Book of Yum

The last time I ordered gluten-free flours from Bob’s Red Mill, I noticed that they sold GF coconut flour. I had been hearing rumors about the wonder of low-carb, high-fiber coconut flour and couldn’t resist adding yet another flour to my collection. South Beach or other low-carb dieters use coconut flour straight in their baking, but this kind of baking demands a lot of eggs, and I’m not that crazy about eggs. So, I decided to try the coconut flour as a supplement to my favorite gluten-free blend in a recipe. For some reason, I kept thinking about vanilla muffins, thinking that the coconut flour would add complimentary dessert-like notes, so I took a (non GF) recipe from Recipezaar as my inspiration and came up with the coconut flavored, vanilla muffin recipe below. I sneaked off to the kitchen to make them one night, leaving DH unaware at his computer. As you know, I have a serious crush on mini-muffin-tins, so I baked some of the batter in those tins, some in my mini bundt cake tins, and some in these wonderful heart shaped baking cups that I’d found in a local store. As the smell of the coconut flour and vanilla wafted through the house, DH looked up from his computer and said “Hey, are those cookies I smell?” I hated to break it to him that they were actually muffins- but he enjoyed them anyway. The coconut flour gave them a wonderful spongy texture not unlike that of bean flour, and was the perfect compliment to the copious amounts of vanilla in the recipe. However, it was the early Valentine’s Day Shortcake recipe that I came up with a day or two later that earned the rave review in our house.

I had been thinking about Kochtopf’s Heart for my Valentine blog event. (Roundup is Here) I knew I wanted to use the heart shaped muffins as the base for my entry, but it wasn’t until I tasted the faintly sweet coconut and vanilla flavors of my creation that it occurred to me- it would be the perfect base for a strawberry shortcake! Trader Joe’s didn’t have fresh strawberries, but they did have lovely fresh blackberries and organic frozen strawberries, so I modified my initial vision. I wouldn’t just use them in strawberry shortcake, but rather, a shortcake topped with strawberry sorbet with hints of meyer lemon juice, macerated blackberries, and fresh cream (or cashew cream).

The result was one very happy Valentine (DH.) His rating? A nine out of ten, which from this picky libra boy is no small compliment. He raved that the muffins were not only as good as regular shortcake but actually better than regular shortcake. Not too shabby considering it was my first experiment with coconut flour! I’ll definitely be trying my coconut flour in other muffin recipes… and soon. I’ve already got mango cubes in the freezer, dried pineapple, and dried cranberries just crying out to be used in a tropical coconut or cranberry coconut recipe… And I can’t wait! Now, where’s that mini-muffin tin…

No coconut flour in the cupboard?
Try Lea’s Gluten-free shortcake biscuits
Elise’s Strawberry Shortcake with Gluten-Free Variation (scroll down)
Or Elise’s Marion Blackberry Shortcake with GF Variation (scroll down)

Looking for more Gluten-Free Treats for your Valentine? Try this low-carb agave-sweetened vegan brownie recipe

Looking for more Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Recipes using Coconut Flour? Try these:
BytheBay’s Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffin Recipe
Cindalou’s Cran-Blueberry Coconut Flour Muffin Recipe
Glutenagogo’s Coconut Gluten-Free Bread
GF Teff Coconut flour Pancake Recipe
Gluten-free Dessert’s Chocolate Coconut Cookies
Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour Recipes- Biscuits, Scones, and Almond Cake

Toys for making YOUR OWN yummy muffins in Fun Shapes. GF Mini-Baked-Coconut-donut anyone?

Gluten-Free Coconut Flour Vanilla Muffin Recipe Bread  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1 1/2 cup Bette Hagman GF mix (rice, potato starch, tapioca blend) 1/4 cup coconut flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 lg egg, beaten 1 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt (or 1 cup plain yogurt with 1 tsp vanilla and confectioners sugar to taste) [DF option: use soy yogurt] 1/4 cup milk [DF option: use rice, almond, hemp or soy milk] 1 tbsp. vanilla 6 tbsp. butter, melted [DF option: use dairy free margarine, shortening, or oil] Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare mini muffin tins, muffin tins, mini bundt cake pans, or mini heart baking tins for a Valentines Day treat by spraying with butter flavored nonstick cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl. Mix them together, quickly, combining ingredients thoroughly but not over mixing. Bake for 15-25 minutes (depending on size of tin, with mini muffin tins baking for 12-15 minutes and larger tins baking longer…) Notes Try subbing some applesauce for the butter next time! After the first day or two, these are best heated briefly in the microwave. It’s best to slice them AFTER you heat them for the moistest muffin, or even to avoid slicing them. IF YOU AREN’T GLUTEN FREE, JUST SUBSTITUTE YOUR FAVORITE FLOUR!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Heavily modified from Very Vanilla Muffin recipe on Recipezaar. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1193 Added:  January 31, 2008 Last Modified:  February 4, 2008

Valentine’s Day Heart Blackberry and Strawberry Shortcake Recipe Dessert  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients Gluten-free Vanilla Coconut Flour heart shaped muffins (1 or more per person) Macerated Blackberries: Fresh or frozen blackberries, defrosted powdered sugar to taste Strawberry Sorbet: Frozen strawberries, half defrosted or still frozen Sugar, to taste lemon juice, to taste (I used meyer lemons) Dairy or Dairy Free Whipped Cream: For dairy, whip cream with powdered sugar and a glug of vanilla in your mixer. For Dairy-free, try my cashew cream recipe Directions Macerated Blackberries: Mash at least half of your blackberries with a potato masher or a fork. Add sugar and combine thoroughly. Let rest for 30 minutes or so. Strawberry sorbet: Combine ingredients in your food processor and blend until you have a lovely, icy mix. Taste and season to your preference. Sugar may not be necessary, especially if you don’t add much lemon juice. Use slightly warmed muffins, either heated in microwave or fresh from the oven. If you like, you can cut them in half horizontally, or just leave them as is. (I like the second method.) Layer Strawberry sorbet, Macerated blackberries, and Cashew Cream OR Dairy Cream. Garnish with fresh berries and sprig of mint (optional). Serve to your sweetie in exchange for lots of kisses!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1194 Added:  February 4, 2008 Last Modified:  February 4, 2008

Cashew Vanilla Cream Sauces & Condiments  American

Ingredients 1 cup cashews 3/4 cup water 1 Tablespoon maple syrup (optional) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional) Directions Soak 1 cup of cashews in 2 cups of water. If you’re in a very warm climate, soak them in your refrigerator. After 8-12 hours, discard the soaking water and rinse the nuts. In a blender, place the nuts and enough fresh water to allow the blender to operate. Blend, gradually adding enough water to achieve a smooth consistency. Yields 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups. Really lovely served with fresh fruit and chocolate fondue as a substitute for whipped cream, or collect an assortment of beautiful organic fruits from the farmers market and top with Cashew Vanilla Cream. You can even add edible flowers for garnish! Notes found at http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/whippedcream.html

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Abbey’s Vegetarian Recipes Recipe ID:  1092 Added:  July 9, 2007 Last Modified:  July 9, 2007

After all the squash I’d been eating, I suddenly started craving tofu like nobody’s business. But not just any tofu would do. No, somehow I wanted tofu in peanut sauce. The inspiration actually came from a coconut rice recipe I’d invented for Thanksgiving. My dairy-free, soy-free Mom had mentioned a childhood favorite recipe based on a little bit of rice, maraschino cherries, and pineapple. Usually people add whipped cream or some other dairy based ingredient, but she wanted to try making some without any dairy. I thought about adding rice milk, but didn’t think it would add much flavor- and then it occurred to me to substitute a healthy swig of coconut milk for some of the water in the rice cooker. After all, coconut milk should go well with tropical fruits, and it is way more decadent and flavorful than demure rice milk. So, I added a small (not light!) can of coconut milk to the rice. Mom used a little of the rice for her salad, and I decided to try some of the leftover coconut enriched rice with my acorn squash. It was delicious drizzled with vegetarian gravy or even topped with some cranberry sauce- and I couldn’t help but think it would be even better with a savory peanut sauce Asian-fusion dish. I thumbed through one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks, the simply named and brilliantly themed “Peanut Butter Planet” and picked one of the recipe for “Szechuan stir fry with Fiery Peanut Sauce.” The only trouble was, we didn’t have any of the vegetables they used, so I had to improvise with the onions, portobello mushrooms, and carrots in our fridge. I also decided to kick up the tofu preparation methods a notch to add more texture to the dish. To my delight, these ingredients resulted in a rich, savory peanut dish that would do a Thai yellow curry proud. Indulge your taste for savory peanut sauce, meaty portobello strips and satisfying tofu with this dish… and while you’re at it, why not try this subtle rice variation. Take a plain spoonful of this heavenly coconut rice and close your eyes while you chew- it’s that good.

In the mood for coconut?
Try Coconut Carob Truffles
Karina’s Coconut Recipes
By the Bay’s Coconut Mashed Yams
Naomi’s Chocolate Mint Coconut Cream
Or my Ginger Coconut Peanut Sauce, perfect for grilled vegetables!

Share your favorite coconut or peanut recipes in the comments, or share your post URL’s…
I’ll add them to this yummy list!

Savory Tofu Peanut Sauce Stir Fry Recipe with Coconut Rice Recipe Main Course  Rice  Asian

Ingredients Coconut Rice: 2 cups (rice cooker measurement) short grained white rice 1/2 can lite coconut milk (or small regular coconut milk) Sauce: 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup natural peanut butter 1/8 cup San-J low sodium wheat free tamari 2 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tsp brown sugar 1 tsp ketchup 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like the heat) 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water, reserved Stir Fry: 1/2 yellow onion, sliced into thick strips 1 portobello mushroom, including stem. Slice cap and dice stem. 1 1/2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks. 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, diced 1 pkg. firm organic tofu (a la Trader Joes), cut in half and pressed 2 more fresh garlic cloves kosher salt peanut oil (or your favorite oil) sherry or other flavorful cooking wine Directions Rinse your rice until the water is no longer cloudy. Shake off the water and then put your rice in your rice cooker. Pour half of a can of coconut milk into the rice cooker and add water until the liquid reaches the two cup mark. (Or, just substitute coconut milk for half the water in your favorite rice recipe.) Make your sauce by combining ingredients from water to red pepper flakes into a blender. Blend. Then heat on the stove in a saucepan until the sauce begins to boil. Lower heat and let simmer for five minutes, whisking occasionally. Add cornstarch slurry and let sauce thicken, take off heat and reserve. I like two styles of tofu in my dishes for texture variety. (Optional- pick one style if you prefer.) Take one slab of tofu and slice it thinly into strips. Cut the remaining slab of tofu into cubes. Heat 1 cup or so of peanut (or canola, etc. oil with a high smoke point) over a high heat in your wok , toss in some kosher salt (if desired) and fry half of the tofu strips. Turn over when the tofu looks golden brown on one side. When fried golden on both sides, put on a rack so any extra oil can drip off. For your tofu cubes, clean your wok and pour a little (1 tbsp. or less) fresh peanut oil in the pan. Let it heat until almost at smoking point, add a whole garlic clove, let it brown and then remove from pan. Add a little salt to taste, and throw in your tofu cubes. Add your diced garlic and toss. When tofu cubes are browned on all sides (turn frequently), remove and reserve. Add a tiny bit more oil, season it with the remaining garlic clove, remove the clove, and throw in your onion strips. You may need to do one half recipe at a time. When onion looks slightly softened, throw in your diced mushroom STEM. Toss frequently. When onion looks done and browned on the edges, remove and reserve. Throw in your portobello mushroom slices and saute. When they start to soften but the pan seems dry, throw in a little sherry (tablespoons, not cup measurements). Add your carrot matchsticks and stir fry for a minute or so. Throw in the rest of your reserved ingredients, mix, and then begin to drizzle your sauce on the stir fry, mixing sauce thoroughly into the dish. Notes You will have leftover stir fry, so you can double the rice if you prefer.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  modified sauce based on Peanut Butter Planet Recipe, the rest is entirely original. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1163 Added:  November 26, 2007 Last Modified:  November 27, 2007