Low Calorie Chocolate Soufflé

Just in time for Valentine's Day!                      

This Low Calorie Chocolate Soufflé says I Love You in a ooey-gooey way he'll never forget! 
 

Believe it or not I didn't have any ramekins, so I headed off to the Salvation Army to see what they had. Imagine my delight when I found this cute cupcake design.  I'll go to a department store later to buy a full set, but for now this will do just fine.  

Low Calorie Chocolate Soufflé has a delicate crust on the outside and a smooth rich creamy center.  It has to be served immediately from the oven so it is warm and still inflated, it deflates as it cools, but trust me there will be no time for it to cool.  You will want to gobble it up quickly!  

This recipe make two perfectly sized Low Calorie Chocolate Soufflés, ideal for Valentines Day, or a just because desert or snack.   

These airy chocolate cakes puff up nicely in mini soufflé dishes (ramekins). To serve four, use five teaspoons flour and double the remaining ingredients. (Doubling the flour would make the base too heavy.)

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray 4 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided*

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa*

• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 large egg white

• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°

Coat 2 (6-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray; sprinkle each with 3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar.

Combine 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, flour, cocoa, and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
 

Cook 2 minutes, stirring until smooth. Spoon chocolate mixture into a medium bowl; cool 4 minutes. Stir in vanilla. 

Place egg white in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Add remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
 

Gently stir 1/4 of egg white mixture into chocolate mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture.

Spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Sharply tap dishes 2 or 3 times to level.
 

Place dishes on a baking sheet; bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until puffy and set. 

Sprinkle each soufflé with 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar. 

Serve immediately.  152 calories per serving. ENJOY!

 Tips

• When whipping these up be sure your mixing bowl and whisk are very cold. I store my whipping tools in the fridge a few hours until I'm ready to use them.  

• Your egg white needs to be room temperature, so let your egg set on the counter for a few hours as well.    

• Use a folding technique when bringing the chocolate mixture and egg white together, you don't want to deflate all your efforts. 

These  steps will get your whites to whip up into stiff peaks making for a very fluffy soufflé.

*Sugar in the Raw

*If you don't have Dutch-Processed or Alkalized Unsweetened Cocoa Powder visit Joy of Baking.com for substitution tip for Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

  

 

Top 20 Super Foods

With all things great there has to be a solid foundation, otherwise what is created will crumble before long. 

In order to continue to bring you uniquely deliciously and healthy snacks I needs a base from which to work. I stumbled upon this fantastic list of the Top 20 Super-Foods, from which I can begin creating and cooking my own recipes. These super-foods are a nutritional road-map of ingredients if you will.  

First let's discuss what a super-food is:

a common definition is that a superfood is one which has high concentrations of essential nutrients with proven health benefits, with few properties generally considered to be negative (such as being high in saturated fats or artificial ingredients, food additives or contaminants). An often-cited example of a superfood (or superfruit) is blueberries. They contain high concentrations of various antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber, they have a compound, pterostilbene, which acts to protect the heart in the same way as cholesterol-lowering drugs, are low in calories and are most often organically grown.[1]

With all that said, not all claims of a food being super are true or even recognized by the scientific community! The term SuperFood has become a marketing tool and the name simply slapped on a label.  You'll have to use caution and know what foods are actually verified as a superfood.

Examples of these "well verified" superfoods would be:

 Berries, nuts and seeds in general, dark green leafy & flower vegetables (such as kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, brussel sprouts and broccoli), apples, citrus fruits, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, vegetables with bright, dark or intense colors (such as beets and their greens, and sweet potatoes), many legumes (peanuts, lentils, beans (with some beans being significantly higher in certain nutrients than others)), and whole grains as a group (gluten and other allergies notwithstanding). Dark (ie, over 70% pure) chocolate is also included in many superfood lists, although many of its claimed merits are still the subject of heated debate in scientific circles.[2]

Top 20 Superfoods: 

1. Beans & Lentils
2. Black Rice
3. Blueberries
4. Cherries
5. Coffee
6. Concord Grapes
7. Dark Chocolate
8. Dried Plums
9. Eddamame
10. Figs
11. Green Tea
12. Kale
13. Kiwi
14. Mushrooms
15. Quinoa
16. Salmon
17. Squash
18. Strawberries
19. Sunflower Seeds
20. Walnuts

As you can see from the list we have quite a foundation to work with! We already consume most; if not all, of these in our daily diets. So, for some of us the next step would be to bite-the-bullet on the expense and upgrade to 100% Organic. Which is a whole other topic of discussion!

So, what do you think? Are you eating enough of these superfoods?

Resources: [1],[2], Image:HealthCastle.com

Crunchy Golden Roasted Chick Peas

Chickpeas aren't just for Hummus anymore!

When roasted these little protein packed nuggets turn into a golden crunchy snacker's delights.  They remind me of those prepackaged 'corn-nuts' because the crunch on these roasted chickpeas is incredible!

I'm sure everyone has a can or two of Chick Peas also known as Garbonzo Beans stuffed away on the back shelf in the pantry. Go get them & let's do this!

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1- 15.5 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
10-15 drops of Tabasco sauce-or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Drain and rinse beans under cold water.  Spread on paper towel and dry thoroughly.  Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Spread chick peas in a single layer on your cookie sheet. Bake,shaking the tray every 10 minutes, until golden and crunchy for about 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before serving.  They hold the heat so please use caution.  Store your Roasted Chick Peas in an airtight container. Enjoy!

The World's Healthiest Foods website says: There's now direct evidence about garbanzo beans and appetite! Participants in a recent study reported more satisfaction with their diet when garbanzo beans were included, and they consumed fewer processed food snacks during test weeks in the study when garbanzo beans were consumed. They also consumed less food overall when the diet was supplemented with garbanzo beans.