Super Blueberry Coconut Bircher Muesli

I ordered "Blueberry Muesli" a few weeks ago when on holidays down in Newcastle and fell in love. Not sure if it was the vibrant colour, the natural sweet taste or the idea that it is actually good for me! As I sat next to Nathan eating Eggs Benedict, I was only slightly jealous - which is a first for me!

We got home and I decided to try to replicate this recipe for myself. It took 4 or 5 tries but I think I have a winner! All I knew for sure is that they soaked the oats in coconut water overnight, but the rest of the ingredients were a mystery. I thought this was a great idea since I had always used Milk in the past.

I will include a very basic 4 ingredient version... but try all the extras for a super charged breaky!

(by the way... is it called Bircher Muesli or Overnight Oats?? I can't seem to figure it out. Anyone know the difference?)



Ingredients: (serves 3)

1 cup unsweetened Coconut Water
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 banana
1 cup rolled oats

Optional:
1 tsp chia seeds
Handful fresh spinach

Garnish:
1 tbsp Coconut yogurt
1/2 banana cut up
a few blueberries to top (or any fruit available!)
a few mint leaves

Directions:

Mix Coconut Water, blueberries, banana, spinach and chia seeds in a blender. I used the Nutribullet and its the perfect size and way less to clean up!

Pour into bowl or jar and add rolled oats. Stir and set in fridge overnight.

Enjoy in the morning with yogurt and fresh fruit on top!

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut and Pecans

Earlier this year I discovered Almond Flour and have been loving using it in recipes. You can even make it yourself by throwing a handful of almonds in a food processor and processing until it becomes flour consistency.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups almond flour (or almond meal)
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (I used baking soda)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or substitute)
• 3 tbsps coconut oil (melted)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp chia seeds (optional)

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond meal, choc chips, coconut, pecans, baking powder, salt and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg until uniform in colour and doubled in volume. 
3. Whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla. Add chia seeds if desired. Add to dry ingredients and mix until combined. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F. 
4. Shape dough into balls and place on baking sheet. Flatten down slightly to form shape. Sprinkle a little bit of coconut and pecans on top of each.  
5. Bake until edges begin to brown, about 7-10 minutes.  

Adapted from here: http://minimalistbaker.com/almond-meal-cookies-with-chocolate-chips-and-coconut/ 

Pina Colada Muffins

So last year this time, Nathan and I were sitting on the beach in Bali sipping Pina Colada's, eating fresh fish and bronzing in the sun. Now,  a year later, we are living in beautiful Vancouver... but not on vacation. We have had a fortunate winter with tons of snow at Whistler and the opportunity to snowboard on some unbelievable powder days. But... nothing beats vacation in Bali. So I decided to make some muffins that brought us back to those memories.

   

I had fresh pineapple in the house and I always seem to have coconut on hand. I found this recipe for Pineapple Coconut Muffins online and decided to adjust it a bit and give it a try. They turned out better than I thought they would! We even took a few the next day on our hike to the top of Mt Seymour in North Vancouver as a snack after reaching the peak! Later that afternoon we went to Jericho Beach by our house to do some reading and relaxing and gobbled down a few more of these treats.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
3 egg whites
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sour cream (I used low fat Greek Vanilla Yogurt)
1 cup pineapple, diced into small pieces
2 teaspoons dark rum (I used white rum - but i'm sure Malibu Rum would be good too!)
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and 1/4 cup of the coconut. 3. In another bowl, whisk the sour cream, butter, egg whites, run and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in the diced pineapple. 4. Stir the dry ingredients into the sour cream mixture and stir with a spoon until just combined, do not overmix.5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup to about 3/4 of the way full. 6. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of the coconut and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Sprinkle over the muffin batter.7. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Coconut Cauliflower (Fake) Rice

We have been experimenting with different vegetables that can be substituted for rice, pasta, etc. Last night we decided to have curry for dinner but wanted to try something other than rice. I came across a few recipes and decided to adjust them slightly and it worked out really well. Since we were having Thai Curry, I added coconut to the pan about halfway though and in worked out perfectly since the coconut lightly toasted  as it was cooking. 

The original recipe called for the cauliflower to be cut up in a food processor. Since we don't have one of these, Nathan did it by hand and it worked just fine. If you are making this as a meal and not a side dish, you could add any chopped up veggies that you like. I might try one with carrots, zucchini, garlic, chili, etc.... I'll let you know if that happens.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 head cauliflower, chopped finely

1/4 cup coconut

salt/pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat

2. Saute onion over medium heat for 10 minutes, until lightly browned 

3. Add cauliflower to skillet, stirring often to prevent burning

4. Add coconut if desired after about 10 minutes

5. Add salt/pepper to taste

Original recipe can be found here:  http://www.elanaspantry.com/cauliflower-rice/ 

Pork & Pineapple Red Curry in a Pineapple Bowl!

We have been really into making curry lately and I have been learning a lot about how to make a good curry. I have been informed that Yellow Curry is best for fish, Green Curry is best for Chicken and Red Curry is best for Pork or Beef. Is this correct? We decided to make this Pork and Pineapple Curry and use the Pineapple as a bowl! It worked out quite nicely and looks pretty too. Hope you enjoy!

Curry Ingredients:

2 tablespoons red curry paste

2 green chillies

1 tablespoon palm sugar

1 can of light coconut cream

1 teaspoon fish sauce

500 g of pork

1 red pepper

1 cup of green beans

1 fresh pineapple

2 carrots

Garnish:

Coriander

Coconut

1. Cut the pineapple so that there is a good space for the curry to be served in (set aside the cut up pineapple for use in the curry)

2. Heat wok or frying pan to med heat. Add the curry paste and an equal amount of the cream from the top of the coconut milk can and fry for 5 mins or until fragrant

3. Add pork and chopped chilies and cook through

4. Add coconut milk for desired amount of sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar and vegetables

5. Cook until veggies and pork are cooked through