Meals for the Family: Nuts about Coconuts

Source:

http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/

Grain Free Chocolate Cherry Blondies

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 10

• 5 tablespoons grass-fed butter or coconut oil, softened

• 1/2 – 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 pastured egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 cups almond flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

• 1/2 – 3/4 cup cherries (cut into fourths)**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the softened butter/oil and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream with a hand mixer or in a stand up mixer until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to blend.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, soda and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture as you continue to beat until well combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips and lastly, fold in the cherries.

Bake for about 25 minutes until slightly brown.

Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting into them (I prefer these out of the refrigerator cold).

**It is almost impossible to find fresh cherries this time of year, so frozen is what you will use. They tend to be very dark in color and that is why this looks like a blueberry blondie. It is best to keep them frozen until you have added the chocolate chips so they do not melt and bleed into the dough.

Strawberry Cream Pie - Gluten Free and Dairy Free

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Crust:
3/4 cup crushed pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut

Filling:
2 cups fresh strawberries
1 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup raw honey
1 pinch salt

1 cup coconut oil, melted

Grind crust ingredients in food processor and press into bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, building up the sides slightly.

Place all filling ingredients into blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Carefully pour on top of crust and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Strawberry Coconut Parfait

2 servings

Strawberry syrup:
1 cup fresh strawberries
1/4 cup honey

Cream:
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water, as needed

Garnish:
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup toasted coconut

Blend syrup ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Wash blender pitcher.

Place all cream ingredients except water into blender. Add water as needed, blending until a smooth pudding texture is reached.

To assemble:

Spoon cream into 2 parfait glasses. Top with sliced strawberries and toasted coconut. Dizzle strawberry syrup over the top.

Banana Coconut Cake
Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup whole cane sugar

• ½ cup virgin coconut oil

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup buttermilk

• 1 cup, about 3 bananas, chopped or mashed

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

• 1/2 cup shredded or flaked coconut

• additional oil for greasing

Preheat oven to 325.

Cream sugar, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla with mixer until fluffy. Sir in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk and bananas. Stir in nuts and coconut. Pour into 13x9 pan or two 9 inch cake pans that have been greased with coconut oil and floured.

Bake approximately 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack(s).

Fill and frost top of cake with icing below.

Icing:

Mix sugar, butter, cream, and egg yolks in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat stirring until thickened, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Beat until spreading consistency. This icing is also good on chocolate cake.

Whole Wheat Coconut Oil Banana Bread

Servings: One loaf

• 1 cup sugar (or to taste)

• 1/3 cup virgin coconut oil

• 2 eggs

• 2 cups mashed bananas (5-6 medium)

• 1/3 cup water

• 1 2/3 cups soft whole wheat flour

• 1 teaspoons baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup chopped nuts (such as walnuts or pecans)

• 1 cup shredded coconut

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottoms only of one loaf pan (or other baking dish) with extra coconut oil and set aside.

Mix sugar and coconut oil until blended. Add in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each one. Add the bananas and water; then after that is blended, add in the rest of the ingredients except nuts and coconut just until moistened. Stir in nuts and coconut, then pour into the loaf pan.

Bake until toothpick or a knife inserted in the middle of loaf comes out clean, about one hour. Let it cool for about five minutes; remove from pans to wire rack and cool completely before slicing.

Whole Wheat Coconut Banana Bread

• 1/3 cup Expeller-Pressed or Virgin Coconut Oil - liquefied

• 1/2 cup raw honey

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup mashed bananas

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda

• 1/4 cup hot filtered water

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• 1/2 cup shredded or flaked coconut

• cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In large bowl, beat coconut oil and honey together. Add eggs, mix well. Stir in bananas then stir in flour and salt. Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to batter. Blend in nuts and coconut. Spread batter in coconut greased glass 9" x 5" loaf pan. Sprinkle organic cinnamon on the top.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for half an hour before taking out and slicing.

Whole Wheat Bread

Servings: Makes 2 loaves

• 2 3/4 cups warm water*

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast

• 1/3 cup coconut oil

• 4 teaspoons lemon juice

• 4 teaspoons salt

• 1 cup oat bran

• 2 cups whole wheat flour

• 4+ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

• Butter, as needed

Preparation Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Mix water and 2 tablespoons honey together in glass bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water, then let proof for 10 minutes. Add the rest in order given and mix well. Add more flour as needed, perhaps up to four cups, until dough is no longer sticky.

Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.* Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down dough and divide it in half. Let rest 10 minutes.

Shape into loaves and place in greased pans. Let rise until nearly double, about 1 hour. 20 minutes before done rising a second time, set oven to 350 degrees. When it's done rising and oven is at the right temperature, bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Brush the tops of the loaves with butter.

*Usually, I test the water by sticking my finger in it, and if I can just barely leave my finger in the water for 5 seconds, then I know it's the right temperature

*The dough is elastic "if you lightly poke your finger in the dough, it pretty much springs back."

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Servings: 1 loaf

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/3 cup milk

• 1 cup pumpkin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 3/4 cup organic unbleached all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan with extra coconut oil

In a medium sized bowl, oil, sugars and egg. Whisk until smooth. Add milk to blend. Whisk in pumpkin and spices.

In another bowl combine remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Add to pumpkin mixture and whisk just until blended, but still on the lumpy side.

Pour batter into pan and bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Bread

Servings: 2 large loaves

• 3 1/2 cups flour (I used 2 cups white flour and 1 1/2 cups of stone-ground whole wheat)

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 cups sugar Heavenly Sugar or whole sugar

• 4 eggs

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bread pans with extra coconut oil and flour.

Whisk all the dry ingredients together (the first six). Add remaining ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not over-mix. Top loaves with crushed walnuts if desired.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until bread tests done.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

Servings: 6-8

• 1 cup Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil (measured as liquid)

• 2/3 cup water

• 2 cups cooked (mashed) pumpkin

• 1 cup almond flour*

• 1/4 cup coconut flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 teaspoon high-quality cinnamon

• 4 large pastured eggs

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

• 10-15 drops vanilla stevia

• 1/8 cup pumpkin seeds

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1. In a medium bowl, mix the almond and coconut flours together, along with the baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Set the dry mixture aside.

2. In a mixer bowl, cream the eggs and the coconut oil together until smooth, then add the pumpkin, maple syrup, and stevia. Mix the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.

3. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.

4. Oil a small loaf pan with coconut oil and then our batter into pan.

5. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top.

6. Bake at 350 for 35-50 minutes. Check the loaf with a toothpick at 30 minutes. If it doesn't come out clean, continue baking.

7. Remove from oven and let cool for about an hour before removing from the pan.

8. Let the loaf cool completely before cutting. Use a lightly serrated knife to cut. Serve with lots of real butter!

*You can grind your own almond flour by placing whole almonds in a blender/food processor and blending until a meal consistency is reached.