{Our Liz & Telepathy + AMAZING Chocolate Recipe!}

When our Liz came to visit us in December, she had a PERFECT gift for me. Sheer Telepathy... she and I LOVE red beets. So naturally she picked out a perfect high end linen & silk table runner with red beets on it; made in Israel. She must have gotten to know me very well over the past 43 years... Just look at the photos as this will reveal some AMAZING Chocolate Recipe (listed below). HOW did Liz KNOW?! When scrolling down you will learn more about this silk table runner...

The pure linen & silk table runner with the beets. Well, I made the beets into a romantic Valentine's Day setting for both of us to indulge in. A French Point A La Ligne rose candle for setting the mood.

My favorite rose silver flatware from Germany, see Johanna Gehrlein's book about it named: Rosen-Bestecke.

AMAZING Chocolate hearts presented on an Italian heart shaped plate...

A better view of the gorgeous high end linen & silk table runner from Liz Vedder...

Beets and Chocolate? 

Read on to discover an AMAZING Chocolate recipe!

Heart healthy and great for diabetes type 2.

The lovely 1950 Rose Silver pattern is stamped AMD 800. It is from Adam Manns & Sohn from Dörnigheim near Hanau, Germany. Information can be found on page 88 in Johanna Gehrlein's informative Rose Silverware book. Link is shown already in text above.

Yummy chocolate heart, dusted with cocoa; moist and rich ̶ though LOW Calorie! 

AMAZING recipe follows below!

Our own concoction of a heart healthy chocolate/coffee, named CHOCOF. Made of Dutch processed cocoa, mixed with decaf instant coffee and milk powder.

Look at the rose detail on the spoon...

Pastry server in AMD 800 silver Rose Pattern from Adam Manns & Sohn, Germany.

Detail of the upscale linen and silk runner, with meticulous stitching...

It is hilarious but because Liz LOVES red beets so much (as I  do!) she got this runner and obviously the sales person had no clue about what she was selling to her. 

These are the 'SUPERFOOD' pomegranate fruits!

Got a comment from a dear bloggerfriend: Ger from Hoorn Des Overvloeds

THANKS GER!

Liz did present this lovely linen & silk table runner in a clever window-bag.

Hand made in Israel

Love the label with the appropriate markings for linen and silk as well as cleaning instructions etc.

This was published in the April 2011, Costco Connection

Photo by Kritsada Photography

Way below, I've typed the recipe as well, so you can use the translator for other languages.

It is heart healthy and excellent for diabetes type 2 patients; without any sugar.

Both, Pieter and I were impressed by its taste! 

Baked on Sunday afternoon, I had to let it cool down and only on Monday the photos got made by daylight.

Guess that I did even lower the 62 mg of sodium by using Trader Joe's 1 mg sodium French beets, instead of the canned varieties with10% sodium!

TIP: when blending the ingredients don't add the whole-wheat pastry flour (Whole Foods) right away but put it atop the red beans and beets so it will not stay behind in the bottom of the blender.

I used the French Demarle puffed heart shaped silicon form for a half size sheet pan. The full sheet size is available on line: Flexipan Puffed Heart. 

Red Velvet Chocolate Squares

Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray

½ cup chopped canned beets, drained

7 ounces (about 1 cup) canned red beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ cup liquid egg substitute

3 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour

¾ cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons natural red food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine the beets, cocoa powder, egg substitute and flour in the bowl of a food processor.

Process until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through.

Add he agave nectar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and food coloring. 

Process until all of the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the dish halfway through the baking time. Turn down the temperature of the oven to 300 and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little bit of soft batter clinging to it. It should not come out clean ̶ if it does, it's overcooked.

Let the cake cool completely in the baking dish on a wire rack. Then put it in the fridge for at least 3 hours. When it's cold, cut it into 12 squares and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 12 bars (106 calories each).

Tip: I've experimented with these squares many times in my kitchen. What I discovered is that, unlike most baked items, these squares taste best after being refrigerated for at least 3 hours. Chilling the bars coalesces the flavor and stabilizes the texture. Enjoy them cold, and you'll enjoy them more.

Per serving (each bar): 106 calories, 1.5 g fat (1 g sat/0 g mono/0 g poly), 2.5 mg cholesterol, 62 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.

♥♥

Wishing each of you a Happy Valentine's Day and may it spill over onto all 365 days...

Related links:

Costco Connection April 2011 with recipe for AMAZING Chocolate

{Point A La Ligne the Rolls Royce of Candles} | my earlier blogpost