Coconut Salads and Side Dish Recipes

Grain Free Cauliflower Fried Rice

Grain Free Cauliflower Fried Rice
Grain Free Cauliflower Fried Rice
photo by recipe author

 

Servings: 10-12
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

  • 8 quart pot
  • 4 teaspoons coconut oil
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 4 carrots
  • 6 sticks celery
  • 8 ounces mushrooms
  • 1 pack frozen peas
  • 4 large garlic cloves
  • 3 medium/large heads cauliflower
  • 8 ounces fermented soy

Coat the bottom of a large deep pot with coconut oil. Then chop the onion, carrots, and celery, add these to the pot.

Next add the mushrooms and peas to the pot. Dice the garlic and add that to the other veggies in the pot. Let those veggies cook in the coconut oil for about 5 to 10 minutes on medium hight heat.

Then add the 3 heads of cauliflower to your blender and dice up into rice size pieces. Next add it to the rest of the veggies then pour about 4 fluid ounces of the fermented soy sauce into the pot and let cook for 45 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Allow to cool and enjoy.

Kurt from Prescott, AZ won $50 for this recipe and photo! Submit your recipes and photos here!

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Tomato Basil and Feta Salad

Tomato Basil and Feta Salad
Tomato Basil and Feta Salad
photo by recipe author

 

Servings: 8, 1 cup servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 4 cups fresh tomatoes, sliced or chopped (cherry, roma, or heirloom)
  • 4 cups sliced cucumbers
  • 2 green or yellow bell peppers
  • 6 tablespoons feta cheese
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons coconut water vinegar
  • salt and ground pepper to taste

Roll basil leaves and cut into strips. In a large mixing bowl, combine basil, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and feta.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil and coconut water vinegar.

Drizzle dressing, add salt and pepper, and toss salad.

Recipe and photo by Orissa. Submit your recipes and photos here for a chance to win $50!

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Indian Veg Pulao

Indian Veg Pulao
Indian Veg Pulao
photo by recipe author

 

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1 onion
  • 10 french beans
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 cup peas
  • 2 tablespoons fresh grated coconut  or dried shredded coconut
  • 1 green chili
  • 1 inch raw fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon coriander
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 cardamom pods
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 3 cups pure water
  • salt to taste

Wash the rice, drain the water and keep it aside.

Cut the vegetables into small pieces.

Grind coriander, coconut, green chili, garlic and ginger to a paste.

Melt coconut oil and ghee in a pan: add cardamom, clove, bay leaf, cumin and cinnamon. As it sizzles, add the onion and sauté for two minutes. Once the onion is translucent, add beans. After a minute, add carrot pieces, peas, and soaked rice then sauté.

Now add the ground paste to it. Sauté for two minutes. Add water and salt, stir. Close the lid and allow to cook until done. (You can also cook it in a pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes. Remove it once the pressure releases by itself.)

Jayashree from Bellary, India won $50 for this recipe and photo! Submit your recipes and photos here!

Medjool Dates + Peanuts and Cabbage Salad with Citrus Dressing

Medjool Dates Peanuts and Cabbage Salad with Citrus Dressing
Medjool Dates + Peanuts and Cabbage Salad with Citrus Dressing
photo by recipe author

 

Servings: Approx. 8 (serving sizes may vary)
Preparation Time: 20-25 minutes

  • 1 head purple cabbage, finely sliced
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 head cilantro (about 3/4 cup), chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar with mother
  • 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
  • 16 Medjool dates, chopped
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tablespoon honey, melted
  • salt to taste

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except coconut oil and honey, stir well.

In a small saucepan melt the coconut oil and honey. Pour over the salad and mix well.

Enjoy this as a light lunch or serve as a side with a larger meal. This tangy salad pairs well as a side to go with grilled meats.

Recipe and photo by Orissa. Submit your creative coconut recipes and photos here for a chance to win $50!

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Basil Mushroom Grass-fed Ground Beef Meatballs

Basil Mushroom Grass-fed Ground Beef Meatballs
Basil Mushroom Grass-fed Ground Beef Meatballs
photo by recipe author

 

Servings: about 15 meatballs
Preparation Time: about 30 minutes

  • 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped finely
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
  • small handful fresh basil, minced finely (about 1 tablespoon minced)
  • 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Mix all ingredients together, except coconut oil. Form into meatballs.

Heat skillet and add coconut oil. Brown meatballs in coconut oil on medium-high heat.

Place browned meatballs in baking dish. Bake at 425° F for about 15 minutes, or until done.

Enjoy plain or serve with your favorite red sauce.

Recipe by Lynelle. Image by Orissa. Submit your recipes and photos here for a chance to win $50!

Spiced Sweet Potato Spirals

Spiced Sweet Potato Spirals
Spiced Sweet Potato Spirals
photo by recipe author

 

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 3-4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and spiral cut
  • 1 small red onion, sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet. Add in sweet potato spirals, onion, and garlic. Add in all of the seasonings and stir well.

Cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until soft, tossing a few times during cooking.

Serve hot.

Courtney from Weir, KS won $50 for this recipe and photo! Submit your recipes and photos here!

Butternut Squash Hash Browns

Butternut Squash Hash Browns
Butternut Squash Hash Browns
photo by recipe author

 

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 ° F.

Melt coconut oil and butter. Reserve two tablespoons of the melted butter/coconut oil.

Mix the rest of the oil mixture and all remaining ingredients with the shredded butternut squash. Form into patties and place on a baking sheet (makes about 16 patties).

Brush with reserved butter/coconut oil and bake in heated oven for 45 minutes – 1 hour.

Kelly from Monterey, CA won $50 for this recipe and photo! Submit your photos and recipes here!

Multi-Fruit Tropical Cranberry Sauce with Fermented Option

Multi-Fruit Tropical Cranberry Sauce with Fermented Option
Multi-Fruit Tropical Cranberry Sauce with Fermented Option
photo by recipe author

 

Servings: 50 (2.5 – 3 quarts)
Preparation Time: 45 minutes

  • 3 bags fresh cranberries, rinsed, washed, and inspected
  • 2 oranges, washed, zested, peeled, and cut into chunks
  • 3 pears, ripe but not overripe, washed and cored
  • 2 small raw beets, scrubbed, not peeled
  • 5 slices fresh ginger root, or 1 tablespoon ginger powder
  • 2 sweet crisp apples (Gala, Fuji, Yellow Delicious, Honeycrisp — not Granny Smith or Red Delicious), washed and cored
  • ¾ cup shredded coconut
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen-and-thawed papaya
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen-and-thawed pineapple
  • 2 cups dried fruit — raisins, dates, prunes, apricots, etc.
  • 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 10 cloves, ground, makes about 1 teaspoon
  • ¼ whole nutmeg, grated, makes about ½ teaspoon
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • ¼ cup raw honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons liquid whey, optional

Using a food processor for all steps, first process the cranberries in 2 batches to a fine mince; transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Wash and zest 2 oranges, add zest into the bowl. Then peel, roughly chop, and process the oranges; add to bowl.

Process 3 pears to a chunky sauce; add to mixing bowl; mix immediately to let the orange juice prevent oxidation (browning). Fresh stevia leaves may be processed and added at this step, optional.

Process beets + ginger to fine mince; add to bowl and mix. (If you’re using dried ginger powder, add it directly to the bowl.)

Process 2 apples to fine mince; add to bowl and mix.

Add shredded coconut to bowl; mix. If you have only coconut chips or coconut flakes, grind these in the food processor until they’re small.

Process papaya + pineapple to small chunks/sauce. If both are raw, or both frozen, you can do them together. Otherwise, process fresh/frozen individually.

Process dried fruit to a thick paste. If it’s too thick to process, add back into the processor a quarter-cup of what’s already in the mixing bowl to thin it down.

Add cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to the bowl. Allspice and cardamom also work well, if preferred.

Stir in molasses; mix well.

Add sweetener of choice, either raw honey or maple syrup, to taste.

Transfer contents of mixing bowl to glass jars and refrigerate.

Serve chilled.

Optional fermentation step:

Add in 2 tablespoons liquid whey. This can be strained from (non-Greek) yogurt, using a cheesecloth. Mix well.

Transfer cranberry sauce to jars. Cap loosely, set on plates or in bowls (in case of any overflow), and leave in a shaded corner of your counter-top for 1-2 days.

The friendly bacteria from the whey will proliferate in the cranberry sauce, pre-digest it slightly, produce lots of additional vitamins, and preserve it from any pathogenic bacteria. Plus, the flavors marry better while it sits.

After a day or two, tighten caps and transfer jars to fridge. Cranberry sauce thus preserved will keep for many months.

Ben from Winchester, VA won $50 for this recipe and photo! Submit your recipes and photos here!