Pumpkin Cornbread Squares

I love pumpkin pie, but it doesn’t love my diet.  Think pie crust, and you’ll know what I mean.  The flour and shortening…or if you’re inclined to alternative pie crusts, the very nutritious nut meal flours which are, unfortunately, high in calories.  The day someone figures out a diet pie crust, that person should win a Nobel prize.  Seriously!

Now, I also love cornbread (e.g.,  Sweet Quinoa Cornbread), whose calorie count falls within my dietary ambit.  So why not combine pumpkin and all those pumpkin pie spices—cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger—with the nubbly texture and rich taste of cornbread?  The result: a delicious, spiced bread, redolent of the best fall flavours.

Cooking update (April 10, 2012): I make this oil-free and it was still terrific. Just replace the 2 tbsp. of oil with 2 tbsp. of apple sauce.

Printer-friendly recipe

Makes 16 squares

Ingredients

• ¾ cup white rice flour
• ½ cup quinoa flour
• ¼ tapioca starch
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup artificial sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. ground allspice
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. ground ginger
• 2 cups pumpkin purée
• 1 cup soy or alternative milk
• ¾ cup liquid egg substitute
• 6 tbsp. applesauce, unsweetened
• 2 tbsp. oil (see cooking update above)
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix flours, starch, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and all spices.
2. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, applesauce, oil, and lemon juice.
3. Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients in batches, mixing well.
4. Spray a 10″ x 10″ pan with cooking spray.
5. Pour batter into pan.
6. Bake in 350° F oven for 75 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean and edges are pulling away from the sides.
7. Cool and cut into 16 squares.

For Weight Watchers: 1 square is 2 points on the Points plan and 3 points on the PointsPlus plan.

(Adapted from “Gluten Free Pumpkin Cornbread” in the Healthy Blender Recipes blog.)

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