Coconut Oil

Coconut Cocoa Pecan Chocolate Chip Brownies

Photo by recipe author

Servings: 24 brownies
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup Virgin Coconut Oil
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2/3 cup cake/pastry flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2-3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Mix sugars, coconut oil, vanilla and eggs in medium bowl. Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in separate bowl. Add the flour mixture in gradually, mixing until smooth after each addition. Spread batter in pan, and sprinkle with chopped pecans and chocolate chips.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick or cake-tester inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with cold milk after they’ve cooled.

Variations –

Melt caramel, adding about 1 tablespoon of milk to thin it and drizzle it over brownies.

You can also substitute walnuts for pecans.

Dark chocolate chunks can be chopped up and put on instead of the chocolate chips.

Mix half of the chocolate chips in the batter before putting it in the pan.

Recipe submitted by Rachel, South Whitley, IN

Submit your recipe here!

Mexican Style Pepper Chicken

Photo by recipe author

Servings: 4
Preparation time: 12 minutes

2-3 tablespoons organic coconut oil
3-4 organic frozen chicken breasts
1/2 -1 cup whole frozen peppers (jalapenos, green chili, Anaheim or banana peppers)
1-2 cups whole frozen small garden tomatoes (cherry, Roma, yellow pear or other tomatoes)
1/2 large onion, cut into chunks
Sea salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste
Grated organic mozzarella cheese or queso fresco (optional)
Tortillas (optional)

Melt coconut oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add frozen chicken. Cover chicken with vegetables and seasoning, if desired. Spread peppers, tomatoes and onions evenly.

When chicken is done on one side (approximately 20-30 min), turn breast pieces over. Cook another 20-30 minutes until thoroughly done. Vegetables will be very soft.

Serve Mexican style with toasted tortillas. Top with grated cheese, if desired.

Recipe submitted by Dakotah, Winfield, KS

Submit your recipe here!

Gluten Free Coconut Flour Orange Cake with Coconut Oil Frosting

Gluten Free Coconut Flour Organic Cake

Photos by recipe author

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Servings: 5-8

I give you a method for melting the coconut oil while greasing the pan, saving you a dish. You can certainly melt the coconut oil in one pan and grease the pan separately. Also, I add the coconut oil last just in case it is still pretty warm. The eggs already mixed with the other ingredients provides a bit of a buffer in case the oil is still too warm. Scrambled egg cake is not what we’re after here.

1/4 cup coconut oil
6 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup coconut milk*
6 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 1/2 medium orange

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure out coconut oil and place in an 8″x8″ pan. Place the pan in the oven to melt the coconut oil.

While the coconut oil is melting, whisk the eggs, coconut milk, honey, vanilla and orange zest together.

Once the coconut oil is melted (probably around five minutes or less), remove the pan from the oven and let it cool while you mix in the rest of your ingredients. Combine coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.

Once your pan is cooled enough to handle, carefully swirl your coconut oil around your pan in order to grease all sides. Then pour the coconut oil into the batter and mix until all lumps are gone.

Pour the batter into your greased pan and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Place the cake on a cooling rack.

After the cake has cooled a bit, but is still warm, poke holes all over the top with a fork. Juice the orange half right over the whole cake, making sure to evenly distribute the juice.

Orange Coconut Oil Frosting

Be sure to melt your coconut oil in a glass bowl. I do this by putting the bowl over a small pan of simmering water.

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted in a glass bowl
9 drops of liquid stevia (alternatively, you could use a couple of teaspoons of raw honey
1 packed teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients into warm coconut oil. You are now going to place the bowl into the freezer in order to cool it down. It is very important to check on it every couple of minutes to catch it before it gets too cold. You want to take it out of the freezer right when it starts to get cloudy.

At this point the cold bowl (and your cool kitchen) will continue to turn the liquid oil into a solid. Continue to whisk the frosting as it gets cloudier and cloudier and eventually turns into a whipped butter consistency. The idea is to get a bit of air into it.

Once it is to a whipped (very soft) butter consistency plop it onto your cooled cake. Frost it very quickly before the coconut oil hardens. It will seem like a pretty thin frosting, but it is just enough.

*Use 1 teaspoon of coconut cream concentrate for every 6-8 oz of water for coconut cream milk. Mix together and use as directed or make homemade coconut milk.

Recipe submitted by Shannon, Dexter, MI

Submit your recipe here!

Gluten Free Chocolate Coconut Protein Bars

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

I recently made these Chocolate Coconut Protein Bars, and they were pretty good! The triple amount of coconut provides the energy element, and the protein powder gives you the protein. It’s the best of both worlds; energy and protein rolled into one bar. Why make both a protein and energy bar when you can have them both in one?

The bars were pretty delicate. If you want them moister you could add another egg or more oil if you wanted a higher oil serving. Either way, this recipe is pretty forgiving so feel free to play around with it a bit until you get the desired texture and results. I made a half batch and pressed it into a greased square glass pan and then cut it into bars. That way it comes out looking more like a bar instead of a cookie or something.

The bars are very filling; you can only eat so much. The chia seeds expand in your stomach and give you that “full” feeling pretty quickly, which is a good thing.

Be sure to check the recipe out, and comment if you have any questions or comments of your own.

Enjoy everyone!

Sarah

Chocolate Coconut Gluten Free Protein Bar

1/2 cup coconut oil
2-4 tablespoons sweetener of your choice (ex: whole sugar, maple syrup, honey, etc.)
4 eggs
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated or flaked dried coconut, unsweetened
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup chocolate whey powder, optional
1 cup coconut flour

Preheat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheet(s) with extra coconut oil.

Melt oil if needed and in a large bowl stir in remaining ingredients with the oil until well blended. Place spoon sized mounds unto prepared cookie sheets and pat down slightly into bars.

Bake in preheated oven for 14-15 minutes. Don’t overcook.

Recipe submitted by Virginia, Circle, MT

Submit your recipe here!

Coconut Pumpkin Custard

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Servings: 5
Preparation Time: 8 minutes

Coconut oil
3 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
14 oz coconut milk*
2 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Toasted coconut, optional
Whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 5 8 oz custard cups/ramekins with coconut oil.

Whip the eggs with a whisk or a blender until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and whisk/blend until smooth and well mixed.

Divide batter between the 5 prepared ramekins. Set the cups into a large baking pan. Fill with 1/2 inch of water.

Bake for 40 minutes (or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean).

Cover each with foil and refrigerate until completely cooled. Top with whipped cream and toasted coconut to serve.

*Use 1 teaspoon of coconut cream concentrate for every 6-8 oz of water for coconut cream milk. Mix together and use as directed or make homemade coconut milk.

Recipe submitted by Carole, Lakewood, CO

Submit your recipe here!

Coconut Tomato Brown Rice

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Servings: 2-3 servings
Preparation Time: 3 hours (or overnight), 10 minutes

2 cups brown rice
1 cup coconut milk*
1 medium tomato chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, mashed
4 cups water
2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
Salt, to taste

Soak brown rice for 3 hours or overnight

In a large saucepan, bring coconut milk, tomato, pepper, and garlic to a boil over medium heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add water and coconut oil and bring to a rolling boil.

Drain the rice and add it to the mixture. Boil on medium high to high heat for 25 to 40 minutes until tender or all the water drains from the rice. Add salt to taste and serve.

*Use 1 teaspoon of coconut cream concentrate for every 6-8 oz of water for coconut cream milk. Mix together and use as directed or make homemade coconut milk.

Recipe submitted by Marie, West Palm Beach, FL

Submit your recipe here!

Coconut Flour Grapefruit Pound Cake (Gluten Free)

Gluten Free Coconut Flour Grapefruit Pound Cake

Photo by Recipe Author

This coconut flour pound cake recipe is wonderfully delicate and moist. The grapefruit juice and yogurt combined really gives the cake a sweet, yet tart flavor. It would be just as delicious with lemon, lime, or orange juice/zest.

Servings: 8-10 (1 loaf)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

5 eggs
2 to 4 tablespoons raw honey (sweeten to your taste)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk yogurt
2/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
zest of 1 large grapefruit (about 3 teaspoons)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with coconut oil, line the bottom of the loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease, with coconut oil, and flour the pan using coconut flour.

In a large bowl beat the eggs with an electric mixer; next add the honey, vanilla, yogurt, and grapefruit juice and zest, mix until combined. Add the melted butter in a constant stream, mixing continuously.

Using a spoon or spatula fold in the dry ingredients to the wet – baking powder, salt, and sifted coconut flour. Mix well after each addition.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Let cake cool for 5 minutes in pan. Invert on a cooling rack and let cool completely……if you can wait that long 🙂

Recipe submitted by Shannon, Fort Worth, TX

Submit your recipe here!

Grass-fed Bison Beer Brats

Bison Brat slow cooked in beer and onions and
served on sourdough hard roll with sauerkraut ready for toppings!

Prepared by Marianita Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Bratwursts (brats) are a traditional German sausage, and are popular this time of year, as they are usually served up in German “Oktober Fests” in Germany and other places with large German populations. Besides cooking these sausages on the grill, they are often simmered in a slow cooker with onions and beer in traditional German style, producing a nice tender sausage by softening the hard casing. Our brats are the healthier variety made from grass-fed bison rather than the traditional pork scraps.

Servings: 8
Preparation time: 5 minutes