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Jo Knows Nutrition by Joanne Nijhuis

Chocolate Espresso Cake – A Coffee and Chocolate Lovers Delight!

Mar. 11, 2024 – This flourless chocolate espresso cake is a dream for chocolate and coffee lovers alike. Using only a few high-quality ingredients, this recipe is easy to follow and comes together quickly. Ideally, make this cake a day ahead and refrigerate until serving with a garnish of fresh berries. Dense, decadent and delish. A perfect dessert for special occasions with friends or family.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup (250 ml) dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup (250 ml) unsalted butter, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) instant-espresso powder or instant-coffee granules
  • ¼ cup (63 ml) granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • Cocoa powder for dusting, optional
  • Fresh berries for garnish, optional

NSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C).
  2. Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) springform cake pan with parchment paper. Then, spray the entire pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  3. In a saucepan on high heat, melt the butter, espresso or coffee, salt and sugar. Whisk frequently until all of the ingredients have dissolved.
  4. Turn the heat down to low, add the chocolate and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
  5. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes. The eggs should almost triple in volume.
  6. Turn off the heat and gently add the beaten eggs to the chocolate mixture. Stir carefully until thoroughly combined.
  7. Transfer the batter into your prepared springform pan.
  8. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until set. Be careful not to overcook. The centre of the cake may still look slightly wet.
  9. Cool the cake completely and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before transferring to a serving plate. Dust the cake with cocoa powder and garnish with fresh berries.

Enjoy!

Joanne Nijhuis MSc, RD is a consulting, media and culinary dietitian in Simcoe Grey Bruce, Joanne offers nutrition talks and cooking demos/classes in-person and online via Zoom. For more information, email Joanne at jo.knows.nutrition@outlook.com

www.joknowsnutrition.com

Did You Know?

Forget the guilt and rest assured that you can eat healthy and have your cake too. Enjoying the occasional sweet or treat fits well into a healthy lifestyle with the 80/20 rule. So simple to follow, the 80/20 rule is a great way to focus on eating healthy, but also enjoy meals and snacks with less nutritional value in moderation. Not considered a diet, the 80/20 rule is a more of a mindset. Focus on eating nutritious foods that contain plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains 80% of the time  and have your favourite treats with more sugar, saturated fat and/or sodium the other 20%.

 

Annie’s Journal

by Annie Warner Donnelly, International Correspondent

 

Mar. 10, 2024 – Many sources agree that Bagamoyo is the oldest town in Tanzania, however not all sources agree how the town got its name. Some say that, in Kiswahili, Bagamoyo (Bwaga-Moyo) means to lay down your heart. Some say that sailors called it Bagamoyo because, when they arrived on dry land, they were grateful to lay down and rest after the perils of being at sea.

Some say that, in Kiswahili, Bagamoyo means take a load off your heart, in other words feel at ease by removing your burden. In the 19th century, porters carried heavy bundles for explorers and others as they travelled into the interior and back to the busy Bagamoyo port. At the end of their journey, they were glad to remove their heavy burdens thus taking a load off their hearts.

Here at Bagamoyo’s TaSUBa College, I pass by the statue, depicted in the picture that accompanies this article, at least twice a day. This statue provides a clue to another interpretation of the name Bagamoyo.

In the 19th century, slave traders forcibly gathered people who lived in the interior of the country and loaded them onto ships anchored in the harbour. They would be sold as slaves in far off lands. Some say that Bagamoyo came to mean laying down your heart as you gave up all hope. I can’t pass this statue without thinking about how cruel we can be to each other.

One day, as I was walking home in Mugeta, I was confronted by some students from a nearby high school. One young man was particularly challenging. Why does Canada support racism? was one of his questions.

We know there are many events in our country’s history that we aren’t proud of, but in 2007 Thomas Allen Publishers, Toronto, published Karolyn Smardz Frost’s book which tells a true story we can be proud of. The Globe and Mail wrote: Smardz Frost has combined solid academic research with a compelling story … her portrait in words will forever hang with pride on the wall of history that documents the transition from slavery to emancipation, and the process by which African Americans became African Canadians.

From the Introduction: In 1985, archaeologists in downtown Toronto made a remarkable find. Beneath the old Sackville Street School playground were traces of a house, a shed, and a mysterious cellar. Municipal records revealed the original landowner had been “Thornton Blackburn, cabman, coloured”. He and his wife were fugitive slaves from Kentucky who had settled in Toronto in 1834 and had gone on to become wealthy and successful businesspeople. The Thornton and Lucie Blackburn site became the first archaeological dig on an Underground Railroad site in Canada.

The title of the book? I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land – A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad. It won the Governor General’s Literary Award in 2007.

May there never be another high school student in rural Tanzania, or anywhere else in the world, who feels compelled to ask the question, Why does Canada support racism? Amen

 

Rosie’s Devotions by Rosemary Hagedorn

A New Chapter Yet Begins Again

Mar. 9, 2024 – It has now been over five years since my husband and I moved into a two bedroom and a den apartment building after we sold our house. A new chapter in both my husband’s and my life had begun. My husband, who had been suffering with vascular dementia for a few years, is now living in a Long Term Care Home, I am on my own and another new chapter in my life begins again.

My cat, Ginger and I still live in the four story apartment building beside the marina. The view I have is even better than the one I left behind when both my husband and I lived in a house that overlooked a bay. I am greeted with the most amazing sunrises and I watch the sailboats sailing away to wherever. A walking trail is located just outside the building, and I have already walked more than I ever did when I lived at the old house.

Not having to look after a house and all that it entails including being a caretaker for my husband, had been a great stress relief, and I noticed a change in my demeanour. I am more relaxed these days, knowing that my husband is being taken care of and it seems that things are a lot better. There are still  things that I have to take care of but they are not a struggle anymore.

I realize that my old way of life will never be the same, but knowing that God is with me, and has been, makes each day bearable, and rewarding at the same time.

Jeremiah 29:11-For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV)

Prayer: Thank you God, that you are with us, even though we may not realize it at the time. God knows all about our anxieties and heartbreaks and he does have a plan to give us hope and a future. Amen.

 

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