Coconut Salads and Side Dish Recipes

Coconut-Tuna Walnut Salad

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Remember a good cook doesn’t always follow a recipe perfectly. Creativity plays a big part. I was using a traditional recipe for years and decided to TRY something different with ingredients I had available. Hope you enjoy this one and I dare you to try a new spice.

1 – 2 (7 oz) cans tuna
1/2 cup roasted walnuts, chopped (Roast for 10 minutes on cookie sheet at 350. Cool, then chop.)
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 teaspoon fresh peppermint – finely chopped
1 apple – peeled and diced small
Salt to taste
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 to 1 cup Plain Yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise*

Mix all ingredients. Serve immediately or chill, then serve over spring mix, romaine, or in 1/2 avocado. Delicious, fresh, different.

Recipe submitted by EdieJane, Hurst, TX

*To make your own mayonnaise with coconut oil and olive oil see our video here.

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Salmon Coconut Mayonnaise Salad

Prepared by Marianita Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4-5

1 tablespoon coconut oil, as needed
1/2 medium size onion, finely chopped
2 6 oz cans Alaskan salmon, flaked
2 stalks celery- thinly sliced
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon coconut mayonnaise, more or less to taste
Italian parsley
Fresh squeezed lemon juice

Heat coconut oil in a pan. Sauté onion until opaque and add salmon, celery, pepper and salt. Sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with Italian parsley and lemon juice. Serve with salad, rice, as a sandwich filling, etc.

Enjoy

Recipe courtesy Marianita Shilhavy

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Coconut Lime Rice Pilaf

Photo by recipe author

Servings: 10-15
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

4 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
3 cups uncooked brown rice
6 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons finely shredded or grated lime peel
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Melt coconut oil in Dutch oven or regular saucepan and add in onions and garlic; cook until onions are tender. Pour in the rice, water, lime peel and spices. Cook until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Serve topped with grated lime peel and ground black pepper on top.

Variations:

For a more coconut-y flavor, you can add some coconut cream concentrate to the rice when you add the water.

For a spicy coconut rice, add in some chili powder when adding the spices.

You can also use lemon zest instead of lime zest in this recipe.

Recipe submitted by Rachel, Fort Wayne, IN

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Coconut Sautéed Green Beans with Tomatoes

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Servings: 2 – 4
Preparation Time: 11 minutes

2 1/2 – 3 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half if very long
virgin coconut oil
2/3 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and lemon pepper (or black pepper) to taste
Grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese (optional)

Sauté the green beans in a few tablespoons of oil.

A few minutes or so before the desired degree of doneness, add more oil, if necessary, and the garlic and tomatoes. Sauté a few more minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Add salt and pepper and a good sprinkling of cheese, if desired. Serve warm or hot. (I haven’t tried them cold; they might also be good that way.)

This could probably work for other veggies such as broccoli.

Recipe submitted by Simi, Los Angeles, CA

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Coconut Oil Vinaigrette Coleslaw

Photo by Recipe Author

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/8 cup coconut oil, liquefied
3/8 cup virgin olive oil
10 cups cabbage mix/coleslaw (you can shred whatever cabbages and carrots you feel like shredding)
1/8 cup roasted, salted, shelled sunflower seeds

Whisk vinegar, honey, salt and pepper until salt dissolves.

Slowly add oils, whisking away.

Allow to stand 5 minutes, taste and adjust to your liking, whisk again.

If you’re serving the whole thing, add the dressing to the cabbage mix and toss then add the sunflower seeds, mix well. Otherwise, just put some of the vinaigrette on your cabbage mix and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

Recipe submitted by Ann, Omaha, NE

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Jamaican Inspired Cabbage Slaw

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1/4 head green cabbage
1/4 head purple cabbage
1 carrot, grated
2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup mango, pureed
1/4 teaspoon raw honey
1 scotch bonnet pepper (or habanero pepper), split lengthwise
Squeeze of lime juice
Dried, unsweetened coconut, optional

In a large bowl chop cabbage to desired size and add carrot.

Whisk vinegar, mustard powder, oil, mango and honey until creamy. Stir in scotch bonnet pepper.

Place dressing in fridge and let pepper soak for 15-20 minutes. Remove pepper or for spicier slaw puree mixture with pepper in (optional). Stir into cabbage. Top with coconut if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Recipe submitted by Elizabeth, West Jordan, UT

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Carrot Coconut Raisin Salad

example photo shown

Usually I have made this with mayo and didn’t want to eat that so I thought the cashews would provide the creamy texture and sure enough it did. So healthy and yummy. Add more or less of the first four ingredients as you like.

3 medium dates
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup coconut milk*
5 large carrots, shredded
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 coconut flakes

Soak the dates in hot water for about 15 minutes

Place cashews, dates and coconut milk in blender and blend till creamy. Put all the other ingredients in a bowl and stir well and let sit for as long as you can stand it. 🙂

*To make Coconut Cream Milk stir approximately 1 teaspoon of coconut cream concentrate to every 6 oz of water or make Homemade Coconut Milk.

Recipe submitted by Sharon, Celina, TX

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Coconutty Chicken Salad

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4 servings

1 whole pastured chicken (or chicken pieces)
1/3 cup walnuts, broken into smaller pieces
1/4 cup apple, chopped (not peeled)
Dash black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
2 pinches celery seed
Celery salt, to taste
2-3 tablespoons coconut mayonnaise or sour cream
1-2 tablespoons mustard
1/2 large dill pickle, chopped (or 2-3 generous tablespoonfuls dill pickle relish)
1/4 onion, diced
1 tablespoons dried parsely

Boil chicken in a large stock pot full of water. When meat is done, pull out chicken and cool. Remove all meat from bones and skin. Return bones and skin to stock pot to make chicken stock.

Use 1-2 cups of the meat, cut up, for chicken salad. Save the rest of the meat for soup.

Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Adjust to taste.

Recipe submitted by Kay, Mustang, OK

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