoff of hot melty marshmallows. So the topping borrowed heavily from S'Mores!

I'm a little uncertain about the actual calorie count on this dish. The blueberries came in at 248. The graham crackers were 130. I opted to omit the sugar, which appears to be about 255 calories. The cinnamon and lemon were about 8.5 and 10 calories. Tapioca is the great unknown. I'm finding all sorts of numbers for the calories. I'm inclined to go with 160. So when we add it all up, it came in at 656 without sugar and 911 with sugar. It made five servings which brings us to about 131 without sugar and 182 with sugar.

I omitted the sugar, and I have to say that those extra calories would be worth it. The marshmallows were wonderfully sweet, but we found we really wanted some sweetness to the blueberries, too. However, it didn't dampen our enthusiasm for the dish, the leftovers were quickly consumed the following day!


UN-BLUEBERRY PIE


1 15-ounce bag of blueberries
1/4 cup Minute Tapioca
1/3 cup sugar (optional)
squeeze of lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 full cracker sheets Honey Graham Crackers
2/3 cup miniature marshmallows

Mix blueberries with tapioca, cinnamon, lemon, and sugar (if using) in a large bowl and let stand about 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour blueberry mixture into an oven safe bowl and bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes. Crumble the graham crackers over the top of the blueberries and sprinkle with marshmallows. Bake 10 more minutes and serve hot.



Enjoy!

13 comments:

  1. It still sounds like a success, even with marshmallows instead of sugar! I'm glad you found a way to use those delicious blueberries. :) We eat a lot of blueberries here--I think my daughter would especially love this recipe. Thanks!

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  2. I love the way you manage to deliver great taste while helping your friend. Another keeper, Krista!

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  3. What a clever way to put together an appealing dessert that looks like it's packed with calories but isn't. Nice! Love blueberries.

    ~Avery AveryAames.com

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  4. Elizabeth, this recipe should appeal to almost anyone who likes blueberry pie. I bet your daughter would love it!

    Mary Jane, it's so easy that I almost felt guilty. A major experiment, but it turned out delish!

    Avery, blueberries are so good for us. I love them fresh, but there's something special about cooked blueberries.

    ~ Krista

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  5. You are amazing, Krista. I don't think I could have been that clever. Huge kudos to you for thinking on your feet and for making a wonderful dessert that helped your friend, and us too!

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  6. Brilliant! The honey grahams and marshmallows bring such a fun s'mores feel to this, and blueberries are one of my favorite foods. I will definitely make this -- and probably go without the sugar. TY for the calorie counts on it all, too, such a great post, and another example of your kindness as a friend. What a sweet example for all of us. (Just because we want to eat healthier shouldn't mean we have to eat without joy!)

    ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  7. "Just because we want to eat healthier shouldn't mean we have to eat without joy!" HERE, HERE!!!

    And yet another great, healthy recipe, Krista!! Thank you! =)
    What a good friend you are.

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  8. Julie, it can be fun to try to think outside the box. One of the great things about this blog is that it makes me think of new recipes instead of just cooking the same old thing over and over.

    ~ Krista

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  9. Cleo, you're so right. And if we don't feel deprived when we cut calories, then we'll stay on our diets! Not everything has to be drenched in butter and cream. (Though those things *are* awfully good!)

    ~ Krista

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  10. You're welcome, Janece! Hmm, I can see I should work on more recipes for friends who are eating lighter -- everyone thinks I'm a wonderful friend when I do that!

    ~ Krista

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  11. What a lovely idea, Krista!!! I am one week two of Weight Watchers and this will fit in perfectly!! I am going to try it with blackberries as my grocery has them on sale this week and they are beautiful :-) I think I will also follow your lead and add some stevia for sweetness. Thank you for the experiments...they are delicious!!
    Nanc

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  12. This sounds awfully yummy. My inner editor wants to re-name this dish Blueberry Un-Pie, since it's still blueberry, it's just not pie!

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  13. You're so right, Wendy!

    Blueberry Un-Pie. : )

    ~ Krista

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