Tag Archives: coconut

Rainy-Day 13 Bean and Quinoa Soup

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The rain poured quite heavily in our little town today.  It was also a bit chilly which was a perfect opportunity to have “rainy day” soup.  This soup is hearty and super healthy.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

(seves 4-6)

  • 3 cups of cooked quinoa
  • 3 and a half quarts of water *note: add more water toward the end if you like it more “soupy”
  • 1 can of organic coconut milk
  • 1/3 lb of Bob’s Red Mill Soup Mix, 13 Bean Soup Mix *I soaked the beans overnight with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice *
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • 7 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 2 inches of ginger (peeled)
  • Herbamare Original (500g=1.1LB) Brand: Vogel *note: you can buy pre-made herbamare from this link or the health food store, or you can save some money by googling “herbamare recipes” and making it yourself.   You will find many different recipes out there.  I made mine myself, but I didn’t measure (sorry…next time I will :) ), I just go by taste and it usually tastes similar to other herbamare recipes.

Directions:

  1. Cook your quinoa and set aside.
  2. Wash your soaked beans.
  3. In a large pot, boil 3 and a half quarts of water with your soaked beans, chopped onions, and minced garlic.
  4. Let it boil for about 1 hour or until the beans are cooked (stir occasionally).
  5. Blend coconut milk with your red bell pepper and ginger in a blender until smooth.  And, you will have a red gingery, coconutty, bell pepper soup.
  6. After the beans have cooked, add your coconut-bellpepper-ginger blend.
  7. Boil this together for another 20 minutes.
  8. Then add your cooked quinoa and herbamare (add herbamare a little bit at a time until you are satisfied with the taste).
  9. Simmer for 15 minutes or so.
  10. Pour in your favorite soup bowl and enjoy!

Unbaked “cake/brownie”

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The other night, my 4-year old and I made these unbaked “cake/brownies” out of dates, raisins, mixed nuts, shredded coconut, cacao, and vanilla extract.  It is nutty, chocolatey, and chewy, like a chocolate caramel with a sort of nutty “brownie-fudge” consistency.  These are the type of desserts I make at home because it is so easy, delicious, filling, and not to mention a lot healthier than the traditional cake/brownie.  My daughter LOVES these!  And, they are perfect for me when I am craving chocolate!

I have different versions of this recipe; “Raw Vegan Chocolate Balls”, “Snow Balls”, and “Brownie with Icing”.  But, I wasn’t in the mood to make “balls” or “icing”, so I just flattened the chocolate mixture out on a little glass container, placed it in the fridge for a few hours, and then cut it into “cake/brownie” bites.  You can definitely get creative with these and add whatever you want (dried cherries, semi-sweet/dairy-free chocolate chips, etc).  It is fun to experiment!

Here are the links to the different recipes:

Aunt Ivy’s Everything Coconutty Salad

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My little sister Ivy introduced this salad to me in 2008 and I have loved it ever since.  Not only it wonderfully colorful, it is also packed with an explosion of flavors and a variety of textures.  It is so delicious that my 4-year-old child had 3 bowls full of it the other night!  She said, “I love Aunt Ivy’s salad!”

I am glad my sister made this for me years ago because I would have never thought of mixing coconut, onion, and raisins together.  But it totally works!

 

Coconut Vinaigrette dressing:

  • 1/2 cup of coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup of raw apple cider vinegar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons of coconut nectar or agave (I usually just use a little less than 2, but adjust to your liking)
  • Juice of 1/2 of lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped red onion
  • a few dashes of mesquite powder (optional)
  • salt to taste

Directions:

Place everything in the blender and blend.  Add salt little by little and adjust to your liking.

For the Salad:

  • Mixed greens
  • Red onions (sliced)
  • Apples (chopped)
  • Shredded coconut
  • Cooked quinoa
  • Choice of nuts (I used raw pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds)
  • Raisins

Coconutty Tofu and Egglant with Basil

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I just love the summer produce here in Georgia!  Berries, basil, eggplant, melons, black-eyed peas, figs, corn, peppers, jalapenos, squash, okra, and so much more!

I just purchased a bunch of long, skinny eggplants (Asian eggplants), garlic, and red onions along with other delicious items from the farmers market.  And, I decided to experiment with it.  I was inspired by an eggplant/tofu/basil dish I had in the past, at a  Vietnamese restaurant here in town.  I already had the tofu in my fridge and the basil in my backyard, so I gave it a shot.

I experimented with the ingredients until it tasted delicious.  So, now here it is.

This dish is easy, quick, delicious, filling, and pretty healthy.  It goes very well with both quinoa and brown rice.  Today, I served it with quinoa.

Ingredients:

  • 1 block of extra firm tofu (sliced in 1 inch blocks)
  • 1/2 cup of vegetable broth
  • 1 large red onion (sliced lengthwise)
  • 4 large cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 2/3 cup of fresh basil (chopped)
  • 3 medium-sized long eggplant (sliced 1 to 1.5 inches in length)
  • 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • 4 tablespoons of shredded coconut
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of sriracha hot sauce (optional)
  • liquid aminos to taste

Directions:

  1. Prepare your veggies.
  2. Cook rice or quinoa.
  3. Heat up your pan/skillet.
  4. Add coconut oil.
  5. Add garlic and saute for less than a minute.
  6. Then add tofu, onions, eggplant, and broth.
  7. Cook for 10 minutes.
  8. Add liquid aminos to taste (I use this instead of salt)
  9. Cook for a bit longer until the liquid is gone.
  10. Then add basil and the shredded coconut.
  11. Cook for another minute or two.
  12. Serve over rice or quinoa.
  13. Enjoy!

Spicy Thai Coconut Hummus

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I do most of my shopping at this health food store called Earthfare. They have everything a vegan family needs!  They have vegan friendly toiletries, wines, desserts, etc.  Their deli offers vegan nuggets, salads, sushi, and much more!  I just love that place!

Anyway, so a few days ago, my daughter and I had lunch there.  My daughter had a whole wheat grilled Daiya “cheese” sandwich with a side of raw broccoli and fruits.  I had some vegan brown rice sushi, Mary’s Gone crackers and hummus.  I don’t usually buy hummus because I just usually make them myself, but boy was I glad that I picked up the Thai coconut hummus from the deli!  I instantly was addicted to it!  It was spicy, it was delicious, tangy, and coconutty!

I told myself, “I HAVE TO TRY TO MAKE THIS AT HOME!”  So, I looked at the ingredients and I was very excited to see that I already had most of the ingredients on the list!  There were some things that I didn’t have, but I just improvised.

So, I made the hummus, it is not exact, but it is VERY similar.  Both are deliciously awesome!  And, I am happy to share the recipe with you! :)

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups of cooked garbanzo beans
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 4 tablespoons of tahini
  • 2 tablespoons of safflower oil
  • 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons of organic tamari
  • 2 tablespoons of Asian chili paste (garlic paste)
  • 2 tablespoons of minced shallots
  • 1 clove of garlic from an elephant garlic or 6 cloves from a regular-sized bulb of garlic
  • 4 teaspoons of lemongrass paste
  • 3 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt
  • 3 pinches of cardamom
  • 4 to 8 tablespoons of organic sriracha (hot sauce) *note: this is optional and adjust to heat preference*

Directions:

  1. Throw everything in the food processor and blend (except for hot sauce)!
  2. Add hot sauce and adjust heat to your liking.  (note: if you want to make this for your young child, I would omit the hot stuff…I put a tiny bit of chili paste for my daughter’s hummus).
  3. Enjoy!
  4. Serve with fresh veggies, crackers, crusty bread, vegan naan, tortilla, etc.

Mary's Gone Crackers and hummus.

Avocado German Chocolate Cake Pudding

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I have been making a lot of fruit “ice creams” and puddings lately.  They can be so addictive!

Today, I decided to make this German chocolate cake pudding because I wanted to use some of the pecans I just purchased.  I just love chocolate with pecans and coconut.  And, my daughter ate this up with a huge bowl of strawberries.

It is healthy, creamy, chocolatey, and a bit coco-nutty.

Avocados are not just for guacamole anymore! ;)

Check out these other sweet avocado recipes on my blog:

Ingredients:

  • 2 avocados (ripe)
  • 2 frozen bananas (ripe)
  • 2/3 cup of frozen blueberries
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla
  • 9 pitted medjool dates
  • 3 tablespoons of unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 4 tablespoons of raw cacao (chocolate powder)
  • 1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans

Note: if you want to keep this “raw”, just use raw pecans and un-toasted coconut.  But today, I cooked the pecans in my wok greased with a little bit of coconut oil and TINY pinch of of celtic sea salt.

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in your Vitamix (except for the pecans).
  2. Blend it all together until smooth (no lumps).
  3. Pour the pudding into a bowl.
  4. Mix in your pecans.
  5. Serve and enjoy!

Tropical Coconut Taro Warm Dessert Soup (Ginataan)

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This dish was inspired by a traditional Filipino dessert called “ginataan”, one of my dad’s specialties.  It is a delicious dessert soup served warm and it is made of coconut milk, rice balls, plantains, jack fruit, and casava.  It seemed like it took my dad hours to make this dish from start to finish, so I wanted to create something similar to it, but a lot quicker.  I wanted to incorporate taro roots in this dish because I didn’t have casava.  Taro roots are a good source of potassium and it also contains some Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, magnesium, manganese and copper.

This dessert soup is warm and sweet.  It also reminds me of a the tropical islands where I came from, the Philippines.

Palawan, Philippines

Ingredients:

  • 4 small taro roots
  • 2 cups of water
  • 6 tablespoons of small tapioca balls
  • 1 can of coconut milk (13.5 oz.)
  • 2 yellow plantains
  • 6 tablespoons of muscovado (unrefined/unprocessed sugar)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
  • sliced pineapples for topping (optional)

Note: if you can’t find muscovado, use sucanat sugar.

Directions:

  1. Boil taro and plantains for 20 minutes in two separate pots (with skin).
  2. In another pot, boil 2 cups of water, add tapioca balls, and reduce heat to low-medium.  Stir this frequently with a fork so it separates and doesn’t stick to the pan.  Note: read directions on tapioca ball package.  I let these simmer for about 7 minutes.  Then, I turned off the heat and let sit for another 10 minutes.
  3. When the taro is finished cooking, peel off the skin, place them in your blender, and then add coconut milk.
  4. Blend them together for a minute then pour the mixture into another pot.
  5. Add muscovado sugar into your coconut/taro mixture and simmer for 5 minutes.  Note: stir, stir, stir!
  6. Peel off the skins of the plantains then slice them into bite-sized pieces.
  7. Add the sliced plantains and tapioca balls (with liquid)  into your coconutty taro soup, then simmer for another 5 minutes.  Don’t forget to stir.
  8. Scoop them into a bowl, martini glass, etc. then top it off with sliced pineapples (optional).

Macadamia and Apricot Kernel Snow Balls (Raw)

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This is my 3rd post on raw date/nut balls!  I am posting another one because I wanted to remind you of their awesome-ness! :)

There are so many ways to make these.  Today’s balls are different from my usual because I added something new and exciting—Apricot seeds!  I found them on nuts.com.  I have heard wonderful things about apricot kernels, and I have been wanting to try them out.  And, this morning, I received my “Organic Wild Apricot Kernels” from the website!  So, I decided to make something with them and blog about it!

Just in case you are wondering, these sweet kernels look and taste like almonds, but with a hint of fruit.  I just love them!

These “snow balls” are a perfect snack for both children and adults.  They are filling, energizing, healthy, and delicious!

Taste description: sweet, nutty, crunchy, soft and chewy.

I can’t get enough of them!

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup of raw macadamia nuts
  • 3 tablespoons of chia seeds
  • 10 medjool dates (pitted)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of all-natural alcohol-free vanilla
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of raw agave (optional) *dates are already sweet enough*
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Shredded coconut

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in food processor (except shredded coconut).
  2. Blend for a few minutes.
  3. Shape into balls.
  4. Roll into shredded coconut.
  5. Refrigerate for an hour.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

Other “nut/date ball” recipes:

Nut Butter and Fruit Burrito

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Okay, so this may seem weird to some, but I am telling you, it is good!

When one thinks of burritos, they automatically think of salsa, beans, and such.  But, don’t be afraid to try these out just because it seems “weird”.  It is just a pretty cool version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

When I was a teenager, I loved eating peanut butter rolled into corn or flour tortillas.  First, I would spread the peanut butter on the tortilla, heat it in the microwave for a few seconds, and enjoy it with some cold chocolate milk.  These days, I eat a more “refined” peanut butter and tortilla wrap. ;)

During my pregnancy, I became a bottomless pit when it came to nut butters and jelly sandwiches/wraps!  That was when I started adding fruits and other stuff to my PB &Js.  The typical breakfast for me looked like this:  Almond/peanut butter on whole wheat toast or tortilla with jelly, sliced bananas, raisins, and  hemp seeds.

These are super healthy and I love that my daughter enjoys these as much as I do.

In the picture above, I used the following ingredients to make the “burrito”:

  • Spinach vegan and all natural tortilla wrap
  • Raw almond butter
  • Jelly
  • Mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, and black berries)
  • Shredded coconut
  • 1 banana

Directions:

  1. Heat up the tortilla on a griddle or large pan.
  2. Spread a few tablespoons of almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or peanut butter.
  3. Add your fruit of choice (bananas, raisins, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc.)
  4. Sprinkle cacao nibs, shredded coconut, hemp seeds, chia seeds, or even chocolate chips!  (optional)
  5. Wrap it up.
  6. Enjoy!
  7. Serve with delicious non-dairy milk.

Note:  You can also serve this up”sushi style”.  First, you spread it all over the tortilla/wrap.  Second, add jelly.  Third, add thinly sliced fruit.  Then, you roll it up and cut it like sushi.  They are fun little finger food for kids!  I make these for my daughter and her friends at times.