By Maria Athanasopoulos

The fall season is one of my favorite times of the year for many reasons. I love the wonderful foliage, the crisp autumn air, apple picking, the aroma of freshly baked pumpkin pies and last, but certainly not least, Thanksgiving!

Even if you didn’t grow up in America, there is something about the Thanksgiving holiday that has allowed it to be embraced by people from all backgrounds and cultures. Nearly everyone I know despite their religion or ethnicity celebrates Thanksgiving by enjoying a nice comforting meal with their families and friends. My Hispanic friends always have beans and rice accompany their Turkey, my Lebanese friends must have add hummus and falafel and of course my family, the Greeks, always find a way to incorporate grape leaves, spinach pie and five loaves of bread as part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Despite one’s background and choices for side dishes, Turkey and pumpkin are usually always present during Thanksgiving.

For many, the thought of Thanksgiving brings the worry of overeating and also the start of the “weight-gain” season. However many of the traditional foods served during Turkey Day are very healthy and will not expand your waistline. The way we prepare these foods and the toppings we add to them is what causes the damage. Of course we all must splurge once in a while, however there are a few Thanksgiving favorites that can be made lighter without losing an ounce of flavor.

Pumpkin pie is naturally a favorite and a staple to most, if not all, Thanksgiving meals. Most of us know that pumpkin is also a super-food, so when it’s made into pie its still healthy right? How much harm can a thin buttery crust and dollop of whipped cream do? Besides cream has calcium which is essential for a “body good” right? Umm sorry, not so much especially since there are 4 to 11 grams of artery-clogging saturated fat in a typically slice of pumpkin pie. Since I also am a die hard fan of pumpkin pie and don’t want to see myself expand during the holidays, I decided to revamp the traditional recipe into a lighter yet still delectable version with a Greek twist of course. After much experimentation I came up with an easy to prepare and low fat recipe made with a phyllo dough crust.

DID YOU KNOW

The name pumpkin originated from the Greek wordfor large melon which is pepon? Pepon was changed by the French into pompon. The English changed pompon to pumpion and American colonists changed pumpion into pumpkin.

HThis easy and delicious recipe is perfect warm with vanilla ice cream or cold, straight out of your fridge days later.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
6 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
¾ cup light dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
4 egg whites
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk
Cooking Spray

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Cut phyllo sheets in half. Lightly coat a 9-inch round pie dish with cooking spray. Place 1 sheet of phyllo in coated pie dish and lightly coat with cooking spray. Top with a 2nd sheet of phyllo and repeat the process to fully cover the pan forming a circle.

2. Fold and roll in all edges. Press down the phyllo firmly so that it is flat against the pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Combine brown sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl and whisk for 2 minutes.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Pour into your large bowl and blend thoroughly.

5. Pour filling into crust. Bake for 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. To ensure your crust does not burn, cover it with foil once it begins to turn too brown.

Enjoy with some fresh whipped cream, just a little of course! Kali Orexi!