Southern Banana Pudding

By Kay MacInnis

This is the dessert recipe that we used during our recent competition in Charleston. It is a healthier version of old-fashioned banana pudding.

This is not going to hold in the refrigerator for days. There is nothing artificial in it to help it keep, so you will need to use this recipe when you’ll be having dessert soon, instead of letting it linger in the refrigerator.

This recipe will serve two. Some of the old-fashioned recipes that we use for desserts are what I call “best of a bad lot” – that is to say they have fewer calories, fat and sugar than many of the more modern options, especially those from boxes and packages that provide quick, convenient dessert options.

This is one of those recipes that has less fat, sugar and calories that the version using the instant pudding and whipped toppings. As you can see, the ingredients are pretty straightforward – nothing fancy. The reason we chose this is that we were able to make a few changes that resulted with a pretty low-calorie dessert. Serving the banana pudding in individual dishes helped with the portion control as well.

Note: The recipes from the past three weeks are those we used for our competition in the statewide Cooking Well Invitational. Each category had its own nutritional guidelines, but generally the challenge was to provide recipes that were low in calories, fat, sugar and salt while still tasting delicious. You may have noticed that these recipes did not have a long list of ingredients or require expensive ingredients. When you are trying to modify your favorite recipes, you might change one ingredient each time you make the recipe until you get the product you desire. Focusing on decreasing the calories, fat, sugar and salt in our diet can make a HUGE impact on our health!

We hope to make these recipes as the menu for our next Providence Cooks! class.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. flour, self-rising
• 4 eggs, separate
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 tbsp. sugar, reserving 1 tsp.
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• Vanilla wafers
• Bananas

Preparation

• In a double boiler whisk egg yolk, skim milk and sugar until sugar dissolves.
• Add flour and vanilla extract, along with one puréed banana.
• Whip until mixture is smooth, creamy and thick (custard-like).
• Layer a quart dish with bananas and vanilla wafers as desired.
• Pour custard over layers.
• In a small bowl and using a handheld mixer, beat the egg white and cream of tartar until frothy.
• Add remaining sugar gradually and beat until meringue is stiff but not dry.
• Cover the top of the pudding with the meringue and place under broiler until meringue is brown.

Nutrition information: 200 Calories, 5.45 grams fat, 120.5 mg. sodium.

………………………………………………………

This is another in a weekly series of healthy recipes from Kay MacInnis, registered dietitian at Providence Hospitals in Columbia.

Kay works in Health and Wellness at Providence, helping cardiac and diabetes patients eat their way to healthier lives. She’s not a chef herself, but in consultation with the actual chefs at Providence, she’s learned a lot over the years as she has worked to help patients help themselves after they leave the hospital.

She also conducts a number of health and wellness events for the public, including the monthly Providence Cooks! classes.

Sign up here to start your free subscription to MidlandsLife!