Several years ago I came across a recipe for Sunny Cranberry Nut Bread in Fitness. With flavors of orange, cranberry and nuts I thought I’d give it a whirl. We both loved it! My husband practically begs me to make a batch every weekend while cranberries are in season.
Over the years, I’ve adapted it to make it healthier without loosing the taste. Here’s what I’ve substituted:
- applesauce for oil
- whole wheat flour for white flour
- coconut sugar (low glycemic sugar) for white sugar
- egg white for whole egg
- almond milk for cows milk
- no salt
These modifications reduce fat and add fiber. We honestly don’t miss any of the non-healthy ingredients.
List of ingredients with my healthy modifications
3 tablespoons of liquid egg whites
1 cup of almond milk (I like the 60 calorie, vanilla flavored kind.)
Grated zest of 1 large orange (I prefer organic oranges since I’m consuming the rind.)
Juice of 1 orange or 1/3 cup of orange juice (I just extract the juice of the orange I used for the zest.)
1/4 cup of applesauce
2 cups of Raisin Bran Cereal
1 3/4 (one and three quarters cup) cups of whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup of cranberries rinsed, drained and coursely chopped
1/2 cup of pecan pieces
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Beat egg, milk, orange peel, juice and applesauce in a large bowl until well blended
- Stir in cereal and set it asside to allow the cereal to absorb the liquid mixutre
- Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in a separate medium bowl
- After the cereal has absorbed the liquid mixture for about 5 minutes, mix in the flour mixture from the medium bowl. Stir until the flour mixture is blended and moist.
- Stir in cranberries and pecans
- Pour mixture in a 9″x5″ greased loaf pan.
- Bake for 75 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
- Allow to cool.
I’ve calculated the Weight Watcher points for this recipe and if my calculations are correct, it’s 5 to 6 points per slice with approximately 10 to 12 slices per loaf.
If you try it, let me know if you like it.