Tag Archives: coconut

your granola

Posted on December 16, 2011 | 9 Comments

I’m laying in bed, overheated under the L.L. Bean comforter and my perpetually 75 degree apartment. Lucky, in a way, to know hot during a New England winter. My old Timex doubling as an alarm clock has gone off at 6:00, 6:04 and 6:30. It’s 6:42. I need to stop doing this to myself.

I welcome a cup of tea, working quickly to pack lunch while the kettle boils, while the tea steeps, pausing to add milk, honey. I pack breakfast also, which I will eat at work in a few hours. Today it’s the kind of granola I get nostalgic over.

Sprinkled over whole milk yogurt and drizzled with maple syrup, one is completely treated. I know I will spend the rest of today pouring over spreadsheets, but that doesn’t stop me from imagining I have my snow pants on, waiting for the lifts to open.

   
  

I like to toss in a few whole nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts. When you get one in your bowl it’s sort of lucky and sort of like getting an M&M candy or yogurt raisin in a handful of trail mix. Homemade granola makes an excellent host/hostess gift, thank you gift, birthday present and is a healthier alternative to cookies and breads.

 

granola
adapted from the “old” Alta Lodge granola recipe

6 cups Oats
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 to 2 cups raw nuts (slivered almonds, pecan or walnut pieces, whatever you like)
1 handful whole nuts (almonds, hazelnuts) (optional)
1/2 cup pepitas or sunflower seeds (optional)
1 stick salted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup cranberry or apple juice
1 cup dried fruit- raisins, cranberries, currents, cherries, or blueberries (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl combine the oats, coconut, raw nuts, and optional whole nuts and seeds. Set aside.

2. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine the butter, honey, maple syrup and juice. Stir gently until the butter has completely melted. Once melted, pour the sugary syrup over the oat-nut mixture. Using two large spoons, toss until evenly coated.

4. If you have a finicky oven use your best judgement for baking times and make sure to rotate the sheets from top to bottom and back to front inside the oven if needed. The granola will brown slowly at first but will darken quickly at the end of baking.

Spread the oats evenly onto two baking sheets. Place into a 325 degree preheated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the baking sheets and stir or turn the granola using a spatula. Granola on the edges of the baking sheet tends to cook more quickly than in the middle. Return the sheets to the oven and continue to bake in 10-15 minute intervals, removing the pans each time to stir the granola. This should take an additional 20-30 minutes.

Once browned to your liking (somewhere between golden and medium brown) remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the granola to cool. It will not become crunchy until it has fully cooled! Once cooled, mix in dried fruit if you’d like and enjoy with yogurt, milk or by the handful.

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Posted in Breakfast

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Coconut Shrimp with Mango Chutney

Posted on April 30, 2011 | 3 Comments

Trying to understand the dos and don’ts of buying and eating seafood can be confusing, I admit. Everyone has different coping mechanisms from eating no seafood to pretending that problems doesn’t exist for human or environmental health.

I personally fret when it comes to shrimp. In this case it is the environmental implications that are at stake.

When you eat shrimp you don’t really have to worry about high levels of mercury or other toxins in their flesh because shrimp are low enough on the food chain that they don’t amass too many toxins. Swordfish and shark on the other hand… don’t go there if you want healthy babies someday. Read more about fish toxins here.

I digress. I really meant to talk about the environmental implications of eating shrimp. When you are buying shrimp you have four choices, farm raised or wild caught; domestic or imported. Stop there please, too confusing… right? Thats how I felt when I bought this shrimp from Whole Foods. I paniced, I was late, I bought it… I trusted that Whole Foods has standards. So when I got home I looked it up.

The problem with farm raised shrimp is that many fisheries around the world have abused local habitats and pollute the water where they are working. Many mangroves have been turned into shrimp farms and the fertilizers used to encourage phytoplankton (shrimp food) growth pollute the ocean water around the farm. These coastal habitats are breeding grounds for many ocean species, and protect communities from erosion, coastal flooding and storm damage. We need them!

Wherever you have mass concentrations of any animal you are going to have disease- this leaks out into the ocean as does the antibiotics the fishery uses to curb the sickness. Shrimp farms are like seafood CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). Yikes.


Whole Foods says that the difference from the farm raised shrimp they sell and farm raised shrimp you get anywhere else is that they know where their shrimp came from, what they were fed (and not fed). W.F. claims, “With our strict Quality Standards and third-party verification process, we ensure that we only source farmed seafood from the world’s leaders in environmentally responsible aquaculture.” A.K.A. You can shop here and not worry… we will make sure you are being responsible… I’m ok with that.

After that you might think that Wild Caught shimp are the way to go. Well, sometimes, but it too is complicated. Internationally there are not many guidelines for trawling, bycatch and other fishing methods. Therefore, many species besides shrimp are hauled up in the nets (sea turtles among them!) and killed in the process. In the U.S. there are trawling standards to reduce bycatch, protect turtles, yadda yadda yadda. So, its better. Wild Caught shrimp are known to taste better but also cost more.

So, I’ll leave you with this: If you live in Florida or on the gulf coast- eat local wild caught shrimp, its a perk of dealing with that heat and humidity. If you live in Maine look for the local Maine caught wild shrimp- they are tiny, affordable and sustainable but usually only available in the winter. If you are trying to support your fiance through medical school and can’t afford the price of wild caught deliciousness… Whole Foods farm raised shrimp is an alright option.

Oh yeah… My ring came :)


Coconut Shrimp with Mango Chutney
Adapted from Cooksillustrated.com

Ingredients
1 Cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika (or smoked paprika is ok!)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (heaping is ok)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
4-6 tablespoons vegetable oil or other oil for frying

mango chutney
sliced lime

1. Peel and de-vein the shrimp and place on a paper towel to absorb some of the excess liquid.

2. On a small plate combine the flour, paprika, pepper, cayenne, salt and sugar. In a shallow bowl beat the two eggs for about 20 seconds. On a second plate mix together the coconut and the panko.

3. Dip each shrimp first in the flour to coat, then the egg and then into the coconut mixture. Place each coated shrimp on a plate or a wire rack while you coat the rest of the shrimp.

4. Heat the oil over medium low in a well seasoned cast iron pan, a non-stick pan or your trusty fry pan. You can test to see if the oil is hot by dropping in a panko bread crumb and seeing if it sizzles right away- if so, you are ready to fry.

5. Cook the shrimp 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown (3-4 minutes total). Once cooked, transfer to a clean paper towel to soak up excess oil.

6. Enjoy right away with mango chutney, a squeeze of lime juice or you can make a hot, sticky sauce by mixing orange marmalade with chopped pickled jalapenos.

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Posted in Seafood

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Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Toasted Coconut

Posted on March 30, 2011 | 5 Comments

I do see the humor in making Red Velvet Cake for my first post… there is nothing healthy or seasonal about it. Historical, yes. Red food dye, yes.

If you are going to be grossed out by the amount of dye in this recipe and would rather consume your red velvet bakery cupcakes in ignorant bliss then you are excused.

For those of you who appreciate the fun in making an old fashioned cakey delicacy- no matter what the consequences (I fear the same one as consuming lots of beets….) then read on!

The two best parts of making this cake are: 1. No where does it say I have to beat egg whites and FOLD them into the batter. Yes I can do it but no thank you today. 2. I get to mix baking soda and vinegar together…

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Toasted Coconut Fluffy White Frosting
Cake adapted from “The Confetti Cakes Cookbook” by Elisa Strauss on nytimes.com

1 tablespoon butter
3½ cups cake flour plus extra for dusting pans
½ cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
1½ teaspoons salt
2 cups canola oil
2¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 ounces red food coloring
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1¼ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2½ teaspoons white vinegar

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and lightly flour three round cake pans.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a standard mixer combine the oil and butter. Mix on medium speed until combined about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add eggs one at a time- mixing in one before adding the next. With the mixer on low, slowly add the red food coloring while being aware that it might splash. Add the vanilla. Incorporate flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches until just combined.
  4. Measure baking soda into a small dish and add the vinegar. Give the fizzing mixture a quick stir and add it to the batter with the machine running. Mix for about 10 seconds.
  5. Pour the batter evenly into the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans before removing them. A knife around the edge plus a slight lifting of the outer edge of each cake should be sufficient to release them.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from CooksIllustrated.com
16oz (two packages) Cream Cheese softened but slightly cool still
10 T (1 stick plus 2T) unsalted butter softened but not warm
3T sour cream
2t vanilla
2.5 C Confectioner Sugar, sifted

Process the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla in the bowl of a standard mixer until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and blend until the frosting is smooth.

Note: This is a very basic frosting and can be used on a number of cakes. Feel free to add lemon zest, orange zest or other flavored extracts to make it your own.

Frosting the Cake:
Pour ½ a bag of sweetened coconut on a baking sheet and broil in the oven until golden brown. This happens very quickly (5 minutes or less depending on your oven) so set a timer or watch closely.

Choose one of your three cakes for your bottom layer. Place this cake UPSIDEDOWN (yes, top down, bottom up!) on your cake plate and cover the surface in frosting.

Using a long knife trim the middle cake layer so its top is relatively flat and even. This step is to avoid the layers from sliding when the cake is fully frosted. Enjoy the trimmings as a snack. Lay the middle layer UPSIDEDOWN onto the bottom layer and cover in frosting. (If you try to frost the cut side you will get bits of cake all over your frosting knife.)

Place your final layer onto the cake either upside down or rightside up depending on whether you want a domed top or flat top. Using a plastic spatula frost the cake- it doesn’t need to be perfect as we will be covering it with toasted coconut. Take small handfuls of the cooled coconut and press them onto the sides of the cake, sprinkle coconut on top, admire, cut, enjoy!

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Posted in Dessert

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