Eating healthier and dropping a few pounds is on the table (you’ll excuse the expression), once again.  This time, it’s my turn by doctor’s decree. I’m following my own advice – not going off the deep end, not going into deprivation mode, but rather, transforming some favorites into equally delicious alternatives.  Let’s face it.  If you have to work that hard, you’re not going to stick with it, right?

Oh, don’t panic. It’s not like I’m going to stop posting cheesecake, you know?

But for some reason, every winter I seem to go on a pancake kick (see here and here).  Must be the cooler weather, making me want something a bit more soul-satisfying than a bowl of cottage cheese. Well, we bought a cheap waffle iron on sale, recently, and once I figured out how it works, I started playing with waffle batter recipes.  This one’s a winner!

Buckwheat Pecan Waffles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 2 tsp granulated sweetener (I used xylitol, but Truvía, or sugar are great, too)
• 1 1/2 cups milk (regular, 2%, buttermilk, or soy milk all work just fine)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Coarsely chopped pecans

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients, including the sweetener.  In another bowl (or large measuring cup), whisk together all of the wet ingredients.  Add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix together until smooth.  If the batter seems too thick, add a little more milk.  Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.

Heat up your waffle iron (give it a shot of cooking spray, if needed), sprinkle your desired quantity of chopped pecans directly onto the cooking grid (anywhere from 1 tsp to 1 Tbs – your choice), ladle in just enough batter to cover the grids, close the cover, and bake until browned and crispy.

Serve with your choice of butter (I like Smart Balance Light) and/or syrup or jam and/or fresh fruit. Pictured here, is Freakin’ Flamingo Sugar-Free Strawberry Vanilla Jam.  Of course.

Notes:

The pecans are actually totally optional.  You don’t have to use them – these waffles are extremely delicious without them, too. But they add such a wonderful texture, and the flavor is just so complimentary with the buckwheat, that I strongly recommend that you use them – unless you have some kind of nut allergy.

I’m not giving you an estimated yield of waffles this time, because everyone’s waffle maker is different.  Mine yields five waffles that measure 6 1/2″ across.  Yours may have a smaller, shallower cooking area(s).

I’m also not giving you estimated cooking times.  My el-cheapo waffle maker beeps, thinking it’s finished, at 1 minute.  Which is ridiculous.  I’ve worked out the cooking time for mine, to be 4 minutes.  Yours might be faster or slower, so check.

I have tested all of the variations in the ingredients list, so make any of those substitutions with confidence.  And no, I’ve received no compensation from any of the brands I mention.  I happen to like them, we use them, and I keep them in my pantry and fridge.  Except for the jam, of course. I do get compensation from that, because, well, I sell it. And it’s delicious. And the sugar-free ones don’t taste sugar-free or have that weird artificial sweetener aftertaste. End of plug.

Light, fluffy, crispy, and satisfying on every level. That’s a diet I can stick with. How about you?

Oh, my. I have just discovered The Buckwheat Pancake. No, no! Not just buckwheat pancakes – THE best buckwheat pancake I’ve ever had! I made these for Sunday breakfast, and had to share them with you.

Sure, they’re healthy and low fat, but they’re also so delicious and easy to make, you won’t care! Would I lie to you?

Please don’t go by this photo! I don’t know what happened here, but they really do look golden brown & delicious in real life!

Buckwheat Apple Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk (can use low-fat, if available)
1 large egg (or equivalent of egg-substitute like Egg Beaters)
1/2 Tbs. wildflower honey
1/2 Tbs. dark honey
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbs. Smart Balance Light (or other) margarine, melted
1 medium apple (your favorite) diced or chopped small

Non-stick cooking spray

Preparation:

In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. In another, smaller bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients, except the apple. Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and mix until thoroughly combined. When the batter is smooth, fold in the chopped apple. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Spray a large frying pan or griddle with cooking spray and heat it until a few drops of water bounce around before evaporating. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Turn when the tops develop bubbles and the edges look dry. Cook the second side for about 3 – 4 more minutes, or until brown.

Serve with additional Smart Balance and honey. Makes about 8, roughly 5-inch pancakes

Notes:

One more time: I receive no consideration for using Smart Balance Light, or any other brand. I have it in my fridge because we like it and for its stated healthy composition. If you want to use something else, feel free.

I prefer to use local honeys. If there’s a farmer’s market in your area, odds are you’ll find someone selling local honey. For this recipe, I used a local wildflower honey and an avocado honey, which is a very dark, rich honey that has almost a bite to it at the finish. If you can find buckwheat honey, that would be awesome! If you can’t find a dark honey, you can substitute molasses.

If you’d like, you can substitute agave nectar for the honey – use the light agave nectar for the wildflower honey, and use the dark, raw agave instead of the dark honey. *Bonus* – Although there’s very little honey in this recipe, substituting the agave nectars for the honeys makes these pancakes an excellent choice for Type II diabetics.

No, you don’t have to use a “cooking” apple. I used a Golden Delicious in mine – you can use whatever you have.

I used an electric griddle set at 325º F.

And, of course, this recipe is easily doubled to feed a crowd. You can freeze any leftover pancakes with pieces of waxed paper or parchment paper slipped between each one, in a freezer bag, and reheat them from frozen (don’t thaw them) in your oven or toaster oven, whenever you want them!

You have got to try this the next time you have a craving for pancakes – and they won’t wreck your diet!

I’ve been taunting you all with this for weeks, now, and I think I’ve come close enough to share it with you – a low(er) fat, low(er) sugar, low(er) carb cheesecake. Yes! I said CHEESECAKE! Rich, creamy cheesecake. And just about as guilt-less as you can get. Seriously.

In case you haven’t been following along, a little back story: Back at the end of March, the hubs (MJ) was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. The asshat doctor we had at that time, handed him a pamphlet from the drug company with a “recommended” diet and a sneer. MJ totally freaked out, and when he took the plate of dinner I served him back to the kitchen to re-measure and re-weigh the portions I gave him one evening, I had enough. I took the pamphlet, tore it into a gazillion pieces and threw it in the trash. “But now what am I going to do?” “You’ll eat what I give you.” I tooled around the American Diabetes Association website, and got some more up-to-date insight. Today, MJ is 45 pounds lighter – mostly due to portion control, more vegetables, lower-fat, higher fiber options, and most importantly – common sense. In fact, I wouldn’t even let him get one of those blood glucose testing meters. An interim fasting blood test showed his sugar levels dropped significantly. He just had another one, and I’m hopeful that he’ll be back within normal parameters and off the medication very shortly.

I’m not saying that the course we took would work for everyone in his situation, but I know my husband. And I firmly believe that working with the foods he enjoys, and all the new choices out there, such as the higher fiber multigrain pastas, cutting portions, and providing something sweet for dessert, is making the process less onerous and more of a lifestyle modification, rather than radical change. Once he started seeing results – smaller clothing sizes and better glucose numbers – MJ began to settle down emotionally, and became more like his own sweet self again.

I know — enough with the yada yada yada! On with the cheesecake!

Guiltless Cheesecake
This recipe is for a 6-inch cheesecake. For a 9 or 10-inch cake, double the ingredients. Be sure to read the notes at the end!

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1/4 cup sugar-free cookie crumbs (your choice)

1 pound (2 – 8 oz pkgs) fat-free cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/4 cup Splenda for Baking
1/3 cup liquid egg substitute
1 whole egg (at room temperature)
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. fat-free sour cream
2 Tbsp. soy coffee creamer
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees (Yes, 500. Bear with me)

For the crust: While the oven is heating, spray a 6-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Put the crumbs in the pan, and shake it around a bit to spread the crumbs all over the bottom and about an inch up the sides of the pan. Then take a flat-bottomed drinking glass, and press the crumbs in evenly. When the oven reaches about 325 degrees, place the pan in the oven for about 5 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool.

For the filling: With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the Splenda and beat thoroughly. Beat the egg and egg substitute together with a fork, and add to the cream cheese in two portions, beating in thoroughly and scraping down the sides well after each addition. Add the remaining ingredients and beat for another minute, until the batter is smooth and well-blended.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Smack the pan on the counter several times to remove large air bubbles. They’ll rise to the surface and pop. It’s kind of cool, actually.

Place the pan in the 500 degree oven, on the center rack, for 5 minutes. It should look a little puffy with some light browning – something like this:

Turn the oven temp down to 200 degrees and keep the oven door open until the heat is reduced. Bake for an additional 20 – 30 minutes. The edges should be firm, but the cake should still jiggle.

Leaving the cake in the oven, turn off the oven and keep the door propped open. Let sit for about an hour. Remove the pan to cool on a rack till it comes to room temperature, then refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

Delicious plain, or served with fresh fruit and/or fat-free whipped topping.

Notes:

As noted before, if you’re making a full-sized 9 or 10 inch cheesecake, just double everything, including the times. No, there’s no water bath. Really.

First little trick: Line the removable bottom of the springform pan with foil, then put the pan back together. This will not only provide leakage insurance, but enable you to remove the finished cheesecake to a nice serving plate later, with a minimum of fuss.

Second little trick: Whenever you have a recipe that calls for lemon juice, save the juiced rinds in a small freezer bag and put in the freezer. Then when you have a recipe – like this – where you need a little bit of grated rind, but no juice, you don’t have to mess up a perfectly good lemon. Have you seen the price of lemons, these days? You can just grab your microplane grater (you do have one, don’t you?) and grate off what you need. The fact that it’s frozen, makes it easier to get just the rind – no pith. Then just throw it back into the freezer.

Okay, about the oven heat. The idea is that the initial high heat cooks the eggs and causes the cheesecake to puff up. This will also cause a circular crack to form around the edge of the cheesecake to vent the steam. When you lower the heat, the cheesecake will sink and the “crack” pretty much disappears, and creating that rich, dense cheesecake texture we all know and love.

Well, this post has gone on far too long, so Next Monday: Variations!