The Cook's Corner! (well it is "The Kitchen") .

[Primula]

THIS is all your fault, Yar -

Mmmm.....fudge waffles. We made them slightly healthier with tofutti fake sour cream, half soy milk, half no-cholesterol butter, eggbeaters in place of the egg yolks and fructose instead of sugar - and they're still darn good and made the house smell heavenly.

[Ringwraith-Wife]

I'm sorry... I used to be an art director... so when I saw the beautiful photo... I couldn't resist !

[Primula]

Lolz - Oh, that's great! They did come out fairly picturesque with the strawberries, didn't they?

[Ringwraith-Wife]

Fairly picturesque is an understatement, IMHO. Terrific Photo. Glad that you liked what I did to it.

[yaralindi]

THIS is all your fault, Yar -

I'll take the blame for anything that looks that good, Prim. Thanks for posting the pic and for letting me know how you adjusted the recipe. I'm very glad it worked out so well for you. They look positively delicious.

I also think they belong on the cover of Gourmet Magazine. Perhaps you should consider sending the photo to them along with the modified recipe.

[Silivren Ithildin]

Wow! Those waffles look really good. I would have to go with the original version as it looked really tasty and I don't do things half way. As my weight can attest to!

Sil

[yaralindi]

Chocolate Spaghetti
compliments of Emeril Lagasse, 2004

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar plus 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• Pinch salt
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons walnut oil or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon Nocello or brandy (or hazelnut extract)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup chocolate nibs or finely chopped semisweet chocolate

Preparation
Into a large bowl or on a work surface, sift together the flour, cocoa, 3 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the eggs a bit at a time, working them into the dry ingredients using a circular motion with your hands. Continue working in the eggs, and add the vanilla and oil, until a sticky dough is formed. Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, and is no longer sticky. (Alternatively, place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, add the eggs, vanilla and oil and pulse to form a ball of dough. Turn out onto a work surface and work to a smooth dough.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 fist-sized pieces and flatten into disks. One at a time, roll out each dough piece through the widest setting of a pasta machine, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Remove, fold into thirds and repeat. Continue rolling through the machine 4 times, dusting lightly with flour to keep from sticking. Decrease the roller size down 1 notch, and roll through once, passing the dough through each setting twice until the desired thickness is reached and cut into spaghetti strands. Let dry briefly while assembling the "sauce."

In a medium bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer at medium speed until it becomes thick and frothy. Beating, add the sugar and Nocello, and beat until soft peaks form, being careful not to over beat. Set aside until ready to serve.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until just al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander. Place the drained pasta in a large pasta bowl and toss with the whipped cream, strawberries and nibs. Serve immediately.

[Primula]

Wow - maybe I WILL buy one of those pasta machines I always see at garage sales after all... I would buy one just to try this out, it looks amazing.

[yaralindi]

Chocolate-Covered Ice Cream Crunch Cake

Ingredients

• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) frozen pound cake, thawed
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsels
• 4 cups (1 quart) ice cream, softened (vanilla, chocolate, coffee, etc.)
• 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 3/4 cups coarsely crushed malted milk balls
• Frozen whipped topping, thawed
• Coarsely crushed malted milk balls

Preparation

1. Slice pound cake into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices. Place half of the slices on bottom of 9-inch spring form pan; press down firmly. Set remaining slices aside.

2. Bring whipping cream just to a boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add milk chocolate morsels; let stand 5 minutes. Whisk until well combined and smooth. Pour half of the chocolate mixture over pound cake in pan, spreading evenly to within 1/4-inch of edge of pan.

3. Cover and freeze for 1 1/2 hours or until chocolate is set.

4. Combine softened ice cream and whipped topping in large bowl. Fold in 1 3/4 cups crushed malted milk balls. Spread over chocolate layer in pan.

5. Cover and freeze until ice cream is firm, about 2 hours.

6. Top ice cream with remaining pound cake slices; press down firmly. Spread remaining chocolate mixture over pound cake. Cover and freeze at least 6 hours.

7. To serve, remove sides of pan. Garnish with additional whipped dessert topping and sprinkle with crushed malted milk balls. To cut cake easily, run a knife under hot water and dry with a paper towel before making slices.

[DoctorGamgee]

Have made some really great treats for church tomorrow. Had two separate recipes for Apple Strudel Dough. Both written in German and both bought in Salzburg. The one in the cookbook has lead not only to Apple Strudel, but also to a lovely berry&cheese confection. Both of which are sugar-free.

The recipe from the ovenmitt hanging on the wall, ended up like shortbread, so those became mini tartlets filled with Ginger-Peach or Cherry-Lime filling. Both of which totally rock. These ones have some sugar in the dough (which was my first clue that it wasn't going to be authentic strudel) but were totally Yummy. The filling, however, is sugar-free, so that was fun too.

I really like experimental cooking. The dough recipes I followed, but in reality I fill things with flavors I like. They aren't always pretty, but they are yummy.

Dr.G

[Ashlyn]

[Silivren Ithildin]

Man, Yar! That cake looks awesome. I am going to have to try that one out. My hubby isn't into sweets, but I think I might be able to tempt him with this!

[lindorie]

A few weeks ago, our chirch ofered a seminar on "The Ethics of Food." We watched a movie called Food, Inc. and shared a vegetarian supper for three nights. It was an enlightening experience. While my family and I are not interested in becoming vegetarians, we have chosen to commit to at least 3 vegetarian suppers a week. I have tried a few recipes that have worked out pretty well. The one I am sharing is one that makes a great sandwich spread or a luncheon salad. It is very reminiscent of tuna salad. We had a version of it served at one of our suppers at church. The girl that made is vegan, so she used all products which she knew were vegan. I'm not that picky.

Vegetarian "Tuna" Salad

1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and mashed
1/4 cup of mayonaise or similar product
pickle relish
chopped celery,
minced onion to taste
dill weed I used a tablespoonful
(other spices that go well are cardamom or cumin)
salt and pepper to taste

I used a food processor to 'mash' the beans and chose to not make them all pasty. Mine still have small bits of the beans for texture, kind of like flaked tuna. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and enjoy. Makes about 3 salad sized servings or a dozen sandwiches.

Normally I am not a big garbanzo bean fan, but I like this stuff.

[Silivren Ithildin]

I was right, Yar. I told my hubby about this cake and the first thing he said was, "you're making that tonight, right?" Well, I still haven't made it, but I plan on it soon.

Sil

[yaralindi]

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini (Or Apple) Bread

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons coconut oil or unsalted organic butter
• 2-1 oz squares unsweetened chocolate
• 3/4 cup erythritol or xylitol or 1 1/4 cup Splenda
• 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon NuNaturals pure stevia extract (if using erythritol or xylitol)
• 2 cups (5 ounces) grated peeled apple or zucchini
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour (buckwheat, millet, etc.)
• 2 cups nut meal (I used 1/2 almond meal, 1/4 ground sunflower seeds, 1/4 ground pecans)
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease an 8" by 5" loaf pan well with coconut oil, and sift cocoa powder over the bottom and up the sides. Cut a rectangle of parchment or wax paper to fit the bottom, and line the pan with it.

Melt coconut oil gently in the microwave, or scoop out and heat in a double boiler until liquified. Measure out the tablespoons of liquid oil into a bowl. If using butter, melt until liquified. Whisk in eggs, whites, vanilla, stevia, and erythritol or xylitol, and beat for a couple minutes until sweetener is dissolved. If the brand of xylitol or erythritol you buy isn't finely milled, then run it through your coffee grinder to powder it before adding to the batter. Chop chocolate and melt in 30 second intervals in the microwave until liquified; scrape into batter and beat well. Measure out nut meal by packing it into your measuring cup firmly, and scraping the top level. Whisk together dry ingredients, and stir into batter. Fold in grated zucchini or apple. Beat well for 2-3 minutes. Scrape into pan and tap the bottom forcefully on the counter to pop the air bubbles in the batter. Bake for 1 hour, until the top springs back to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert gently on to a plate and stand upright. Let cool for an hour, slice, and serve. It freezes well, with slices individually wrapped in plastic and foil.

~3.2g net carbs per 1/10th of a loaf, made with zucchini
~4.5g net carbs per 1/10th of a loaf, made with apple