This recipe can yield up to 18 servings of delicious Pizzelles. Preparation time is 15 minutes while cooking time takes about 20 minutes. The delightful treat should be ready in 35 minutes. Each serving of Pizzelles contains 270 calories, 11.9g total fat, 70mg cholesterol, 249mg sodium, 35.8mg total carbohydrates, 0.7g dietary fiber, and 4.7g protein.

Ingredients

Eggs - 6 pieces
White sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Margarine (melted and cooled) - 1 cup
Anise extract - 2 tablespoons
All-purpose flour - 3 1/2 cups
Baking powder - 4 teaspoons

Directions

1. Beat the eggs with a handy kitchen electric mixer. Incorporate sugar and continue beating until the texture becomes fluffy. Add the melted margarine and anise extract and stir. Introduce the all purpose flour and baking powder into the mixture and gradually stir. Continue stirring until the dough becomes sticky.

2. Pre-heat the Pizzelle iron. Make sure to follow the instructions of the manufacturer on pre-heating procedure. Take rounded spoonfuls of batter from the mixing bowl and drop it into the Pizzelle iron. Close the Pizzelle iron and cook for about 90 seconds. If no smoke is coming is coming out of the iron, then the batter is cooked already. Remove from the Pizzelle iron and cool in a plate. Once cooled, place the Pizzelles in an air tight jar and store at room temperature.

Much Thanks to http://www.mediterraneanrecipes.org for sharing this healthy recipe

An European study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003 followed more than 22,000 people living in Greece and investigated their eating habits. During the 4 years of the study, researchers found that the closer people followed the so called "Mediterranean diet", the less likely they were to die from either heart disease or cancer.

Fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains

The Mediterranean diet traditionally includes fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice. For example, residents of Greece eat very little red meat and average nine servings a day of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lower level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol that's more likely to build up deposits in your arteries.

Nuts are another part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. Nuts are high in fat (approximately 80 percent of their calories come from fat), but tree nuts, including walnuts, pecans, almonds and hazel nuts, are low in saturated fat. Nuts are high in calories, so they should not be eaten in large amounts — generally no more than a handful a day. For the best nutrition, avoid honey-roasted or heavily salted nuts.

Grains in the Mediterranean region are typically whole grain and usually contain very few unhealthy trans fats, and bread is an important part of the diet there. However, throughout the Mediterranean region, bread is eaten without butter or margarines, which contain saturated or trans fats.

From: http://www.mayoclinic.com

There are three kinds of dietary fats: saturated (animal), polyunsaturated (plants, seeds, nuts, vegetable oils), and monounsaturated (olive oil). From a nutritional standpoint, all types of olive oil are approximately the same, with 80% monounsaturated, 14% saturated, 9% polyunsaturated fats on average.