coconut

Tropical Oatmeal

March 4, 2013 by Erica

tropical oatmeal

Good morning! I know on Friday I laid out my grand plans for a big weekend of cooking. And it happened! But I just can’t get back to the regularly scheduled program until I stop everything and tell you about this oatmeal.

I’m going through a bit of a coconut phase. I blame the rest of the blog world, which is also in love with coconut.

In the last few weeks alone, I’ve posted lentil, banana bread, and salad recipes containing coconut. What I didn’t tell you is that I’ve been starting every morning with coconut, too!

tropical oatmeal

I’m always thinking about posting my breakfasts here, but let’s face it… they’re not too exciting. Oatmeal in the winter, Cheerios in the summer, with the occasional quinoa thrown in.

In the winter months, I go through phases with my oatmeal toppings (like everyone), and I always end up craving them so much. Some favorites lately: Frozen berries and brown sugar; peanut butter, banana, and chocolate chips; and now, coconut butter and mango. And even if it is just oatmeal, let me tell you that I think this coconut + mango combination is blog-worthy.

tropical oatmeal

Have you tried coconut butter yet? I just bought my first jar a few weeks ago and am loving it. Rather than just extracting the oil from the coconut, coconut butter is the entire flesh of the coconut, ground up. It’s very rich and has amazing coconut flavor. This oatmeal is my favorite use for it, but it’s also amazing spread on toast, and I’m excited to find more ways to use it, too. Whatever you do, let it melt before you eat it. YUM.

I’ll be honest: coconut butter breaks the bank a little. Artisana, the brand I bought, is $11.99 for a 16-oz jar. Yikes – that’s more than Justin’s almond butter! I did just see a 15-oz. Maranatha jar for $7.99 at the grocery store, so I’ll probably try that out next time. The good news is that a little goes a long way. In addition to being rich, it’s pretty brittle, so I usually microwave the whole jar for 15-30 seconds before scraping any out. Having to scrape it out, rather than being able to dip in and come out with a big ol’ scoop, stretches that jar quite a bit. If you like using coconut oil in cooking or baking, I definitely recommend trying out a jar of coconut butter.

tropical oatmeal

It’s still very much wintertime in Utah, and when I wake up on a cold and dark morning, this is my new favorite way of denying reality for 5 more minutes. Now it’s obviously not really a “recipe” – you can make your oatmeal any way you’d like or even use these toppings on any other breakfast cereal. No matter how many times I eat this combo, though, it just feels so luxurious! One more way to trick myself into getting through the winter (and the workweek).

tropical oatmeal

Tropical Oatmeal

Hands-on time

2 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 cup cold water
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut butter
1 Tbsp sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 mango, peeled and chopped (or substitute 1/2 orange or 1/2 cup of fresh chopped pineapple)

Instructions

Combine oats and flax in a microwave-safe bowl. Add water, stir to combine, and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Remove from microwave (careful, the bowl might be hot!), sprinkle with cinnamon, and top with remaining ingredients. Wait a minute or two for coconut butter to melt, then dig in!

Tropical Chopped Salad with Mango, Pineapple, and Coconut

February 18, 2013 by Erica

It’s that time of year again… the time when we’re still in the depths of winter, and I start dreaming of the beach.

The mountains are beautiful in the winter, the skiing is great, the food is hearty, blah blah blah. It’s cold and I need a vacation.

This weekend, in an attempt to find the warm weather, Nate and I drove down to Zion National Park for some sun and hiking. Hopefully I’ll have a post with pictures for you later in the week! But I don’t even have a long weekend, so this morning I’m back at work, chugging away. A little weekend getaway to southern Utah was lovely, but something longer and more tropical would be right up my alley at the moment.

Enter this tropical salad. I went to the store and bought everything I could find that was delicious, in season, and from a warm location (sorry, sustainability), chopped it up, and put it in a bowl. Then I ate it and fantasized that I was sipping a pina colada on a beach, rather than eating salad out of a Tupperware in my office break room. It was so delicious that it almost worked.

This salad is just what you need at this time of year. Pineapple, mango, coconut, macadamia nuts, avocado? Yes yes yes! I enjoyed mine drizzled with olive oil and a few squeezes of lime, which I would recommend. You could also use your favorite dressing here!

Now to plan my summer beach vacation. Only 5 1/2 more months…

Tropical Chopped Salad with Mango, Pineapple, and Coconut

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the salad:
½ cup uncooked quinoa
4-5 cups shredded red leaf or romaine lettuce
1 mango, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped pineapple (about ¼ large pineapple)
1 cup finely chopped jicama
1 avocado, finely chopped
½ cup roasted unsalted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
½ cup flaked coconut, toasted
2-3 green onions, sliced

For dressing:
drizzle of olive oil
squeeze of lime juice
(or your favorite dressing)

Instructions:

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Add to a large bowl with all other salad ingredients. Toss and serve. Drizzle each serving with olive oil and lime juice.

Time:

30 minutes

Coconut Quinoa Banana Bread (Vegan)

February 15, 2013 by Erica

What’s that you say? Quinoa in my banana bread?

I know, it sounds weird.

Actually, I had never heard of quinoa banana bread until a funny thing started happening recently. Remember those funny search terms I posted about earlier in the week? Well, this was one of those! I began noticing that people searching for ‘vegan quinoa banana bread’ were landing on my vegan but non-quinoa banana bread recipe. Whatttt.

Being a search engine marketer, I understand why this is happening. I have a vegan banana bread recipe, and my blog name contains ‘quinoa,’ so Google thinks my site might be relevant. But of course, I don’t have what these people are looking for! And I decided that was wrong of me… even if I’ve never heard of quinoa banana bread. My blog does have quinoa in the title, after all, so I should probably incorporate it into a few more recipes :) Also, I was pretty curious to see how this might turn out! So I ran to the kitchen and whipped up this vegan coconut quinoa banana bread.

Last week, when I posted a beet cake, I told you right up front that you can taste the beets. That was my way of building credibility so that when I say you can’t taste the quinoa in this banana bread, you’ll believe me. Smart, right? But seriously! This banana bread has some great texture from the oats, shredded coconut, and quinoa, but it doesn’t have any odd quinoa flavor, which I personally feel (despite my love of quinoa) would be unwelcome in my banana bread.

This is one dense and chewy banana bread, so be prepared. I love the nutty oats and shredded coconut in here, and the quinoa adds the chewy texture that I would usually add nuts and raisins to get. My favorite way to enjoy it is heated up and spread with coconut butter. Thank you, Google searchers of quinoa banana bread – you’ve turned me on to something great!

In my hunt for the perfect quinoa banana bread recipe, I did come across several that are made with quinoa flour or quinoa flakes. I haven’t tried one of those, because I had quinoa on hand, and was too lazy to go to the store just to buy an obscure ingredient. The Kitchn just posted an ingredient spotlight on quinoa flakes, so I’m curious. Have you ever made anything (especially banana bread) with quinoa flour or flakes? Next time I’m at Whole Foods, I may have to pick some up and develop a different banana bread recipe using one of those!

For now, enjoy this banana bread with coconut and whole quinoa grains. And have a great weekend!

4.7 from 7 reviews

Coconut Quinoa Banana Bread (Vegan)

Hands-on time

25 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

This dense banana bread is flecked with nutty oats and shredded coconut for texture. Cooked quinoa adds chewiness and whole grains. Enjoy it heated up and spread with coconut butter!

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 loaf (about 12 slices)

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (about 1 1/2 cups cooked)
3 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats + another small handful for topping
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut + another small handful for topping
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1/4 cup coconut milk

Instructions

Cook quinoa according to package directions. (I bring it to a boil with 3/4 cup of water, then simmer for 15 minutes and fluff with a fork, but I know some people prefer to use more water, probably depending on the stove.) Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Stir in the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, shredded coconut, flaxseed, and cooked quinoa. Dump into the large bowl of wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the coconut milk.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until top of loaf is golden brown and sides are pulled away from the pan, 45-50 minutes.
Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before serving. Keeps wrapped in tin foil in the fridge for several days.

Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale

February 11, 2013 by Erica

Let’s talk lentils.

Just by talking about them, I think we’re getting the week off to a healthier start than we otherwise would. Don’t you?

It is, of course, the week of Valentine’s Day, so I have a hunch we’re all going to be eating our fair share of chocolate over the next few days. It can’t hurt to eat some green stuff now, before the Hershey’s kisses and Ferrero Rochers set in. (Mmmm Ferrero Rochers.)

Lentils are one of my favorite bases for a quick and healthy meal. They’re filling yet light, chock full of protein, take on pretty much any flavor you want, and taste great with lots of veggies. Lindsay from Pinch of Yum is in love with lentils too, and her lentil creations are some of my favorites. A little while ago I was craving some gingery lentils, and this is the dish I came up with.

This is a great weeknight meal, and to make it even quicker, you can cook your lentils ahead of time. (I usually do this the night before, or in the morning while I’m showering and getting ready.) Everything comes together very quickly once the lentils are cooked, so you can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes if you plan ahead! Now that is a great start to the week.

Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 cup dried green or brown lentils

1 Tbsp coconut oil

2 Tbsp tom ka paste (spicy coconut paste, found in Asian markets)

2 small cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp minced or grated ginger

6 green onions, sliced, divided

1 14-oz can lite coconut milk

1 bunch curly kale, rinsed and torn into bite-sized pieces

Instructions:

Cook lentils according to package directions. (I like to bring mine to a boil with 1 1/2 cups water, simmer for 40 minutes, then drain excess water.) This can also be done ahead of time.

Heat coconut oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Once melted, mash the tom ka paste into the coconut oil. Stir in the minced garlic and ginger and half of the sliced green onions. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the coconut milk and heat through. Once hot, add the kale and cooked lentils. Continue sauteing, stirring frequently, until kale leaves are softened and bright green.

Serve immediately, topped with remaining green onions. Enjoy!

Time:

50 minutes (15 minutes if the lentils are already cooked)

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