Battle Belly Fat: Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate French Toast

*** Eat your favorite comfort foods and still battle the belly fat. Recipes the whole family will enjoy they won't even know they are eating healthy!



Brownies photo by FotoosVanRobin @ flickr


From Denny: This cookbook and recipes are geared to family healthy eating without sacrificing great taste and favorite foods. While she does limit each meal to about 400 calories the real success is combining a MUFA with each meal.

What's a MUFA? Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acid. They are found in olive oil, olives, nuts and seeds, peanut butter or other nut butters and the biggest favorite: dark chocolate.

Liz tested these family recipes on her five year old girls and they were a big hit.

Here are the three basic rules from Liz Vaccariello, Editor in chief of Prevention Magazine, to help lose that belly fat:

1. Eat a MUFA with every meal

2. Stick to 400 calories per meal

3. Never go more than 4 hours without eating



Recipes Featured:

Fudgy Dark Chocolate Raspberry Brownies
Chocolate Stuffed French Toast
Peanut Butter Strawberry Wrap




Flat Belly Diet Family Cookbook by Liz Vaccariello

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Fudgy Dark Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

From: "Flat Belly Diet Family Cookbook"

Makes: 8 servings (2 brownies each)

347 calories

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 5 tablespoons trans fat free margarine
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar (optional

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Press a sheet of aluminum foil into the bottom of a 9-inch x 9-inch baking pan, making sure there is enough foil to overhang two opposite edges. Coat generously with cooking spray and dust lightly with flour.

Combine the chocolate and margarine in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and cool 2 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the eggs, egg white, sugar and extract in a bowl. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Whisk the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture, stirring until combined. Gently fold in the raspberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 48-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan 10 minutes. Carefully lift sling from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before serving.







Chocolate Stuffed French Toast

From: "Flat Belly Diet Family Cookbook"

Makes: 4 servings

416 calories

INGREDIENTS

• 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate bar, finely chopped
• 3 ounces Neufchatel cheese, softened
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh orange zest
• 6 ounces Italian bread, cut on an angle into 8 (1/2-inch thick) slices
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon trans-free margarine

DIRECTIONS

Combine the chocolate and cheese in a small bowl; mix well. Combine the strawberries, sugar and orange zest in a separate bowl.

Spread 1/4 of the chocolate mixture on 4 slices of bread. Top each with remaining bread and press lightly to form a sandwich.

Combine the eggs, egg whites and vanilla in a medium bowl. Working one a time, dip both sides of each sandwich in the egg mixture and set on a plate.

Melt the margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the foam subsides add the sandwiches and cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Divide among 4 plates and top each with some of the strawberries. Serve immediately.






Peanut Butter Strawberry Wrap

From: "Flat Belly Diet Family Cookbook"

Makes: 1 serving

332 calories

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (8-inch diameter) whole wheat tortilla
• 2 tablespoons natural crunchy unsalted peanut butter
• 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Lay the tortilla on a work surface. Spread on the peanut butter. Cover with the strawberries. Roll into a tube. Cut on an angle into desired number of pieces.



*** See Also: Battle Belly Fat: Pan-Seared Shrimp Tacos, Crunchy Crust "Mac n Cheese,” Oven Fries




Flat Belly Diet Family Cookbook by Liz Vaccariello


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Triple Chocolate Toffee Brownies

From Denny: Who doesn't love brownies? If more people fought wars with brownies instead of bullets there would be no squabbles worth fighting! :)

Here's a recipe I ran across in our local newspaper when they were doing a cookbook review on a Food and Wine cookbook that features the best recipes from many recently published cookbooks. This recipe really loads you up on chocolate: semi-sweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, mini-chocolate chips and then toffee chips. Whew! A serious download of chocolate and intense flavor. Sounds like pure Heaven.

Remember to stick with unsalted butter as the chocolate chips already have some salt in them - and eggs have natural salt in them too. Trust the recipe; you don't need to add any more salt.

There's also a link to my Amazon store where you can purchase the book at a discounted rate. Never pay retail is my motto! :)




From: “The Art and Soul of Baking” by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet

From Amazon review:

2009 IACP Cookbook Awards Winner! Nominated for a 2009 James Beard Foundation Award.

Sur La Table teamed with pastry chef and baking teacher Cindy Mushet to bring you the ultimate guide to baking. Beautiful photographs and more than 250 easy-to-follow recipes lead you into a world of alluring aromas and light, flaky pastries. Illustrated asides take you step by step through important techniques, from carmelizing sugar to working with croissant dough. Plus, you'll find invaluable information on over 100 ingredients and 50 baker's tools. A true pleasure for anyone who loves to bake.

Each selection of the Gourmet Cookbook Club is handpicked and road-tested by the editors of Gourmet magazine, so readers can cook with confidence, knowing the recipes really do deliver. Online at Gourmet Book Club you can find videos of the authors demonstrating recipes, share your thoughts on the cookbooks in the forums, and learn more about each book's topic.

BENEFITS:

* The ultimate book for bakers.

* Professional tips and tricks are made easy for the home baker.

* Step-by-step techniques of baking.

* 100 photographs, 250 foolproof recipes and variations, and information on over 100 popular baking ingredients and over 50 pieces of baking equipment.






Check out this recipe from the cookbook:


Triple Chocolate-Toffee Brownies


Ingredients:

6 ozs. semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ozs. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick (4 ozs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 tsps. pure vanilla extract
1 cup toffee bits
1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the edges.

2. In a medium glass bowl, microwave semisweet and un-sweetened chocolates at high power in 30-second intervals until melted, about 2 minutes. In small bowl, whisk flour with baking powder and salt.

3. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Add the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated. Beat in the milk and vanilla at low speed. Beat in the flour mixture, then beat in 2/3 of the toffee bits and the minichocolate chips until evenly distributed.

4. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of the toffee bits. Bake the brownies for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

5. Set brownies on a rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting. Use the parchment overhang to lift the brownie out of the pan; cut into squares and serve.


Make ahead: Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Authors’ note: Toffee bits are available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets, but you can also crush up a toffee bar for this recipe (even a chocolate-covered one will work.)


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Kid Pleasing Easy Brownie Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Photo by THE REYNOLDS KITCHENS

From Denny: OK, what's not to love about this cupcake? It's "genetic code" is chocolate, peanut butter, cream cheese, a fudge brownie mix and peanut butter candies for decorating.

This cupcake guards a secret: you can freeze them! Yay! Another score on the board for an easy recipe. Remember, if they do last long enough to get frozen, be sure to bring them out in enough time to come to room temperature before serving.

If you really feel industrious, make a double batch. Thrill the teacher and the friends in your kid's classroom by supplying them with a batch of these delightful cupcakes! Gifts of food has a way of making new friends. :)


Brownie Peanut Butter Cupcakes

From: The Reynolds Kitchens

Makes: 18 small cupcakes

18 Reynolds Foil Bake Cups or paper cupcake liners for a muffin pan
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup light cream cheese
2 tbls. sugar
1 egg
1 (19-oz. or close) pkg. fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup candy-coated peanut butter candies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place foil bake cups in muffin pans or on a cookie sheet; set aside.

2. Beat peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar and egg in bowl with electric mixer. Set aside.

3. Prepare brownie mix following package directions. Set aside.

4. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of peanut butter mixture in center of each bake cup. With spoon or small ice cream scoop, fill bake cupshalf full with brownie batter. Sprinkle each brownie cupcake with peanut butter candies.

5. Bake 25 minutes or until baked through. Do not overbake. Cool.

*** THANKS for visiting and come back often for more fun recipes! And a big shout out to the folks in India who read this blog!