Rice

Using Coconut in Savory Dishes

Coconut can be used in many different ways, and just as much in savory dishes as in desserts. For now I’ll tell you how to use Coconut Cream Concentrate (CCC) in savory dishes.

One of our family-favorite coconut savory dishes is a non-dairy lentil soup (see recipe below). Coconut Cream Concentrate gives the soup a mildly creamy taste, complimenting the taste and texture of the red lentils nicely. In the recipe below, the Coconut Cream Concentrate is simply stirred right into the soup base. There is no “gritty” texture since the lentils have a thick consistency once cooked and the coconut just blends in. CCC is also a great addition to soups if you want a creamy flavor but cannot have dairy.

For other soups where the gritty texture of the CCC might be an issue, you can first make a sauce or roux using cornstarch or flour and stir the desired amount of CCC into that. Once everything is incorporated, you can add it to your soup.

CCC is also great in stir-fries! Just add a tad bit more butter or oil, stir in a few tablespoonfuls of the coconut and mix it all together. You could also add some broth or stock to make a light sauce for the stir-fry, and add different herbs and flavors (a great combo is lime, CCC and cilantro). For batters and breads, simply add to the mixture. Unless you add a lot (a cup or more) of the coconut, you usually won’t have to add anything else to the dish. If you use a large amount in baked goods though, you may want to add an egg or flax seeds (1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds soaked in 3 tablespoons of water will replace 1 egg in recipes). For a really yummy and creamy coconut rice, add about anywhere from 2 tablespoons to over 1/4 cup of CCC per 1 cup of rice (cook the usual way).

Coconut Cream Concentrate is very forgiving and versatile. Use your imagination, the possibilities are endless! But for now, try the soup recipe below.

Coconut Cream Red Lentil Soup

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1/4 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tablespoon organic olive oil
1 cup organic red lentils
4 cups organic chicken broth
2 cups water
3-4 tablespoon coconut cream concentrate, to taste
1 tablespoon organic curry seasoning
1 tablespoon organic cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan sauté onion and garlic in oil for 1 minute. Stir in red lentils. Add chicken broth and water, bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in coconut cream, curry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper.

Cook for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are soft and cooked through. Ladle into serving bowls and top with yogurt if desired. Enjoy!

As always, please don’t hesitate to comment or ask me any questions you may have! 🙂

Posted by Sarah Shilhavy

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Coconut-Banana-Carob Smoothie

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This is a quick, high-protein meal or snack that tastes like a dessert.

1 cup plain rice milk, almond milk, or coconut milk*, as needed
1-2 tablespoons carob powder
1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
2 tablespoons coconut cream concentrate, warmed slightly if necessary to soften

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Makes 1 serving.

*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 Simi, Los Angeles, CA

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How To Use Coconut Flour

Have you ever heard of coconut flour? I have been working with it for a couple of years now since it was introduced into the market, and I have learned a lot about it!

Tropical Traditions’ coconut flour, (which is the only coconut flour I use) is the fiber from the coconut meat after almost all the oil has been extracted to make Coconut Oil. It is certified organic, unsweetened, and contains no sulfites. It’s gluten free, making it a suitable wheat flour substitute for those with gluten and wheat allergies. It also high in protein and fiber, containing more fiber then gluten based grains. The coconut flour tastes very coconutty, and has a mildly pleasant sweet taste.For baking or cooking, you can substitute anywhere from 10 – 30% of regular flour for coconut flour to add extra fiber. Some recipes however, can be made with 100% coconut flour and be totally gluten free (and foolproof, no one would ever know!). The easiest ones to do this with are muffins, bars, pancakes, cakes and quick breads. (See recipe below).

Since coconut flour has no gluten, plenty of eggs must be used to make up for it. On average, for every 1 cup of coconut flour, 4-5 eggs must be used. To help with binding, sticky sweeteners can also be used, like brown rice syrup, maple syrup, etc. 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds soaked in 3 tablespoons of water can also replace 1 egg in recipes, and this can be very helpful in coconut flour recipes. Keep in mind too that coconut flour is a very “thirsty” flour, and soaks up amazing amounts of liquid. So it’s very likely that you’ll have to increase the liquid amount in your recipe depending on what you are making.

A lot of recipes containing wheat flour can be converted to 100% coconut flour, but this will take time and patience. Coconut flour behaves differently from recipe to recipe, so a lot of tweaking and adjusting will have to be done. All my coconut flour recipes have been made with Tropical Traditions’ coconut flour; therefore I cannot assure you that they will work with different coconut flours, which might be higher in fiber and lower in protein content.

Ways to use coconut flour are endless. You can use them to make a roux for gravy, add a tablespoon or so to smoothies and drinks for extra fiber, sprinkle on different dishes for a garnish and a coconut taste…use your imagination! Be creative!

And now a recipe using all coconut flour! This is a recipe I developed myself, and every time I’ve served it it’s been a hit. The brownies are dense and fudgy; packed full of dark chocolate goodness. No one will ever know they’re gluten free, unless you decide to tell them. 😀 If you love dark chocolate, you’ll love these.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

YIELD: 24 bars

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
8 1/4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 + tablespoons brown rice syrup
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, (optional, recommended)
1 1/2 cups coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and dust an 11×8 pan with coconut oil and cocoa powder.

Place butter, sugar, chocolate, and brown rice syrup in a medium sized pot and melt on low heat, stirring until everything is well blended (mixture does not have to be smooth). Sift in the cocoa powder. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Beat the eggs and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer until frothy. Then on low speed, mix in cooled chocolate mixture. Alternatively add in the flour, baking powder and heavy cream, beating mixture after each addition.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake the brownies in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the top of the brownies is crisp and slightly cracked. (The inside of the brownies will be dense and soft to the touch.) Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack until cool. Cut into bars and serve. Frost with chocolate or vanilla frosting if desired. Enjoy!!

There you go! If you have any questions please feel free to ask me in a comment.

Posted by Sarah Shilhavy

Coconut-Raisin Rice Pudding

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Gluten-free

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquid
3 eggs
2 cups water mixed with 2 tablespoons coconut cream concentrate
1 cup organic whole milk
1 cup organic whole sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (mixed beans optional)
3/4 organic raisins
3 tablespoons coconut flour
3/4 cup organic flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place coconut oil in a 9×13 baking dish; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, water, milk, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and salt. Stir in the rice, raisins and coconut flour. Pour into prepared baking dish.

Bake pudding (uncovered) for 30 minutes. Sprinkle flaked coconut on top and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Recipe submitted by Caryn, Sacramento, CA

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Peanut Coconut Sauce

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1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1-2 cloves fresh garlic
1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger
1-2 teaspoons fish sauce (to taste)
1-3 tablespoons srircha (Vietnamese hot sauce) or other hot sauce to taste
4 tablespoons coconut cream concentrate
1/3 cup water (or more if necessary)
2 tablespoons organic fermented soy sauce
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth, adding more water if necessary. Serve with hot rice noodles, steamed vegetables, chicken or fish. Recipe submitted by Kathy, Chicago, IL

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Coconut Flour Smothered Steak

Steak comes out fork tender! Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

1 bottom round steak
1/2 cup coconut flour
Salt & pepper to taste
Virgin palm oil or coconut oil
1 tablespoon coconut flour, as needed
1 1/2 cups hot water or broth
1 medium onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Cut bottom round steak into several small serving sizes. Pound with a meat tenderizer for several minutes. Dredge in coconut flour (with salt and pepper added) and fry in palm or coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet. Brown on both sides and remove.

Whisk 1 tablespoon coconut flour into hot water or broth. Pour into cast iron skillet and cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken (add or decrease amount flour or broth for desired amount or consistency). Be sure to scrape up the meat bits and juices from the steak.

Place steak back into skillet with gravy and add enough water to cover meat. Place sliced onion over top and other vegetables if desired. Cover and place skillet in oven. Bake for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, add more water if needed.

Recipe submitted by Kay, Mustang, OK

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Coconutty Granola

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6-8 cups rolled oats
2-4 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups shredded unsweetened dried coconut
2 cups raw nuts or brown rice cereal (walnuts, slivered almonds, pecans, etc, or mix)
1 cup seeds (sunflower, pumpkin & flax or mix of)
1 cup virgin coconut oil
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon black strap molasses
1-2 cups dried fruit

Preheat oven to 225 F. In large bowl mix together oats, cinnamon, coconut, nuts (or brown rice cereal), and seeds. Heat oil and honey in saucepan over medium heat until just melted, but not hot. Remove from heat and add vanilla, maple syrup and molasses; stir. Stir honey mixture into oat mixture. Pour into large baking dish(es) or sheet pan(s). Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until oats are golden brown, stirring occasionally while cooking for even browning. Remove from oven and cool. Place dried fruit and granola into an airtight container or zip lock bag and toss or roll to combine gently. Can store in freezer for longer keep. You can also add dark chocolate slivers in granola and serve over ice cream for that extra special treat! Yummy!!! Recipe submitted by Dody, Rockport, TX

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Coconut Rice

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Cook time: 45 minutes / serves 12

2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
3 cups brown rice
6 1/2 cups water
1 fresh lime
1/2 cup dried unsweetened toasted coconut

Heat coconut oil and rice in pan until rice darkens in color, stirring constantly. Pour in water 2 cups at a time. Leave uncovered on high heat to boil. When rice has swelled cover pan half way and let cook for 10-15 minutes. Then cover pan entirely, turn on low, and let simmer until rice is tender.

Fluff with fork and squeeze lime on top. You may add some butter on top as well if you like and garnish with toasted coconut. Serve with chicken or fish.

Recipe submitted by Jocelyn, Fort Wayne, IN

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