Coconut French Toast w/ Coconut Syrup

Always a fan of coconut, I'm constantly looking for new ways to use this delicious ingredient.  While unpacking groceries from a recent trip to Costco I realized that I may or may not have a *slight* addiction to coconut.  

Having this many coconut ingredients in my house, I knew I wanted to come up with something that would showcase as many of these delicious coconut ingredients as possible.  This recipe is the tasty results.  Ingredients - 1 loaf of french bread, sliced - 1 cup coconut milk, well shaken - 5 eggs - 1 tsp vanilla extract - 2 tbsp coconut flour* - 1 tbsp coconut sugar* - 1/8 tsp baking powder - dash of sea salt Syrup - 3 tbsp coconut oil - 3/4 cup coconut milk, well shaken (should be the remainder of the can) - 1 cup coconut sugar*  - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract - flaked coconut for garnish (optional) * can be substituted with other flours & sugars, I just used coconut because I had it on hand and figured it would make the recipe more coconut-y.  Directions Pre-heat large frying pan over medium heat.  Whip together coconut milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Whisk in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Dip sliced french toast into mixture coating both sides evenly.   Cook toast in frying pan for 2-3 minutes per side, until toast is golden brown. Sauce
Melt coconut oil in saucepan set to medium heat.  Add coconut milk and sugar - stir until sugar is completely dissolved.   Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. 

Enjoy!

Oven Baked Hard "Boiled" Eggs

I've been working quite a bit lately so needless to say I'm all about any idea to make my life easier.  Both my husband and I enjoy hard boiled eggs for lunch - whether as apart of salad, egg salad sandwiches, or simply on their own, we tend to go through a lot.  Baking the eggs is so much simpler than boiling them - never worry about another broken egg again! 

Ingredients - eggs - ice water Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place desired amount of eggs eggs in a mini muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Immediately transfer eggs to an ice water bath and let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Transfer back to egg carton and store in fridge. 

Enjoy!

Coconut Rice

Last summer I had coconut rice for the first time while having lunch in Jasper with my Uncle & his family.  I had this amazing Thai dish that consisted of coconut rice topped with chicken and stir fried veggies with a sweet chilli sauce.   This rice tastes exactly like the rice in that dish!  It not only makes a great base for stir fry, it would also be great as a side dish.  I can't wait to try this paired with creamy curried chicken! 
Ingredients - 2 cups basmati rice - 1 can lite coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen the best) - 1 1/4 cup water - dash of sea salt - 1-2 green onions, finely chopped Directions Place rice in a mesh strainer and since under lukewarm water.  This will help to remove any access starch so that the cooked rice doesn't become sticky.  In a medium saucepan combine rinsed rice, coconut milk, water, and a dash of sea salt.   Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Once boiling, cover and reduce heat; cook rice for 15-20 minutes until all of the moisture has been absorbed.  Fluff rice with a fork and sprinkle with green onions. 
Enjoy!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I have been wanting to post this recipe for awhile, but I knew it would be the perfect January recipe for The Hinton Voice so I held onto it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! This recipe appeared in the Voice's January 3rd edition.

[Like the majority of people, I’ve always had a sweet spot for chocolate.   Normally I have no problem with this, but around the New Year it tends to interfere with my resolutions.  Resolutions that inevitably involve eating healthier.

The New Year is always a clean slate, a fresh start to try something new with all the best intentions to stick with it.  The month of January is always the hardest the part.  I read somewhere that it takes 21 days to break a habit, so I figure that if I can just get past that mark - by the fourth week, I should be well on my way to achieving my goals. 

A firm believer that everything is okay in moderation, dessert isn’t something that I like to compromise on.  I’d rather have a few bites of a real dessert rather than a full serving of a supposedly “healthier” watered down version of the original. With this dessert, I don’t feel like I’m compromising on flavor at all.  If anything, the addition of the avocado adds more body and richness to the dish.

Apart from being delicious, avocado’s are full of antioxidants and disease fighting compounds such as Vitamin E.  They also contain good, heart healthy fats that promote the reduction of cholesterol.  These fats make avocado’s extremely filling, which will help you get to your next meal without feeling hungry in between.

This is a recipe that’s healthy without tasting like it – everyone who has sampled it so far was fairly surprised after eating it that it’s main ingredient was avocado (this means you can probably even sneak it past your kids!).  Finally, a dessert you can feel good about eating.]

Ingredients

- 1 ripe avocado

- ¼ cup cocoa powder

- 3 tbsp maple syrup (or liquid honey)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 6 tbsp milk of choice

For garnish:

- shaved chocolate

- raspberries

Tip:  When buying avocado’s look for firm, bring green skin with a glossy exterior.   Keep refrigerated until a few days before you plan on using it – then ripen in a fruit bowl at room temperature until the flesh has darkened, and has lost its glossy exterior.

Directions

Combine all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Garnish with shaved chocolate and fresh raspberries.

Recipe makes 4 servings. 

- Nutritional Info (per 1/3 cup) -

Calories - 93   Fat - 4    Carbs – 11     Protein - 3   Fibre – 2

Enjoy!