ALL-IN-ONE CHOCOLATE CAKE
This comes from Nigella Lawson, from The New York Times' cooking newsletter. If you haven't signed up for their newsletter, I highly recommend it. Nigella writes, “This is the perfect chocolate cake: beautiful, melting, intense but not heavy. The batter comes together quickly in a food processor, and the cake bakes at 350 degrees for a while, giving the baker time to assemble the frosting, which is given a luscious sheen by a bit of corn syrup. Use the best chocolate you can find for the frosting, and gild it however you like: with a few flowers, some birthday candles or nothing at all.” Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; 10 to 12 servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
Butter for greasing baking pans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup best-quality cocoa powder
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
For the Frosting:
6 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
3 ounces ( 3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Preparation
For cake: heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter sides of two 8-inch cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment paper. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a knife blade, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Process to make a smooth, thick batter.
Using a rubber spatula, divide batter between pans, and smooth tops. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes; do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from cake pans.
For frosting: Combine chocolate and butter in a large heat-proof bowl, and heat until melted in a microwave oven or over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in corn syrup, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until very smooth. Frosting should be thick and spreadable. If necessary, add a teaspoon or two of boiling water to thin it, or additional sifted confectioners' sugar to thicken.
Cut four strips of waxed or parchment paper, and place them side by side on a cake plate, covering the surface. Place one cake layer domed-side down on plate.
Spoon about a third of the frosting onto center of cake, and use a knife or a spatula to spread it evenly. Place the other cake on top, domed side up. Spoon another third of frosting on top of cake, spreading to make swirls or a smooth finish. Spread sides of cake with remaining frosting, and allow to sit for a few minutes until set. Carefully remove paper strips. Place cake under glass or in an airtight container, and set aside in a cool place until serving.
QUINOA PILAF WITH RED AND YELLOW PEPPERS
Yield: 2-1/4 pounds; Serves: 12
Serving Size: 3 ounces
Source: The Professional Chef's Techniques of Healthy Cooking
Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/96.shtml
Print Version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/611.shtml
Ingredients
2-1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
20 fluid ounces Chicken or Vegetable stock
12 ounces quinoa, well-rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
7 ounces roasted red and yellow peppers, diced
Directions
In a medium saucepan, sweat the shallots and garlic in 2 fluid ounces of the stock until the shallots are translucent.
Add the quinoa, remaining stock, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring the liquid to a boil.
Cover the pot tightly and place in a 350 degree F. oven until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, about 15 minutes.
Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme. Fluff the quinoa with a fork to separate the grains and release steam. Fold in the peppers and serve.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: (3 ounces)
Calories: 130, Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 150mg, Carbohydrate: 22g, Dietary Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 1g, Protein: 5g; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch, 1 Vegetable
MEATLESS-BALL SUBS
1 package Meatless Balls (see note)
1 26 oz. Jar spaghetti sauce
4 hoagie rolls
cheese slices
Place spaghetti sauce and meatless balls into a good-sized saucepan. Stir, and cook over medium-low to medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Open hoagie rolls, add cheese, cover with meatless balls and sauce.
Makes 4 meatless ball subs.
Note: I use Veggie Patch Meatless Meatballs, though really, you can use any brand you like. I had used another brand for a number of years, but unfortunately, I can no longer find that particular brand anywhere now. Whatever brand you buy is fine, as well as the jarred spaghetti sauce.
SODA BREAD BUNS
This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa writes, “In this new incarnation of my soda bread recipe, I kept the crosses, but to maximize the surface area of the crumbly, crunchy outer crust, I baked the dough into small buns instead of a large loaf. That way, I was able to get more of the bumpy-textured crust in each bite.” Time: 45 minutes; makes 8 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed, more for greasing pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, more as needed
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspooon baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk, more for brushing
1 large egg
2/3 cup (about) dried currants
1 1/2 teaspoon (about) caraway seeds
Ingredients
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg. Stir wet mixture into dry one until they just form a moist dough. Stir in currants and caraway seeds.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a 7-inch round about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Using lightly floured hands, roll each wedge into a ball and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Using kitchen shears, snip a small “x” into the top of each bun. (You can also use a knife.) Brush tops with a little buttermilk, and dust lightly with flour.
Transfer baking sheet to oven. Bake until buns are golden brown and firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
DARK CHOCOLATE – ORANGE BROWNIES
This decadent recipe is from page 46 of the November 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “Cointreau, a sweet orange liqueur, gives fudgy brownies an elegant touch.” Makes 16 brownies in 30 minutes or less.
To view this online, click here.
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp. melted coconut oil, divided
8 Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 Tbs. Cointreau liqueur
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 large egg
1 cup hazelnut or almond meal
1/3 cup gluten-free oat flour
2 Tbs. grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 8-inch-square baking pan with 1 tsp. coconut oil.
Pulse 1/3 cup oil, dates, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, syrup, Cointreau, vanilla, and salt in food processor until smooth. Blend in egg, then nut meal, flour, orange zest, and baking powder. Pour into prepared pan, sprinkle with chocolate, and bake 20 minutes, or until edges are firm.
nutritional information Per Per brownie: Calories: 191; Protein: 2 g; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Cholesterol: 12 mg; Sodium: 59 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 20 g; Gluten-Free
BLACKBERRY CRISP WITH MAPLE-PECAN TOPPING
This recipe is from page 60 of the September 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times. It starts off, “Tangy blackberries have a great affinity for pecans and maple, but you could certainly make this crisp with blueberries or a combination of berries. Leftovers are delicious for breakfast!” Serves 8.
This recipe can be viewed online here.
5 Tbs. maple syrup, divided
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
6 cups fresh blackberries (1 3/4 lb.)
3 Tbs. sugar
16 Tbs. all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. salt, divided
2/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. canola oil
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat deep baking dish with cooking spray.
Whisk together 2 Tbs. maple syrup and vinegar in bowl. Place blackberries in large bowl, and drizzle maple mixture over them. Add sugar, 3 Tbs. flour, and 1/8 tsp. salt to berries; toss to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
Combine remaining 13 Tbs. flour, oats, pecans, brown sugar, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in separate bowl. Drizzle oil and remaining 3 Tbs. maple syrup over dry ingredients. Use fingers to combine thoroughly until small clumps form. Arrange topping clumps over berries.
Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and berry juices are bubbling just around edges of crisp.
nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 319; Protein: 5 g; Total Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 50 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 115 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 27 g; Vegan
