It was close with over 500 of you casting a vote. But given the choice between making a savory Shrimp Stir-Fry for Chinese New Year, which falls on the 14th this year, and a decadent chocolate cheesecake for V-day, you went with your heart. I can’t say I blame you.

This Shokolate Cheesecake from the Podleski sisters looks good, verrrrry good. And since it’s from their show Eat, Shrink and Be Merry, you know it’ll be lower in calories than most cheesecakes out there.

And as Suzie the Foodie and AvaDJ suggested, there’s no reason why you can’t do both. If you throw in a sexy cocktail or two, you have the perfect V-day menu. (See both recipes below)

Here's how the Cooking Club Challenge works:

• Make the chosen monthly recipe: For February it's Shokolate Cheesecake from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry.
  
• Feel free to follow it to a "T" or add your own creative flair.
• Email me (blogATfoodnetworkDOTca) a picture (in .jpg format) and a short descriptive paragraph of no more than 50 words before the end of each month for your chance to win prizes!
• Thanks to our new site, you can share tips and opinions immediately with fellow challengers. No need to wait until the end of the month.

Shockolate Cheesecake
Yield: 16
Ingredients

• 1 box (15.5 oz/440 g) low-fat brownie mix (such as Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies)
• 2 cups 1% cottage cheese
• 1 cup light sour cream (not fat-free)
• 1 package (8 oz/250 g) light cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 ounces (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate squares, melted and cooled slightly (see Tip)
• 1 cup fat-free egg substitute or 4 whole eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• Melted chocolate for drizzling (optional)

Directions
   1. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Prepare brownies according to package directions, baking in springform pan instead of regular cake pan. Brownies should bake in 20 to 25 minutes.
   2. Remove pan from oven and reset temperature to 325ºF. Set brownie crust aside to cool slightly while you prepare filling.
   3. To make filling, whirl cottage cheese, sour cream and cream cheese in a blender until perfectly smooth. Scrape out mixture into a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, sift together sugar, cocoa and flour.
   4. Gradually add sugar mixture to cream-cheese mixture and beat on medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add melted chocolate and beat again, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat just until eggs are incorporated into batter.
   5. Before pouring batter over crust, lightly grease sides of pan. This will help prevent cheesecake from cracking as it cools. Pour batter over brownie crust and smooth top.
   6. Place on middle oven rack and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Cake will be puffed up and center will jiggle slightly when pan is shaken.
   7. Turn off oven, open oven door halfway, and leave cake in oven to cool for 1 hour. Remove from oven, run knife around edge of pan to loosen cake from sides, and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
   8. To serve, remove sides of pan, slice thinly (it’s rich!), and serve with fresh raspberries and chocolate drizzle, if desired.

Per serving: 321 calories, 10 g total fat (5.9 g saturated fat), 11 g protein, 48 g carbohydrate, 2.7 g fibre, 65 mg cholesterol, 299 mg sodium

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Roger Mooking's Shrimp Stir-Fry with Fried Egg and Flavoured Vinegar

Ingredients
Shrimp Stir Fry

• 2x400 gram packages thick pre-cooked egg noodles
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• ½ red onion, julienned
• 2 cups shitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 16, 21/25 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup oyster sauce
•  1/3 cup water, mixed in with oyster sauce
•  2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
•  3 plum tomatoes, medium dice
•  1 bunch green onion, chopped
•   1/2 cups spinach, roughly chopped

Flavoured Vinegar

• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili oil or chili flakes
• 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
• salt

Fried Egg

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter
•  Flavoured Vinegar

Directions
Shrimp Stir Fry

   1. Soak egg noodles in hot water for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.
   2. Heat oil in a wok, or a low, wide based pot over high heat.
   3. Once smoking hot, add red onion and shitake mushrooms, toss for 1 minute.
   4. Add garlic and toss.
   5. Add shrimp and toss.
   6. Once shrimp has turned pink, add oyster sauce and water mixture.
   7. Add ginger and noodles, toss.
   8. Add tomatoes and chopped green onions, toss.
   9. Remove from heat, add spinach and toss.

Flavoured Vinegar

   1. Place all ingredients except chives in a bowl.
   2. Add chives to bowl before serving.

Fried Egg

   1. In a non-stick sauté pan, heat vegetable oil over medium heat.
   2. Add eggs to pan.
   3. Turn heat to high and add butter.
   4. Cook eggs until bottoms are crisp and yolks are runny, remove from heat.

Assembling Stir Fry

   1. Place Shrimp Stir Fry in a bowl.
   2. Place 1 Fried Egg over Shrimp Stir Fry.
   3. Spoon Flavoured Vinegar with chives over Fried Egg.
   4. Enjoy with sliced Chinese Roast Pork.

Related:

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