Showing posts with label Coconut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coconut. Show all posts

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Coconut, Cilantro and Shrimp Cakes


I love coconut.

I believe my first taste of a fresh coconut was in the Philippines.   We lived on the Navy base.  We  had a young woman who helped my Mom each day with jobs around the house.  We would leave the base to visit her family.  They lived in a small village with coconut and mango trees in their back yards.

She would bring us coconuts all the time.   To this day I think of her.  I don't remember her name because I was only 5 at the time and that was a very long time ago.

I recently bought a fresh coconut for my family to try.  Isabella enjoyed watching me try to open the coconut.  I should have done it outside because my floor soon became wet with the milk from inside.  I was able to salvage a cup of coconut milk.

I tried to get my kids to "try it".

UM-- NO!

They looked at me like I was handing them a cup of poison.  So naturally I took the first sip to prove to them that it was safe to try.  I still had no takers.  I enjoyed the drink and ate the fresh pulp.  It brought back so many memories of playing in the warm rain, visiting my friends puppies and learning to ride my first bike.

I buy organic, unsweetened coconut pieces from Whole Foods to use in my granola, cookies and for these shrimp cakes.  I never buy sweetened coconut.  There really isn't a reason why I don't, other than, it seems too sweet for me.

These shrimp cakes are filled with fresh ingredients, they are simple to make and look pretty on a plate.
Yep--I like pretty food and this is one of them.

ENJOY!


Coconut & Shrimp Cakes

Makes 6-8 cakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Cakes:

3 cups of precooked shrimp, diced 
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
Zest and juice from 1/2 a lemon
Zest and juice from 1/2 an orange
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Coconut oil for frying

Wicked Awesome Sauce:

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1.  Combine all of the cake ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

2.  Use a large skillet, heat set to medium, melt 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.  Use more oil as needed.

3.  Form cakes/patties, with hands, into tight flattened disk. Fry on both sides until golden brown.  I recommend making your cakes no larger than 2inches wide.  They may fall apart if you try to make them too big.



4.  Serve immediately with sauce.  To swirl the sauce, I placed the sauce in a small sandwich baggie and cut a tiny corner off.  Gently squeeze and swirl.





Written by Sherron Watson

Friday, September 23, 2011

Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars


Two weeks ago someone posted that they were making Nanaimo bars and this instantly sent me in search of what this could possibly be.  I found several recipes for this yummy treat and then I found a peanut butter version, well...the original was pushed aside for the peanut butter and the rest is history.


They were absolutely amazing!  My family and I ate the whole recipe in one sitting, which is not hard to do because once you start you cannot stop.




So what is this and where does it come from?  Here is a brief explanation.


Nanaimo (play /nəˈnm/) (Canada 2006 Census population 78,692) is a city on Vancouver Island in British ColumbiaCanada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown streets which form a "hub" pattern. It is also fondly known as the "Hub, Tub, and Pub City" because of its association with the bathtub racing and the numerous "watering holes" in Old Nanaimo.




So HOW do you pronounce it?  I found some interpretations while trying to figure it out...it's still a mystery to me..LOL


Nah-nye-moe


Nuh-nye-moe 


nan-ah-IM-m-o


I can tell you this, I will keep making this yummy treat regardless of the pronunciation...LOL 


I made my own gluten free graham crackers and they were awesome used in this recipe.  You can sometimes find GF graham crackers at Whole Foods or some specialty shops.  I will post the recipe and pictures I used next week but if you cannot wait until then to make these, use google and you will find several recipes posted.


Recipe: Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars


This recipe was found on the Food Network website. I put my personal notes in red.


Ingredients

Cookie:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup cocoa
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used GF Graham Cracker crumbs...see note above) 
  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped blanched almonds (I also tried a batch with pecans and they tasted just as good)

Peanut Butter Filling:

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Chocolate Glaze:

Directions

Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan or casserole with aluminum foil, with long flaps hanging over each edge. I used parchment paper and a circle cake pan and it works great too.
For the cookie: Put the butter in a heatproof medium bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer over medium-low heat. Set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Once the butter is melted, add the sugar and cocoa, and stir to combine. Add the egg and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until warm to the touch and slightly thickened (it should be about the consistency of hot fudge), about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in graham crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press the dough firmly into the prepared pan. (Save the pan of water for melting the chocolate.)



For the filling: Beat the butter, peanut butter and confectioners' sugar together in a medium bowl with an electricmixer until light. Spread over the cookie and freeze while you prepare the chocolate glaze.

For the glaze: Put the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl, and set over the barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. (Alternatively, put the chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more.). When cool but still runny, pour the chocolate layer over the chilled peanut butter layer and carefully smooth out with an offsetspatula. Freeze 30 minutes.
To serve, remove from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Pull out of the pan using the foil flaps and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Busy baker's tips: Finished bars can be wrapped in the pan in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month.






Written by Sherron Watson











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