LEMON CRANBERRY LOAF

I like the taste of lemon and use it in a variety of recipes - from fish to chicken to salads to desserts.  Cranberries are also a welcome addition to recipes and I tend to have both the whole frozen cranberries in the freezer and the sweetened dry berries in my cupboard.   The dry berries get used in salads and oatmeal or simply eaten on their own while the frozen berries are used in loaves and in making sauce to go with poultry.


The following recipe is low in fat and can be low in sugar if you use splenda.  When I made this recipe I used sugar.


INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp lemon rind
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar or splenda
3 tbsp margarine
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup frozen cranberries

Lemon Syrup:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar or splenda

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a bowl combine rind, flour, baking powder and soda.  In another bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, margarine and applesauce; beat until light ( a few minutes).  Add dry ingredients, lemon juice and yogurt.  Add the cranberries.  Combine until everything is blended.  Place batter in a non-stick 9"X 5" loaf pan.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Combine the lemon syrup in a pyrex cup and microwave until piping hot.  Poke holes all over the top of the loaf with a skewer or a toothpick.  Slowly drizzle hot syrup all over the top of the loaf.  When cooled, remove from the pan.

Adapted from Meal Lean i Yumm