Our guy says the best bet is to shop only the outer areas of the supermarket, which are produce and dairy and fresh meats. All the processed food and sugar are in the middle, usually. We are having success in letting him do the shopping, finding that we save on grocery bills, have less waste, and fewer unhealthy impulse purchases as a result. Not to mention more time to go bicycling or to the gym.
Here is a delicious no-fat chocolate cake recipe that I devised some years ago. You can put this together in less than 10 minutes. The recipe has been printed twice in "Bon Appetit" magazine. Finding the recipe in the magazine, this little old lady from Sausalito used to call me every time she made it, often complaining that a family member had eaten the piece she hoped to save for herself at a later dinner. I always worried when she stopped calling and hoped that it was simply because she had finally figured out how to hide that extra slice! With all due respect to Miss Woodbury, this cake is best eaten on the day it is made. Here it is.
No-Fat Mocha Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/3 cup, plus 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
6 large egg whites
1 and 1/3 firmly-packed brown sugar
1 cup coffee flavored non-fat yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the topping:
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a round cake pan with cooking spray and dust lightly with flour.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder, then set aside. In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites, brown sugar, yogurt, and vanilla extract until well blended. (You don't beat the egg whites until they are fluffy.) Add the dry mixture to the egg mixture with a large spatula, folding carefully but thoroughly. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The cake should be somewhat "fudgy" instead of dry, not cracked on top. Allow cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then turn it out onto a serving platter or plate.
Sift the topping over the cake after it has cooled. You may wish to garnish the cake further with chocolate-covered espresso beans, which can be found at most candy or confectionary shops. We serve this cake with no-fat frozen vanilla yogurt, with coffee-flavored yogurt or ice cream, or with a Kahlua sauce (if you feel like gilding the lily a bit).
Serves 8.
Portion control???
