Basic Coconut Butter

http://thehealthyfoodie.com/2013/10/17/basic-coconut-butter/

Posted in: Condiments, Paleo / Primal, Snacks, Whole30

I know, I’m not giving you much of anything new here.
Chances are you’ve probably seen and read thousands of posts talking about this very subject already: the [very simple] art of making all natural coconut butter at home.

You may be wondering: if so many people already covered this, why on earth did I choose to give you yet ANOTHER post on the subject?
Because unfortunately, it seems that a lot of people find it very hard, if not darn near impossible, to get their dried coconut to turn into butter. I’m hoping that this post will convince you that, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth!
Making your own coconut butter at home not only is SUPER easy, but it will also save you TONS of money.
Only there is this one fundamental rule that you ABSOLUTELY have to follow, and that is…
YOU NEED TO USE LOTS OF COCONUT!
If you try and make a batch of coconut butter out of a meager cup or two of shredded coconut, all you will accomplish is send it flying off to the sides of the bowl of your food processor as soon as the blades start spinning, which will have you constantly stop the motor to scrape it back down.
Needless to say that this will get you nowhere fast, except maybe on your way for some terrible frustration. So please, trust me on this one: LOTS OF COCONUT is what you need.

Now, since using LOTS OF COCONUT is the number one rule, the first thing you need to do is get your hands on a great BIG bag of coconut.
Don’t you go and buy just any coconut, though. Of course, you absolutely want to buy unsweetened, but you also want to make sure that your coconut is free of any additives, namely sulfites or sulfates which are a VERY commonly used as a preservative, at least here in Canada.
So check out the list of ingredients and make sure it lists nothing but one: coconut.
The huge bag you see up there I got at my local COSTCO for a measly $8.99. Not bad, not bad at all. Much, much cheaper than what a 2kg jar of coconut butter would cost you!

Alright. So you’ve got your coconut. Now you really want to FILL UP that bowl with shredded coconut. And I do mean FILL IT UP.
Don’t worry about adding too much; shredded coconut is a pretty much like spinach: you start with a gigantic, hulk-esque pile of the stuff and end up with a puny, insignificant spoonful or two…
For this particular batch, I started with 6 cups of shredded coconut, which yielded a little bit less than 2 cups of the finished product.

See? Look at her spin!
By really filling that bowl all the way to the top, the coconut gets to spin ’round and ’round and ’round, and you won’t really ever need to scrape the sides to get it back down to where the action is.
Not only that, but the process will happen quite rapidly, too.
To give you an idea of how fast this goes, I stopped the motor and took a picture every 30 seconds or so…

30 seconds in, the load has already reduced by almost half…

Smelling good already!

Another 30 seconds.

In terms of volume, we’re pretty much at the same place, but the texture has gotten a bit finer and “wetter”, too.

Let’s keep going…

(Oh, and why not scrape the sides a little while we’re at it? Just because, scraping the sides is fun when you don’t have to do it every 10 seconds! )

Another 30 seconds in, the coconut has reduced in volume quite a bit again and is starting to get a nice creamy butter consistency.

I think we need to let her rip some more.

Getting there, big time.

The aroma is intoxicating. I want to stuff my face in that bowl now!

Start the motor once again…

Another 30 seconds down and I think the consistency is getting just about right, now.

But I like my coconut butter really nice and creamy, so I’ll give it a few more seconds…

Ahhhhh, there we have it!

At this point, the coconut butter was creamy enough for my taste.

I decided to add a generous pinch of salt, a generous pinch of true Ceylon Cinnamon, a few gratings of fresh nutmeg and a splash of home made pure vanilla extract. Of course, adding any of these things is completely optional, but I find it gives so much depth and richness to the already formidable flavor of the coconut butter.

And there we have it.

See what I mean by “The Shrinking Spinach Syndrome”? From that whole bowlful that we had at the beginning, we are now down to a very thin (but delicious) layer at the bottom of the bowl.

Now imagine if we’d tried working with 30% of that. It would only have made our lives miserable, and chances are, we wouldn’t  be licking spoonfuls and spatulafuls of warm, creamy, fresh coconut butter at this time!

Time to transfer the fruit of our labor to an airtight container.

At this point, the coconut butter will be fairly liquid because it’s gotten pretty warm from all that blade spinning action.

Just like coconut oil, though, it will solidify even at room temperature. Just give it a day or so to rest, and the magic will happen.

The final consistency of your coconut butter will highly depend on the temperature that reigns inside your home and cupboards.

In the wintertime (or if you keep it in the fridge) it tends to become somewhat hard and crumbly.

In the summertime, however, the coconut butter is very likely to keep a luscious, creamy dreamy spoonable consistency.

That, my friends, could be highly dangerous…

See how easily that spoon goes in?

Oh, be still my heart. Someone please take this jar away from me… I am getting weak at the knees!

Vegetable Curry Butternut Soup

http://nutrition-is-medicine.blogspot.ca/2013/10/vegetable-curry-butternut-soup.html

I've been really into the curry soups lately, but I think this one is my favorite. Its just the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. I like squash soups, but I also like to make sure there is a good variety of vegetables in my soup, so I upped the vegetable content with some carrot, pepper, and leek (you could put a lot of other things in here too).

Ingredients:

• 1-2 butternut squashes (about 6lbs total), chopped and steamed
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 large carrot (or 2 medium), chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 leek, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp curry spice (see picture below of the exact kind I used)
• 2 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp thyme
• small piece of ginger
• 3 cups water (I used the water I used to steam the squash)
• Meat option: 1-2 shredded chicken breasts

 

Peel, de-seed, and chop up butternut squash. If you aren't sure how to do this, check out this awesome how-to. Steam the chopped squash for 20-30 minutes or until soft. Make sure it is fairly soft as it won't puree properly if its not. While the squash is steaming, put a pan on low-med heat, melt the coconut oil in and then add in the chopped onions. It doesn't matter how well any of these things are chopped because you will be pureeing everything after. Once onions have softened, throw in carrot, leek, ginger, and garlic, cook until the carrot has softened and then add the red pepper. Cook for another few more minutes until everything is pretty soft (but try to take it off before it gets too mushy). I put a lid over the pan when I cooked these to keep in the moisture. 

 

This is the type of curry spice I have been using.. no its not organic, but it seems to be only spices and its got a pretty good kick to it.

Transfer pan contents, and however much of the butternut squash that will fit into food processor with 1c water. I used the water I used for steaming the butternut squash because I like to try and keep as much nutrients in the dish as possible. Puree until everything is smooth, and transfer into a large soup pot. Transfer remaining steamed butternut squash with another cup of water into processor and puree, adding to pot when finished. I choose to puree everything before adding the spices because turmeric can stain the processor yellow. Put the soup pot on low-med heat and add last cup of water to soup pot along with coconut milk and spices. The consistency of this soup should be thick but still fluid (so it doesn't burn when heated). If it is too thick you can add more water to desired consistency. You could also add 1-2 chicken breasts to this recipe for a super delicious chicken curry soup. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and its ready to serve!

This is seriously the perfect meal for these ever-colder autumn days. I love my soups, and I hope you like this one too!

Enjoy~

Crock-Pot BBQ Beef and Sauce

http://sillylittlecavegirl.blogspot.com/2013/05/crock-pot-bbq-beef.html

Not all experiments end in success (trust me, I'm a physicist). But in this case, I'm so happy with the way it turned out! No lie. I want to drink the sauce. It's that good. It is definitely not as sweet as traditional beef BBQ (duh) but it is tangy and zesty and all the other terms you'd use to describe your favorite sauce.

What a pretty and nutritious meal!

Ingredients

3 lb beef stew meat

2 yellow onions, sliced

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups beef stock
1 can tomato paste

5 tablespoons BBQ rub (I used Pork Barrel BBQ dry rub, an impulse-buy from Costco)

4 cloves garlic, diced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

Instructions

Place stew meat pieces into the Crock-Pot. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and then sprinkle on 3 tablespoons of dry rub. Use your hand to combine, ensuring the rub gets on all of the meat.  Add the sliced onion and then pour in the beef stock.  Cook on high until meat is tender. About 3 hours.

Once the meat is cooked, turn off the Crock-Pot and let cool for a few minutes so you don't scald yourself while performing the next steps. Then, with a slotted-spoon, remove the meat from the Crock-Pot and set aside. Leave the juices.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the diced garlic. Cook until it becomes aromatic. Pour the Crock-Pot juices into the skillet and stir to combine with garlic oil.  Whisk in the tomato paste and apple cider vinegar. Season with up-to two heaping tablespoons of dry rub (to taste) and a pinch of salt, and cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat.

Return the beef to the Crock-Pot bowl. Pour the sauce over the beef and stir to combine. Makes 8 servings.

Update: One week later...

Bonus Recipe: BBQ Pulled Beef

I loved the recipe so much I decided to see just how great it would taste as originally envisioned. CB was game to be my taste-tester, so I made a special trip to Whole Foods for a roast and pulled my Crock-Pot back down off the refrigerator. The verdict? The pulled beef is even better than stew meat. It transported perfectly in our lunch boxes and reheated great in the microwave. This is going to be a go-to recipe from now on! As CB says, "it's in the rotation."

Instructions

Simply replace the stew meat with a beef roast, and omit the 3 tablespoons of olive oil when you rub the BBQ seasoning onto the meat. The roast will have a layer of fat on it, providing delicious flavor and eliminating the need for additional oil. Enjoy!

Masala Cauliflower (Masala Gobi)

 

http://myheartbeets.com/masala-cauliflower/

Cauliflower is kind of magical. It has this amazing ability to soak up flavor. When you cook it with Indian spices, it sops up all that masala goodness and when you take a bite, you taste it. These sweet little cauliflower florets are coated in a savory masala made with cumin, fennel, ginger, garlic, coriander and garam masala. Ripe tomatoes add a touch of sweetness to this relatively spicy dish.

I can’t get enough of this masala cauliflower (gobi). It’s so incredibly delicious. Whenever I make this dish, my husband will without fail tell me that he liked the cauliflower better than anything else on his plate. I never really know how to take his “compliment,” but I know he means well, so I always let it slide.

If you like aloo gobi (a popular Indian dish which translates to potato cauliflower), then you’re definitely going to love this masala gobi. You can add potatoes, sweet potatoes, whatever you want to this recipe, but I prefer making it with cauliflower alone.

There is one ingredient listed below that may be tricky to find: kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves). You can find dried fenugreek leaves at any Indian grocery store or on amazon. Kasoori or Kasuri methi leaves are known to have a slightly bitter taste, but when you use them in small amounts it can help enhance the flavor of your dish. I think this ingredient really adds something special to the dish – makes it more “restaurant-like.”

For those who haven’t had Indian style cauliflower before, well, if you’re looking for an interesting way to eat cauliflower, you’ve found it friends.

 

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tbs olive oil (or fat of choice)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 6-7 garlic cloves, minced (used my garlic press)
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 1 serrano pepper, minced
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder (more if you like it spicy)
• 1 teaspoon Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek Leaves) (can find in ethnic/Indian store)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup water (you can add a little more if you need it)
• cilantro leaves, garnish

Instructions

Clean your cauliflower
1. Clean cauliflower by soaking the florets in warm water, pinch of salt and a pinch of turmeric.
2. After soaking for half an hour, dump out the water and rinse with new water.
3. Drain.
Masala Cauliflower
4. In a pan, heat oil and add cumin and fennel seeds. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add the onions and a pinch of salt.
5. When the onions turn golden, add ginger, garlic and serrano pepper. After a couple minutes, add the chopped tomatoes.
6. After 10-15 minutes or once the tomatoes have become soft/mushy, add the spices and stir-fry.
7. After a couple minutes, add the cauliflower florets and ¼ cup of water. Mix well.
8. Cook and cover on medium heat for about 10-12 minutes.
9. Remove lid, add salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the cauliflower is soft.
10. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Falafel

 

serve with a garlicky mayo for extra deliciousness

Hubs recently had to return to his native Canada for business.
As I bid him a teary goodbye, I said: ‘Are you going to have falafel?”
“I dunno,” he said. “Probably.”
And I wept a little inside as I watched him board his plane, thinking of all the falafel he’d have without me.

it’s good as a mash too

The first time Hubs introduced me to his native Toronto was a wonderful trip in many ways. Not least was the time we went to a shwarma place (the city seems to be crawling with them) and I got my first taste of the good stuff.
Since then it’s been a bit of a tradition to get our falafel fix every time we’re in the city.

to mix it up, swop out the coriander for parsley

Determined not to be left out this time, I decided to make a paleo-friendly version in my own kitchen…using sweet potato (which worked out well cos Hubs loathes sweet potatoes).
These are basically fried potato cakes with a little bit of special seasoning to give them that falafel flavour.
Yes, they’re not the real thing, but I think they are good enough to stand alone and be judged on their own merits.
Sweet Potato Falafel (makes 5)

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 spring/green onions, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander/cilantro leaf, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp coconut flour, sieved
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 red chili, de-seeded and finely sliced (keep the seeds if you like your falafel spicy)
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

1. Place the sweet potato in a pot of water. Cover, bring to a boil and let simmer for 25-30 minutes until soft.
2. Drain the potato, season well and mash vigorously to a smooth mash.
3. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Scoop a generous tbsp of the mash and form into a patty shape. Place in the frying pan and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until brown. Repeat until the mash is used up.

Finger Lickin’ Chipotle Meatballs

http://eatdrinkpaleo.com.au/spicy-chipotle-meatballs-recipe/

By imacri | Published: October 22, 2013

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Recipe: Spicy Chiptole Meatballs

I’ve been staying in the Mission district of San Francisco for the last few weeks and I’ve been experimenting with a lot of Mexican and Latin American ingredients. One of my favourite Tex-Mex ingredients is chipotle – a smoke-dried jalapeño (well the red ripe jalapeño, not the green one you’re used to getting as a condiment).

Essentially, chipotle is a chilli pepper that has a very smoky flavour and smell, a little like smoked paprika with mild, warm heat. Unlike most chilies that simply add some heat to the dish, chipotle adds an incredible flavour and depth. It’s great with meats and seafood and can be found as dried peppers or tinned in brine or tomato sauce. Look out for it in the Mexican/International ingredients section in your supermarket or check with your local delis and specialty stores.

The heat and size of the chipotle chilli pepper varies but usually 2-3 medium chilies with seeds scraped out will give you plenty of nice heat without the 3rd degree tongue burn. If you leave the seeds in, use less or smaller peppers.

Cook’s notes: I used dried chipotle peppers, which need to be soaked first if you plan to chop them. If slow-cooking a pot of soup or meat, you can add whole dried peppers and they will rehydrate while cooking. If using tinned peppers, give them a taste first to see how hot they are. I find that dried chipotle pepper can be hot to taste but after cooking it loses some of the heat so don’t be afraid to use 1-3 peppers. Beef can be replaced with pork or chicken or half and half. I use lard for frying as it’s very stable at high temperatures and adds a wonderful flavour to the dish but you can also use ghee (clarified butter), duck fat, macadamia oil or coconut oil (the flavour will be altered with coconut).

Can’t find dried or tinned chipotle or chipotle powder? My instincts tell me that a mix of red chilli powder and smoked paprika would be as close as you can get. For Aussies, you can order them online here and here, and for North America & Europe, I believe you can find chipotle on Amazon.

We served these meatballs with pan-fried shredded Brussels sprouts, broccoli, some chopped avocado and fresh coriander (cilantro). Absolutely delicious with lots of warm heat and flavour!

Ingredients

• 1 large, deep frying pan
• 1 large brown onion, peeled and diced finely
• 1 tsp of lard or ghee (clarified butter)

For the meatballs mix

• 800 grams of beef mince (1.8 pounds ground beef)
• 3 medium dried chipotle chilies (tinned chipotle can also be used), seeds out
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 2 large garlic cloves, finally diced
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed or powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin seed or powder
• 1 tsp sweet or medium paprika
• 1 tbsp virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp of sea salt
• 2 tbsp lard (I used a mix of lard and ghee)

For the sauce

• ½ of the onion mentioned above
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 medium chipotle chilies, seeds out
• ½ tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp ground cumin seed or powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 400 grams of diced tomatoes or tomato puree (about 1 ½ cups)
• ½ tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. If using dried chipotle chilies, place them in hot water at least an hour before using to rehydrate. This can also be done in the morning or the night before. They will get softer so you can easily remove the seeds and chop them up.
2. First, sauté onion in lard or ghee for 3-5 minutes, until translucent. Use half of the onion in the meatball mix and reserve the rest for the sauce in a side bowl.
3. While onion is cooking, pre-chop all other ingredients for the meatballs. Slice the chipotle chilies in half and remove the seeds. Chop or grind with mortar and pestle if they are still a little hard to cut. They don’t need to be too fine but small enough to spread throughout the meat mixture evenly.
4. Combine beef mince with half of the cooked onion, chopped garlic and chilies, paprika, cumin, coriander seed, salt and olive oil. Use your hands to knead and combine all of the ingredients into sticky meat dough. Wash your hands and roll the mix into small balls (somewhere between walnut and golf ball size). Set aside on a chopping board until ready to cook.
5. Preheat lard in the large frying pan until sizzling. Add the meatballs and cook on medium/high heat for 3 minutes on each side or until well browned. They don’t need to be completely cooked through as we will be adding the sauce and cooking further.
6. At this stage, add the sauce ingredients: the rest of the cooked onion, garlic, the other two chopped chilies and spices. Stir through and then add the tomato puree. Combine and cook for 8-10 minutes uncovered and stir frequently to make sure the meatballs finish cooking evenly and the sauce is well integrated. Taste the sauce and season with a little more salt. I like to drizzle a little lime juice right at the end as well.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Number of servings: 15-20 meatballs

Sweet Potato-Topped Chicken Pot Pie

http://bartleysrun.com/2013/10/what-we-ate-sweet-potato-topped-chicken-pot-pie.html

I might’ve drooled onto my magazine when I saw BHG’s original recipe for this sweet potato-topped turkey pot pie. It looked so good that this is the first recipe I’ve dared to make from a magazine!

I clean food-ified the original recipe and took some lazy shortcuts that still paid off. With all the right ingredients and cooking tools, you could probably cut your prep time in half and avoid a million dirty dishes. I’ve already made this thing at least 3 times already in the past week and a half…. it’s surprisingly easy and it’s Ben-approved.
This recipe could work so easily with leftover turkey (hello, almost-Thanksgiving!), a different spice mix, and vegetables could be interchangeable. Maybe mashed cauliflower on top, add more vegetables than the recipe calls for, or switch celerty/carrots out altogether for winter squash. You know, I think this is actually called a shepherd’s pie. Don’t judge.

Ingredients
Sweet Potato Topping

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup canned pureed pumpkin (optional)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp clarified butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• freshly ground pepper

Fillling

• 3 tbsp coconut oil or clarified butter
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped (2 cups)
• 1 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1 1/4 cup diced carrot
• 3 tbsp Sea salt
• 3 tbsp almond flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground sage (try fresh if you like)
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground thyme (try fresh if you like)

Directions
Sweet Potato Topping:
1. Peel and dice sweet potatoes, cook in boiling water and simmer until tender.
*Cheat: Microwave the sweet potatoes ~5 minutes or until soft. Once cooled, peel away the skin and mash with a potato masher. Add the water/coconut milk. If it’s still dry, add more water to achieve a good mashed potato consistency.
2. Stir in canned pumpkin, butter, nutmeg, the remaining 1 tsp salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
3. Position a rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
For Filling:
4. In a large saucepan melt butter with the oil over medium heat.
*Cheat: reduce dirty dishes and use a dutch oven to cook on stovetop and transfer directly into the oven. (Dutch oven— on my Christmas list!)
5. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook and stir, about 2 minutes. Add salt. Cover partially. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until vegetables are very tender, about 12 minutes. Cook vegetables through, otherwise you’ll be drinking vegetable soup later!
6. Add arrowroot powder a little bit at a time (or else you’ll have gooey chunks), then slowly stir in the water. Simmer and stir occasionally until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, then bring to a simmer. Add the chicken, parsley, sage, and thyme. (*Cheat: use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken) Stir to combine; return the mixture to a simmer. Remove from the heat. The mixture should be thick and not runny. See?

7. Spoon the filling into a rectangular baking dish. Using a rubber spatula, carefully spread and mound spoonfuls of the mashed sweet potatoes over the filling, leaving some of the filling visible. Bake until bubbly and piping hot, about 20 minutes. Serve Immediately and ENJOY!

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In other random news, I just bought Well Fed 2. I’m only 40 pages in (So I’m reading it like a book. What of it??) but it is already so inspirational I think my head’s going to explode if I don’t get to the grocery store soon and make it all!