Cassava pie is a Christmas tradition here in Bermuda.The average dish, made to serve 12, includes a dozen eggs, a pound of butter and a lot of fat, ultimately contributing to two other trends on the Island diabetes and obesity.As many as one in four Bermudians will develop diabetes in their lifetime, and about 24 percent of the population is thought to be obese.The late dietitian Janet Burull created a recipe so that cassava pie needn’t contribute to those statistics.Twenty years ago she made it possible to enjoy a guilt-free second helping of the popular Christmas dish.Mrs Burull died in February, at the age of 52, after a long battle with ovarian cancer, but her legacy of helping the community slim down and eat healthier, lives on.Mrs Burull worked in private practice for many years, before taking up a position as a dietitian at King Edward VII Memorial.“I know that Janet developed the recipe when she was working at the hospital,” said her sister, Linda Longworth. “It was for those patients who were either diabetic or struggled with their weight, that sort of thing.“Janet was an accomplished baker and chef. She was extremely good. It probably didn’t take her more than one or two times to perfect it.”Her recipe makes one small pie using three pounds of cassava so there are not too many fattening leftovers.The recipe also uses non-hydrogenated, soft vegetable margarine instead of butter, and egg substitute instead of whole eggs. It has about one-third less fat than most traditional cassava pie recipes and is free from trans fats. The egg substitute keeps it light and moist.Cassava pie is usually labour-intensive. The cassava is normally thawed and drained and then has to be squeezed repeatedly to get all the liquid out of it, which is poisonous.Mrs Burull had an ingenious technique for dealing with this, although she did not include it in her recipe.“She would put the cassava in a pillow case, and then put another pillow case around it,” said Mrs Longworth. “She would tie the pillow case very tightly and then put the pillow case in the washing machine and put it on the spin cycle.“I don’t know why, but the cassava would come out perfectly dry and fluffy and perfect for baking.”Mrs Longworth said this year their sister-in-law, Sheila Ruse, will be using Mrs Burull’s recipe.“[She] will be making it because I don’t share my sister’s culinary skills,” said Mrs Longworth. “We are going to check it out. Janet even made her own Christmas puddings.“Her husband, Jon, is Norwegian, so she would make a special Norwegian Christmas cake called julekaka. She was a really accomplished chef. We will be remembering her in many, many ways this Christmas.”One of her clients, Wil Weber, said he lost over 50lbs with her assistance.“Memories about Janet are easy,” said Mr Weber, who is currently in New Zealand. “First of all, she was a very beautiful lady. The way Janet presented the alternatives of what to eat left all the decision making to you. There was no ‘you have to’ in her approach.“That left the choice to you. It worked. I was motivated to lose some weight and am still motivated. I am just really sorry that I can’t stop by and see Janet for the support and encouragement that I still need at times.”Jessica Wade, a nutritionist at KEMH, worked with Mrs Burull for many years.“Janet was phenomenal,” said Mrs Wade. “From the very beginning, when she came back to Bermuda as a newly qualified dietitian, to the end she never lost her passion for nutrition.“She never lost her passion for trying to teach people a healthier way. It wasn’t like a food police approach.“She just felt that if people ate healthier and were more active, they would benefit by a healthier life, whether it was someone who had diabetes or high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or [wanted to lose weight].“The final goal was always a healthier life. She had a very common sense approach, and always tried to meet people where they were at.”Mrs Burull had an almost 30-year career as a dietitian in Bermuda, and also taught cooking classes.“The other day I was talking to some who said she had been using one of Janet’s recipes for over 25 years,” said Mrs Wade. “She complained that the recipe was getting very dog-eared. We miss her tremendously. Her patients still miss her.“No matter what she was going through she always had a great smile. She never lost hope, or her sense of humour.“Her whole life was a journey that she lived every minute. She didn’t waste time on regrets.”