Black Magic Cake

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon vinegar with milk added to total 1 cup)
1/2 cup vegetable oil(olive oil works great in chocolate cakes!!!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch rounds or one 9x13 inch pan.
2 In large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center.
3 Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pans.
4 Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack.

World-Famous Low Carb Bread
(passed on to me - not my recipe)

Ingredients:
1 pkg dry yeast (Rapid Rise/Highly Active)
1/2 teaspoon sugar *
1 1/8 cup "baby bottle warm" water (90-100°F)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Splenda
1 cup Wheat Gluten Flour ***
1/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup coarse unprocessed wheat bran

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add warm water, oil
and sugar to bread machine pan. Then add mixed dry ingredients.
Sprinkle yeast over the top. Set your machine to the basic cycle
(3-4 hours) or rapid basic cycle and bake.

Cool on a rack, refrigerate and enjoy.

* The sugar is totally consumed by the yeast and does not
contribute to the carb count. I keep a few packets of restaurant
sugar on-hand for this purpose so I never have to have a supply
of actual sugar in the house.

** I remove my paddle after the initial kneading and before the
rising cycle so I don't get a big hole in the bottom of the loaf.


*** "I've had best results using "Bob's Red Mill: Vital Wheat
Gluten Flour". Whatever brand you use should be 6 grams (no
fiber) per 1/4 cup on label and approx. 75% - 80% protein. It
works great, keeps the taste and texture just like bakery bread,
and keeps the carb count very low."

Makes 16+ slices. Net carbs: 2.99g per slice.

Other variations:

You can make this a High Protein Egg Bread by adding two eggs
lightly beat to your liquid ingredients -Net Carbs: 3.6g.

Swap the oat flour with 1/4 cup dark rye flour and added caraway
seeds for rye bread- Net Carbs: 5.7g.

Betty's Best Brownies
Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 25 minutes, Makes: 24

Betty Virgen of south Sacramento created this family-favorite brownie recipe, which calls for the addition of chopped-up caramels. She recommends waiting a day before you cut them into bars, but who could do that?

* Ingredients:

1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces Kraft caramels, cut into small pieces
1 cup nuts, chopped (walnuts or pecans)

* Instructions:

Melt chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl or in a double boiler until melted and smooth; set aside to cool until warm. In a mixer bowl, beat eggs until thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually add sugars, beating mixture until light and fluffy. By hand, stir in vanilla and chocolate mixture just until blended. Toss caramels and nuts in flour-salt mixture; stir into chocolate mixture just until blended. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes; the top of the brownies will be shiny. Do not bake longer than 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

Per serving: 311 cal.; 5 g pro.; 34 g carb.; 19 g fat (10 sat., 6 monounsat., 3 polyunsat.); 66 mg chol.; 92 mg sod.; 2 g fiber; 53 percent calories from fat.