Sweet Potato Pancakes

Life. is. so. crazy.

Eat pancakes, for dinner.

With chocolate chunks.

And coconut butter.

And then get back to your crazy life.

Why is life crazy? Oh, let me count the ways…

I had 7 days, yes 7, off between grad school semesters. And I still had to work, all-day, every day.

Then my (rented) house went on the market, and in the midst of starting up with classes again (3 more credits than past semesters – what.am.i.thinking?) I have to temporarily relocate every few hours, every day.

Including today (I took a “vacation” day to get things done around the house which is now a bust since I can’t).

So I relocated, to the beach… (to read my neuro text, of course.)

And then to the gym.

And then made these before forced to relocate again.

Sweet Potato Pancakes (vegan)

Ingredients:

1/2 c coconut flour

1/2 c unbleached ap flour

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional—I used a sample of a vegan protein)

2 T turbinado sugar (this is a raw sugar—you can use brown sugar if you wish)

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1 1/2 t cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice if you wish)

1 1/2 c almond coconut milk (I accidentally bought sweetened, if yours is unsweetened you may want to increase sugar by a tablespoon or 2)

1 heaping cup of shredded sweet potato (I shredded mine in the food processor, did you know you could do that? I didn’t. No more hand grating for me!)

oil for pan

coconut butter, for topping (optional—but really not)

vegan chocolate chunks, for topping

maple syrup, for topping

Instructions:

Mix all listed ingredients through the almond milk, create “well” and add sweet potato. Mix thoroughly but don’t over mix (I don’t know why but that’s what the pancake pros say). Batter will be thick. Add additional almond milk by the tablespoon if you prefer working with a thinner batter but it’s not necessary.

Heat oil in your skillet (or whatever you use to cook pancakes) to med-high.

Drop batter by 1/4 c onto heated surface. You may want to use the back of your spoon to flatten a bit as the batter is thick and doesn’t spread on the pan. Cook pancakes until done, not sticking to pan and can be flipped. I usually “eyeball” the doneness of my pancakes but usually a few minutes on each side.

Top with a drizzle of coconut butter, sprinkle of dark chocolate chunks and syrup.

Serves 4.

Coconut and Crispy Kale Millet Bowl

I’ve had Heidi Swanson's Supernatural Every Day on my reserve list at the library for months. Unfortunately, the one time it became available I didn’t make it in the allotted 7 days to pick it up and haven’t gotten a second chance yet.

I was thrilled back in January when Joy posted the recipe from Heidi’s book for the crunchy kale and coconut bowl. (I call mine ‘crispy’ because it seems more appropriate for my rendition.) Back in January when she posted the recipe, I immediately made it twice in the same week. And though I’ve thought about this dish every single time I’ve had kale in the house since, I’ve only just made it again, for you loyal readers. Since that day was today, I can say with authority that it is definitely worth turning my oven on for (even on crazy March days when the temperature reaches 80 degrees outside).

 

Coconut and Crispy Kale Millet Bowl

serves 2 as a main, from here and here

Ingredients:

• 2 T tamari or soy sauce
• 1 t rice vinegar
• 1 t sriracha
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 5 c lacinato kale, ripped into bite size pieces
• 1/2 c shredded coconut
• 1/2 c millet, uncooked
• 1 1/2 c vegetable broth (or water – for cooking millet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with parchment or tin foil. Begin cooking your millet (or other grain). Lightly toast millet in saucepan over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and allow to cook (without stirring) for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Don’t stir the millet, it will get mushy if you do (I know this from experience!) When it’s done, lightly fluff it with a fork.

In a small jar, or bowl, mix tamari, rice vinegar, and sriracha. If using a jar with a lid, add olive oil and shake vigorously until mixed. If using a bowl, pour in olive oil and whisk to emulsify. Put aside.

Tear clean kale off stems and rip into bite size pieces. Add coconut and about 1/2 of dressing. Toss and then spread onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes (check every few minutes after 10 to prevent burning – it happens fast!) Kale is done when it is crispy to the touch, if still soft, keep it in the over for 2 minute intervals until crispy.

Serve kale atop prepared millet and top each portion with 1/2 of the remaining dressing. Enjoy!

Almond Joy Doughy Cookies

It will come as no surprise that coconut is one of my favorite ingredients. I think it is delicious in both sweet and savory foods – I actually may even prefer it in savory – but these are an exception. The coconut, along with the chocolate and almond, marry well to make some of the most fantastic cookies I’ve ever made.

Almond Joy Doughy Cookies

makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 c. homemade almond butter
• 1/2 c. dark brown sugar
• 3/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 c. non-dairy whipped butter spread (regular butter is fine)
• 1/2 t. almond extract
• 1 t. coconut extract
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1 c. white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c. mini chocolate chips
• 1 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk (regular milk is fine)

With a mixer, beat together almond butter, sugars, butter and extracts.

In a separate bowl, mix together baking powder, baking soda, salt and flours.

Add dry mixture to mixer bowl a little at a time. Beat until fully incorporated. Repeat until dry mixture is fully mixed with wet ingredients.

Dough may seem a little mealy. Add in almond milk 1/4 c. at a time until a dough forms.

Once dough is formed, stir in chocolate chips and coconut.

Refrigerate dough for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

Scoop using a tablespoon measuring spoon and place on ungreased cookie sheet (or you can use a sheet lined with parchment). Leave about a half inch between cookies because they will spread a little.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Not a minute longer. This is the key to keeping them super soft!

Let cool for a few minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling racks.

Try not to eat them all while transferring to cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Drizzle with melted chocolate if you wish. This will make them more “almond joy” like. But you don’t have to – they are great just the way they are.

Banana Coconut Mini Donuts

On Friday night for dinner I had 1/2 a leftover chile relleno and 4 of these.

Yes, I said 4.

Don’t look at me like that.

Now do you see why?

These are itty-bitty and perfect for popping in your mouth one after another.

I made them using this, a birthday gift (thanks Ben & Amanda!)

Banana Coconut Donuts very slight adapted from Bakingdom

for 3 dozen mini-donuts

Ingredients:

• 2 very ripe bananas
• 2 T buttermilk
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 c cake flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 6 T coconut spread, at room temperature
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

Mash bananas and add in buttermilk and vanilla. Stir and set aside. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda and baking powder, set aside. In another bowl, beat together coconut spread and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, mix until combined. Add some of the flour mixture to the coconut spread/sugar mixture until combined, add some of the banana mixture. Alternate adding flour and banana mixtures until it’s all combined. Gently stir in coconut at end.

Place mixture in a ziploc bag (cup the end off) and pipe into preheated donut maker*. Cook until golden in color, about 7 minutes.

*Alternately preheat oven to 350, pipe donut mixture into well-greased donut pan. Cook for about 10 minutes or until golden in color.

Glaze

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c confectioners sugar
• 2 t milk
• food coloring
• sprinkles

Combine sugar and milk and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Add food coloring. Dip donuts in glaze as soon as they are cool enough to handle (but still warm). Add sprinkles.

Enjoy.

Faux Fall

Through my participation in Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program, I received this Tervis Tumbler at no cost. Though I’ll admit the first beverage it held was Atwater's Vanilla Java Porter, the next was this Pumpkin-Banana-Coconut Smoothie I made for breakfast yesterday.

I’m not usually a smoothie-for-breakfast kind of girl but the warm weather inspired me so I popped open one of my coveted cans of pumpkin and whipped one up. It hit the spot – refreshing yet filling and deliciously reminiscent of pumpkin pie but with a twist.

Pumpkin-Banana-Coconut Smoothie

serves 1

• 1 c milk (I used combination of unsweetened almond and skim)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 c pumpkin puree
• 2 T shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 t pumpkin pie spice
• 2 ice cubes
• 2 packets stevia sweetener (or sugar… or you can omit all together for a less sweet drink)
• cinnamon, for topping

Add all ingredients to Magic Bullet tall cup and blend until smooth (or use blender/food processor/whatever you have) top with cinnamon.

Enjoy!

I am loving this tumbler. It seems to keep my drinks nice and cold. It will be getting lots of use – and I’ll let you know when I try a hot drink in it!

When it rains… it makes the ground wet

Can someone please tell me how people actually find roommates on Craigslist? Since I’ve posted my listing (about 3 weeks ago) I’ve had more responses from humanitarian workers in remote parts of the world that want to wire me money to reserve the room than actual, real interest. I’ve tried scanning my ad to see if there’s anything in there that might yield this result but there’s nothing. I requested that the individual be employed yet have received at least 3 inquiries from people with out jobs that have “some leads”. Please. That may be indeed true for some but I’m leery when the e-mail is being sent on behalf of someone on behalf of someone else who isn’t the same person who signs the e-mail. You are looking for a progressive roommate who likes sunshine and smiles? Keep looking. That’s not even a joke… that was a real e-mail. That is not to say that I’m not progressive and yes, I do like sunshine and smiles but I’m not sure they are in my roommate criteria short-list. Sigh. The search continues…

I was trying to take pictures of the apartment this morning and Griffy managed to make an appearance in just about every one.

Anyway, aside from that on going search, the weekend was a good one. How could it not be? It was long. Friday night we went out for sushi, Saturday we enjoyed some drinks in town with friends and Sunday the man-friend and I had dinner at The Palm. It was a surprise and I can’t wait to go back again. Last night I made dinner for the two of us. I found a recipe for Brazilian Coconut Chicken on allrecipes and I’m still thrilled with how it came out.

Rub 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch pieces with this spice mixture. If you don’t like a lot of heat, I suggest reducing the cayenne a bit. Add 1 T olive oil to a pan and bring to medium heat. Add chicken pieces, flip after about 6-8 minutes. Flip. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Remove pieces of chicken from pan.

To the still hot pan add 1 T minced ginger, 2 cloves garlic (minced) and 1/4 onion (chopped). Add additional olive oil if desired. Cook until onions start to turn translucent (just a few minutes). Empty contents of one 15 oz can of diced tomatoes into pan (drain a bit of the juice out first). If desired, add chopped jalapenos (seeds removed to reduce heat). I used 3 with seeds. Finally, pour one can of lite coconut milk into the pan. Reduce the heat to med-low. Let cook for a few more minutes then add the chicken back in. The sauce will NOT get super thick. That’s okay. You are going to serve it over rice. Preferably Basmati. Or you can use brown rice if you prefer. I used 1 c dry rice and that amounted to 4 servings once cooked. To serve, place 3/4 c rice in bowl (I used pasta bowls). Top with 1/4 chicken and sauce mixture. Enjoy!

Make this meal pronto. It will bring you sunshine and smiles. And perhaps it will send a roommate my way…

IPA Donuts with Coconut Butter

I’ve been itching to make donuts again since I made these.

I saw a recipe for Amber Ale Donuts on Craft Beer the other day and thought it sounded interesting… and brilliant.

I chose a bottle of Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA from the refrigerator. According to the Sam Adams website, the hops in this beer give it a “powerful citrus and earthy aroma”. Sounded good to me. The rest of the ingredients in the recipe are pretty much pantry staples so these didn’t take long at all to pop in the oven.

{IPA Donuts with Coconut Butter}

adapted from Chef Michelle's Amber Ale Donuts

Ingredients:

• 1 C minus 2 T AP Flour (my substitution for cake flour which I didn’t have)
• 2 T Corn Starch
• 1/2 C Sugar
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 T melted butter, cooled
• 3 oz. Latitude 48 IPA
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1/2 of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 375. Melt butter and let cool. Sift all dry ingredients together into large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, beer, lemon juice and zest. Grease donut pan with butter or non-stick spray.

Pour liquid blend into dry mixture. Mix until just blended. Do not over mix or donuts will be tough. Fill each donut half full.

Bake in preheated oven for about 9 minutes. Donuts should not brown on top. Remove pan from oven and let cool.

Top with coconut butter when donuts are cool. Alternatively, you can roll donuts in powdered sugar while they are still warm.

*makes 6 large donuts

When in need of comfort…

We turn to our friends. We turn to our family. We turn to delicious food.

The last couple of days I’ve been up in Maine wishing I could turn back time. And that comfort food could truly comfort in even the most difficult times.

Truth is, it can’t. But sharing delicious food with friends and family can comfort. So this is my plea to you to spend more time sharing delicious food and making memories with your family and friends. You can start by making this delicious dish:

{Tofu, Spinach, Carrots and Rice Noodles in a Peanut-Coconut Sauce}

• 6 ounces rice noodles, cooked and drained
• 3 c spinach, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 block tofu, pressed to remove liquid and cubed
• 1 t sesame oil

For the sauce:

• 1/2 c light coconut milk
• 3 T smooth peanut butter
• 2 T soy sauce
• 5 T rice vinegar
• 2 T honey or maple syrup
• 1 T grated ginger
• 1/4 t chili flakes
• 1/4 unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a food processor and combine. Set aside.

In a large pan, heat sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook until starting to brown. Add spinach and carrots. Continue to cook over heat until spinach has wilted.

Add sauce to tofu and vegetable mixture. Stir. Let sauce warm for a few minutes then pour tofu/vegetable/sauce mixture over rice noodles. Serve.

*yield about 4 servings

Online Bake sale and Macaroons!

Before I tell you about these super simple, yet ridiculously addicting macaroons, please please check out Bloggers Bake for Hope! I am excited to be a part of this online bakesale, all proceeds to go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure Affiliates.

There are already SO many amazing items listed! Online bidding will take place between May 4-6, 2011. I encourage you to take a look and next week, bid on delicious treats created by talented bloggers and bakers!

My White Chocolate Lime Cookies are up for grabs, they are deeee-licious!

Obviously, I encourage you to vote for whatever strikes your fancy though! And please spread the word! It’s a win-win, you get treats delivered to your door and the cause gets the $!

Now, onto the macaroons…

Did I mention these were addicting?

Yes, I did mention that. But did I mention that they have only 40 calories apiece?

Well, now I did. Not kidding.

Did I mention I ate two for second breakfast this morning?

It’s the truth.

{Easy, Delicious, Addicting Macaroons}

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg whites
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat egg whites until peaks form… or your arm feels like it’s going to fall off (in my case). Add sugar a bit at a time, keep whisking with egg whites. Whisk in vanilla and then stir in coconut until well-mixed.

Spoon into level tablespoons and drop onto parchment paper. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove when they have turned a golden brown.

*Makes 32 cookies

Basil Coconut Curry with Chicken

This dish was everything I imagined in my head and more. So. Delicious.

Fresh basil. Tender chicken breast. Creamy coconut milk. Curry.

You get it.

Basil Coconut Curry with Chicken – A Lemongrove Avenue Original

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole Chicken Breast
• 1/2 Can Unsweetened Light Coconut Milk
• 1 t. Cumin
• 1 t. Coriander, ground
• 1/2 t. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 t. Chili Powder
• 1/4 t. Turmeric
• 1 t. Curry Powder
• 1 C. Vegetable Broth
• Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1 Jalapeno, chopped and seeded

Begin by cutting the chicken breast into chunks. In a bowl, mix all spices and then add chicken chunks, coating chicken. In a large sauce pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, heat chicken (medium heat) until cooked through. Remove chicken and put aside. Pour 1/2 of broth into pan to deglaze with cooking juices from chicken. When pain is deglazed, add coconut milk, basil leaves and jalapeno. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Add cooked chicken to pan and allow to heat for a few more minutes. Allow sauce to thicken (doesn’t take very long… I added 1 t. cornstarch to assist). Serve chicken with sauce over rice or veggies (I served mine over sautéed spinach and mushrooms).

Bittman’s Spiced Coconut Pancakes

What came to mind when I woke up this morning and there was snow on the ground (and still falling from the sky)?! Get me somewhere warm. Now. 

Well, it’s no surprise that that wasn’t going to happen. Not anytime soon anyway. Next best thing? Bringing a little taste of the tropics to me. Specifically in my kitchen.

Mark Bittman’s Spiced Coconut Pancakes with Tropical Fruit Bananas

adapted from Bon Appetit, January 2011

Ingredients:

• 2.5 C WW Flour
• 1 C unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 t. baking powder
• 3/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 3/4 t. ground allspice
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1 can light unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 T pure Maple Syrup
• 1 T vanilla extract
• oil for cooking
• additional maple syrup for topping
• banana for topping, quartered and sliced
• additional unsweetened shredded coconut for topping

Whisk dry ingredients together in one bowl. In another, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and whisk together until a pourable batter forms.

Heat griddle or skilled over medium heat, brush with oil (I used Canola). Add butter by 1/4 cupful. Cook until small bubbles appear on pancake surface then flip. Heat an addition 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Top with bananas, coconut and maple syrup.

*Recipe yields about 20 pancakes, I halved it and it worked just fine. Also, Bittman suggests heating oven to 250 degrees and putting cooked pancakes in on a baking sheet to keep them warm, I did this but you can keep them warm anyway you wish.

These were absolutely divine. They were incredibly soft and fluffy and the shredded coconut inside gave them great texture. The original recipe calls for a medley topping of banana, pineapple and mango but I forgot to buy the latter ingredients and honestly, I can’t say I missed them.

I can already tell that there will be many more days I’ll be starting with these babies!

I'm submitting this recipe to Tackling Bittman Recipe Hop Volume 3! hosted by girlichef.

Coconut Chicken & Spicy Mango Sauce

We’re back in business. I received my replacement AC adapter for my laptop yesterday. It arrived just in time because I have a lecture to watch and an exam to take by tomorrow, eeek.

Getting back into the swing of things at work after a long vacation has been tough. So when I saw this recipe for coconut chicken (with coconut rum!), I was SOLD! I’ve had coconut shrimp many times (practically every time I see it on a menu) but never coconut chicken. Since I had chicken in the house and didn’t have shrimp, it seemed perfect.

Coconut “Rum” Chicken
Serves 4 (I halved this recipe and it worked out well!)
1 1/2 lb chicken breast
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup coconut rum
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
olive oil
1. In one bowl, combine the egg and the coconut rum. In a second bowl, combine the garlic, salt, breadcrumbs, and 1/2 cup coconut. In a third bowl, place the other half cup of coconut.
2. Pat the chicken dry. Dredge in the bowl with the breadcrumbs and coconut. Dip in the egg and rum. Dredge in the bowl with the coconut.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Cook the coconut-covered chicken.

I looked at many recipes, though I had pretty much already decided on this one because, well, it has rum in it. Which by the way, if you don’t have any coconut rum on hand (I didn’t) a nip is just the right amount. Sorry, if I’m drinking hard stuff it’s usually vodka. Well, many of the other recipes served up the coconut crusted deliciousness with some sort of dipping sauce. I love sauces. I’ll dip bread in sauces until my plate is clean. I don’t like to waste a drip of sauce. With that said, I made a sauce. I had no idea what I was going to put in said sauce but I knew I was going to make it. And it all began with some mango nectar…

 Spicy Mango Sauce

12 oz. mango nectar (you can find it in the ethnic food section)

1 tsp canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp chopped onion

2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more depending on your taste)

1 tsp coconut rum (or more depending on your day)

2 tbsp Greek 0% fat yogurt

1. In a sauté pan warm canola oil, add in garlic and onion. Stir until golden. Add mango nectar.
2. Cook at medium heat, add cayenne pepper and continue to cook until the sauce reduces to about ¾ cup.
3. Pour into blender and blend until smooth. Stir in coconut rum and yogurt.
4. Drizzle over chicken or put on the side for dipping.

Did I mention that now that my computer is up and running, I’m having camera issues?! Well these pictures were taken by my cell phone so I apologize for the terrible colors and photo quality. Hopefully my luck with technology will turn around soon!

Maine or, bust?

So, I’m just going to whine for a few and then I’ll be done with it. Tomorrow marks my first day of vacation, which I’m thrilled about. I’m also supposed to be leaving tomorrow for Maine to visit my family and some friends. But my car is not cooperating with that plan. They key will not turn in the ignition. What?! So my car is currently sitting at the dealership awaiting a diagnostic test which will hopefully reveal a minor problem that can be fixed quickly. And I can get on the road early relatively early.

Puppy masks his disappointment by napping.

To take my mind off my present undesirable situation, I decided to make Key Lime Bars with a Coconut Crumble Crust. These were so easy, delicious and a perfect solution to using up my lime before I leave.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, (I used butter spread)
1 cup golden brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice
Zest of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with PAM. In a bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until everything comes together in a crumbly mixture and flour is evenly distributed. Mix in oats and coconut. In another    bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and lime zest. Use about 3/4 of crust mixture to coat bottom of pan. Press firmly so it's an even depth. Pour lime mixture on top and spread evenly. Crumble remaining oat mixture over the top of the lime mixture, covering it completely. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares.