by Jen_F | Desserts, Jen_F, Recipes
Deb and I headed back to my house yesterday afternoon and realized we’d be back to our regular ho-hum breakfasts instead of the try ‘3’ Oatmeal dishes Shari had whipped up for us during our 3 of 4 sister get together for March.
I shot a quick email off to Shari asking “what’s for breakfast”, so she shot me back an idea for German Chocolate Oatmeal Bake, which one of us will write and review in another post. The short story… Deb and I whipped it up, tweaked it a bit and really liked it.
After breakfast, while Deb packed and got ready for Dale to come pick her up from here, I went chasing down one of those infamous rabbit holes where you’re looking for something and end up finding something else. That’s how I ended up finding the recipe below.
To give credit to the site I found it on, It was called the:
5 Ingredient Chewy Vanilla Coconut Cookies
https://foodfolio.net/recipes/29859/5-ingredient-chewy-vanilla-coconut-cookies/
I’d bought 3 lemons a few weeks ago and after looking at the ingredients, told Deb “I think this would be good with some lemon zest”. She agreed, so here is what we ended up with. (please note, there’s only one egg in the picture, but 2 in the recipe… go with 2.)
2 cup finely shredded medium shredded coconut
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup unpasteurized (raw) honey
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of Himalayan Sea Salt (any salt would do I?m sure)
Zest of 1 lemon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice (lemon not pictured since it was an after thought)
Now I suppose if you didn’t have a real lemon, you could use lemon extract or even lime. Either would be yummy yummy..
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined.
Use either an 1/8 cup or 1/4 cup of mixture. Sort of round it in the cup, plop it out on your cookie sheet, and press together to flatten it out
Bake for 15-20minute, or until golden. Using the 1/4 cup measure, it made 10 3” cookies. Next time, I’ll probably use the 1/8 cup measuring cup.
Here’s all the ingredients in the “mix” stage.
Out of the oven right at 20 minutes later, they were a bit brown on the bottom
but ummmm ummmm good and chewy
It’s pretty rare for me to actually cook raw honey, but I did!
For a quick yummy, fairly good for you cookie, give them a try and let me know that you think.
And as the French are known for saying:
Bon appétit
Which actually means: enjoy your meal … LOL
Til the next time…
You’re never too young or too old … So ……
Live Every Moment,
Love Beyond Words,
Laugh Everyday,
~Jennifer
by Deb D | Deb_D, Musings, Pork, Recipes
During one of our “sister’s” weeks, I made a scrumptiously, delicious dinner. It consisted of baked acorn squash, sauteed Swiss chard, & a Texas-style marinated pork tenderloin.
We cut the acorn squash in half, coated the baking pan & edges of the squash with coconut oil – I think that it gives the squash a good flavor as it cooks. The squash is baked cut side down at 350degrees for about 30 – 40 minutes (depending on the size of the squash).
Swiss chard is a member of the spinach family but is much heavier leaf with much larger veins. In my opinion, the stem & stalk are the “best” part of the vegetable. Be sure to rinse the leaves & stalk to make sure that all dirt is removed.
I lay the leaves down with them folded together and cut out the largest part of the stalk. I cut the stalks into 2 or 3 inch pieces to cook. The stems take longer to cook so I cook them first. This vegetable can be cooked in any oil or fat that you choose. My preference is either bacon fat or butter.
Melt your fat & drop the stem pieces into it & cook until they are “fork-tender.” I take the folded leaves and cut them into about 1″ strips. I put them into the pan with the stems and cook them until they “wilt.”
I will post the recipe for the pork tenderloin marinade either in the comments section or in a separate posting. I marinated the tenderloins overnight so they would absorb the most from the liquid.?? They were cooked at 350 degrees for approximately 30 – 40 minutes.
All said & done, we had a very delicious meal that the whole family could enjoy!
Please remember to laugh often, dance as if no one is watching, & sing as if no one is listening! Peace!
DebD
by Shari | Desserts, Musings, Recipes, Shari_T
Once in awhile you get an idea that actually turns out better than you plan. This recipe is one such example.
This recipe is “company dessert”.
It’s that good!
I purchased a couple of pineapples last week, which began a series of thoughts that look something like this:
Pineapple = summer = hot = no cooking indoors = grilling = ice cream.
Naturally, all roads lead back to ice cream. Well, in this case, they lead back to frozen yogurt.
Since pineapple and coconut are a natural pairing in food, it didn’t take long before I was in the kitchen mixing up my latest concoction.
To make the coconut yogurt, you will need one large container of Greek yogurt, a sweetener (I used 2 tablespoons of honey to cut the bitter flavor in the Truvia), coconut flavoring and shredded or flaked coconut (I recommend a finely ground coconut).
First, you will need to mix your yogurt, sweetener, coconut flavoring and coconut in a bowl.
Place yogurt mixture in the refrigerator.
To make the pineapple swirl, you will need fresh pineapple, coconut oil, coconut sugar (or you may substitute brown sugar), pineapple juice, cinnamon and vanilla.
Melt the coconut oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add pineapple to oil and allow to cook until the pineapple softens and just begins to turn brown (about 5-7 minutes).
Stir in the cinnamon, coconut sugar and pineapple juice.
Bring to a boil and allow it to cook until the juice becomes a syrup.
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Set aside and let cool about one hour.
Now it’s time to prepare the frozen yogurt. Place the mixture in your ice cream maker and prepare according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Just before the yogurt is completely frozen, drizzle the pineapple mixture into the ice cream maker.
Allow the mixture to swirl through the yogurt without actually mixing into the yogurt.
This is truly one of the best frozen desserts I have ever eaten. Daniel claimed this to be the best ice cream/yogurt dessert I’ve ever made.
Shari’s Company Worthy Coconut Frozen Yogurt with Pineapple Swirl
Yogurt base:
- 4 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup sugar or sweetener equivalent
- 1/4 tsp. coconut flavoring
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut or flakes
Mix all ingredients and place in the refrigerator.
Pineapple swirl:
- 1 Tbls. coconut oil (you could substitute with butter)
- 1/2 cup fresh pineapple (cut into small pieces)
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar (you could substitute with brown sugar)
- 1/3 cup pineapple juice
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the pineapple; cook until tender and just until the pineapple begins to turn brown. Add the sugar, cinnamon and pineapple juice; bring to a boil and continue to cook until the liquid becomes thick, like a syrup. Remove from heat; add vanilla and stir. Set aside to cool for about 1 hour.
Freeze the yogurt according to manufacturer’s directions. Just before the yogurt is completely frozen, drizzle the pineapple mixture over the frozen yogurt and allow it to swirl into the yogurt. Do not over mix.
Serve and enjoy!
If you do not have an ice cream freezer that allows you to add while freezing, you could do one of two things: add the swirl mixture to the yogurt mixture just prior to freezing, or use the pineapple syrup as a topping. Either way, you’ll still have a wonderful dessert.
I will be serving this to Deb and Jen when they are here visiting later this month. I know they will enjoy it.
Love,
Shari
by Shari | Musings, Pork, Recipes, Shari_T
Finally, I have something to post without “coconut” in the title!
Ever since Deb fixed that luscious tenderloin when she was here last month, I have been looking for new things to try. Easter week was the perfect opportunity to snap up some great deals on meat, including some gorgeous butterfly pork chops.
From there, it was just a matter of time in finding the right recipe, which is not easy in the cyber world where recipes exceed the millions. I narrowed it down to a few contenders, and ultimately chose one from www.spcookiequeen.com . Check out her website to see the original recipe, and all the other fabulous things she has available.
What made this the final winner? It was simple, used items I already had on hand, and would go from pan to dinner in under 30 minutes. Now, that’s my kind of meal.
I realized even Jennifer would like this: you brown and bake the chops in one pan!
Cranberry-Orange Stuffed Pork Chops (an adapted recipe from spcookiequeen.com)
- 4 Butterfly pork chops (split chicken breasts would also work)
- 1 Cup sourdough bread crumbs (I used our weekly homemade bread)
- 2 Tbls. dried cranberries
- 1 Tbls. dried onions (although fresh is always best, this provides a lighter flavor)
- 2 Tbls. coconut oil, melted
- Zest of one orange
- Juice of one small orange
- 1 Tbls. coconut oil (for cooking)
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cranberries, onions, coconut oil, zest and juice. This can be made ahead and set in the refrigerator until time needed.
Heat a cast iron skillet (or other oven proof skillet) with 1 Tbls. coconut oil.
Divide the filling among the pork chops. Fold the chops to close them, then seal them with a toothpick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the chops in the heated pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
Remove the skillet from the stovetop and place in the oven. Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until done. You may use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
I served the chops with some fresh cut pineapple and fresh baby spinach lightly sauteed in coconut oil, olive oil, salt and pepper.
While the recipe was quite simple and quick to prepare, it tasted like I’d slaved for hours. Gotta love that!
And, yet another bonus: the stuffing would blend beautifully with chicken breast. What more could you ask for?
Hope to see you at the table real soon!
Until next time,
Love,
Shari
by Deb D | Deb_D, Musings, Recipes
Ever since our last get-together at Shari’s house, I have been trying different stove-top oatmeal recipes from http://theoatmealartist.blogspot.com/p/recipe-index.html. While we were there, we tried several baked oatmeal with such yummy outcomes.
Okay, I really haven’t tried one EVERY day…but I have tried the Pina Colada & Almond Joy Oatmeal. I must say that the Pina Colada was the easiest to make – only a few ingredients: oatmeal, milk, pineapple, coconut, & salt if you want it. The Almond Joy had a few more: oatmeal, milk, banana, almond extract, cocoa, coconut, & salt if you want it. I say salt if you want it because I usually don’t cook with salt. I also added 1-2 Tbsp of ground chia seeds with the oatmeal & milk.
The completed Pina Colada oatmeal. I forgot to take a picture when I put it in the bowl. I did sprinkle some shredded coconut on top, but not enough the first time. I ended up adding more coconut because I couldn’t quite taste it. In the future, I might add some coconut extract before I eat it.
The completed Almond Joy oatmeal. I forgot to put the milk out when I took the picture. The brown substance in the little plastic bowl is some coconut powdered sugar I made yesterday. I sprinkled a bit on the oatmeal because the dark chocolate cocoa I used was very “un-sweet.”
Dale said the Almond Joy oatmeal looked like “Chocolate!” Happy Birthday to the love of my life, my husband of almost 44 years, who turned 65 today!
I will continue to try more stovetop oatmeal recipes from “The Oatmeal Artist!”
Until the next time –
“Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So, work like you don’t need the money,
Love like you’ve never been hurt,
Dance like no one’s watching,
Sing like no one’s listening!” ~~author unknown
Love always,
DebD
by Shari | Desserts, Musings, Recipes, Shari_T
I like to think of myself as a fairly open book.
Those who know me realize I’m blunt (although I prefer to think of it as “straight-forward”), game for most new things (just not chia), always up for a good laugh, and ice cream is its own food group, and as such, should be consumed as often as possible.
Ice cream is one of those things you just can’t live without, well, not in my house anyway. When Clay is home, he and I end each day with a slight indulgence into a dreamy, creamy spoonful of the frozen cloud. While we may not agree on flavors, or ice cream vs. frozen yogurt, we do agree all life should be this good.
I’m not terribly picky anymore whether it’s pure, traditional ice cream, frozen yogurt or coconut ice cream… As long as it’s creamy, I’m good.? I’ve actually managed to convert the guys to frozen yogurt rather than ice cream to help eliminate some of the excess (and bad for you) fat.
The biggest problem with frozen yogurt is actually finding one at the store that isn’t vanilla or chocolate. How boring and uninspiring can one be with the flavors?
So, it’s not a huge surprise that I’ve been madly working in the kitchen to create some frozen treats of my own. Most of my recipes have been with Greek yogurt, but a few have been made with varying types of coconut milk.
When Deb and Jen were here, I naturally wheeled out my new coconut lime yogurt to try with them. I know Jen is watching her dairy intake, so I only made frozen yogurt one day.
To get into the spirit of things, I’ve donned my “I get cranky without my Blue Bell” apron. While I refuse to acknowledge the possible accuracy of such a statement, I will admit that I’m always happier when ice cream’s involved.? After all, who wouldn’t be in a better mood with something so wonderful?
Start with 4 cups of Greek yogurt; I chose Chobani. Always pick a good quality yogurt, such as Chobani or Fage, for best results.
Add the zest of one lime (regular or Key lime is fine)…. The zest looks great against the stark white yogurt and adds flavor to the recipe.
Go ahead and add the juice of the lime to really give the yogurt that lime flavor.
Now, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of coconut flavoring, 1/2 cup of coconut (shredded or flaked), a pinch of salt, and the equivalent of 1 cup of sugar (I used a combination of Stevia and Agave).
Pour the mixture into your ice cream freezer and wait about 20 minutes.
I cannot even describe how luscious this combination of flavors is when it hits your mouth!
Deb mentioned that she didn’t think Jen liked yogurt because of the yogurt taste, but she loved this coconut lime combination. I can honestly say you will not know you are eating Greek yogurt because the coconut and lime are all you notice.
For those who are like me and too ADHD to scroll through the pictures for a recipe:
Coconut Lime Frozen Yogurt
- 4 C Greek yogurt
- Zest of one lime
- Juice of one lime
- 1 C Sugar (or equivalent)
- 1/4 tsp coconut extract
- 1/2 C coconut (shreds or flakes)
- Pinch of salt
Give this recipe a try, you won’t be sorry.
And, you won’t be cranky either.
Eat well, live large and enjoy the roller coaster ride of life!
Love,
Shari
2 cup finely shredded medium shredded coconut
