Recipe(tried): Spiced Pumpkin Bars from Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish

Spiced Pumpkin Bars
From: Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish

These bars are large and very yummy. The book cautions on overcooking baked goods that do not have fat in them. It says it is better to slightly under bake them rather than over bake them and to be careful not to over mix the batter so you don't overdevelop the gluten that can make them tough. I used the firm to the touch test and they came out fine after 20 minutes of baking. The recipe also says you may substitute 1 Tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice for the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, which I did.

1 cup egg whites (from approximately 8 large eggs) or liquid egg substitute (I used substitute)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray a 12 by 18 by 1-inch pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, applesauce, sugar and pumpkin. Sift or stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Gently fold dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture; do not overwork. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan.

Bake, until firm to the touch and lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Cool, and then slice into 24 bars. Dust lightly with confectioner' sugar just before serving.

Servings: 24
Serving size: 1 bar
Calories: 102
Fat: 0.1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 23.0g
Protein: 2.4 g
Sodium 68.0mg