Tag Archives: coconut milk

Paleo Magic Cookie Bars

Posted on October 28, 2011 by | 19 Comments

Grain-free and “dairy-optional”

Remember Magic Cookie Bars?  Those gooey clusters of graham cracker crumbs covered with milk chocolate chips, nuts, sweet coconut flakes and drenched with sweetened condensed milk.  Neither do I….ha!  I’ve been in major denial of this particular obsession, but no longer.  Today we have Paleo-friendly, Magic Cookie Bars with no grains, no processed sugar, and no dairy (if you use coconut butter instead of pastured butter).  I’m not saying these bars are “lite” by any means – plenty of richness here with dark chocolate, nuts, and coconut oils – but they are far better for you than the original cookie bar recipe.

These are a great “treat” for Halloween!

Ingredients:

Crust

  • 1/2 cup (heaping) ground almonds or almond meal
  • 1/2 cup (heaping) ground walnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons pastured butter or coconut butter, melted

Toppings

  • 6 ounces dark chocolate chips
  • 3 ounces unsweetened coconut flakes, lightly pulsed in food processor
  • 4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans or almonds
  • 1 15.5 ounce can coconut milk (full-fat)
  • 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 2 tablespoons coconut butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sweetened Coconut Milk

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a heavy saucepan, heat the coconut milk and sugar over medium heat, stirring often, until coconut milk begins to boil.  Lower heat to simmer and reduce by 1/3 to 1/2, stirring often to prevent the sugar from scorching.  (If thicker, caramelized sugar begins to form on sides or bottom, use a whisk to reincorporate it.)  When it reaches the desired consistency, in around 30 minutes, add 2 tablespoons coconut butter and vanilla.  Stir well and remove from heat.  You should end up with a little over a cup of caramel-colored, sweetened coconut milk.

To make the crust, melt the butter/coconut butter in an 8×8 baking dish.  In a small bowl, mix together the ground almonds, ground walnuts, and cinnamon.  Sprinkle nut mixture over the melted butter and  stir until the butter is evenly mixed with the nuts.  Using your fingers, press the mixture down in an even layer, covering the bottom of the baking dish.

Ready for the oven!

Sprinkle the chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and coconut flakes evenly over the crust.  Pour the sweetened coconut milk over everything.  Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned.

Here’s the hard part:  Do not eat it now!  Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the cookie bars will set.  Otherwise they will be a mess coming out of the pan – cookie crumbles are much less festive.

Cut into bars and serve!  Feel decadent!

Celebration day here at SCHC, for a new Tom Waits record has arrived! His first studio record in seven years, Bad As Me is great, and full of the musical stew that only Tom can make. Featuring an all star group of musicians including Keith Richards, Flea and Marc Ribot, this is primo Waits.

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Posted in For the Sweet Tooth

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Red Curry Poached Cod

Posted on August 18, 2011 by | 21 Comments

Sometimes dinner is born from what’s on special at the market – and often those dishes turn out to be the most interesting because they are unplanned and must be created from ingredients you have on hand.  We try to have some type of seafood at least once a week, and this week Whole Foods had wild-caught, Alaskan cod on sale.  Cod is a nice, mild, flaky fish that adapts well to different flavors.  I had some coconut milk and limes that I needed to use, so I decided to try to poach the fish in a Thai-style broth.  It was very yummy, but turned out a little spicier than I intended.  However, James thought it was just the right amount of heat.  When we try this again, I think some toasted cashews would be a great addition, and I’d also like to try basil instead of cilantro.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter (preferably from grass-fed cows)
  • 1 medium sweet onion, cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
  • 1 small red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 14 ounce can coconut milk (unsweetened), shaken well
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste (I make mine from The Spice House Thai Red Curry Powder, mixed with fish sauce to a paste)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla), if not used to prepare curry paste
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar, to taste (optional)
  • ~ 2 or 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 cup roasted cashews (optional)
  • 1 to 1/2 pounds wild-caught cod fillets
  • kosher salt

Heat butter in a heavy saute pan over medium heat.  Saute the onions and red bell peppers until they are very soft, 5-10 minutes.

Add Thai red curry paste to the onions and peppers and stir well over the heat to mix.  Pour in the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce (if not used to make curry paste), and palm sugar (if using).  Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for around 10 minutes so the flavors can blend and the broth can reduce slightly.

In the meantime, rinse the cod with cold water, pat dry, and lightly season with salt.  Fold the thinner parts of the fillets underneath, so the fish is relatively of the same thickness.  Place the cod fillets in the saute pan, and nestle them into the broth as much as possible.  Simmer on low, covered, for 8-10 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.  During the last minute or two of cooking, add chopped cilantro and toasted cashews (if using).  Serve hot, with a spoon to capture all of the broth.  Enjoy!

Very spicy…and wonderful, as are the musical selections! First up, Luiz Bonfa Plays & Sings Bossa Nova. I love bossa nova, and his guy is one of  best. He wrote “Black Orpheus”, and is a legend up there with Jobim and Joao Gilberto.

David Bowie, bossa nova? Yes! The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions with Seu Jorge will make a believer out you- might even pick up some Portuguese!

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Posted in Entrees, Seafood

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Thai Chicken Curry

Posted on March 6, 2011 by | 3 Comments

At least the colors are pretty, right?

I admit, I probably could have taken a better photo of our Thai Chicken Curry.  The recipe itself was truly stellar….we mmm’d and exclaimed during the entire meal, exalting the symphony of flavors and textures.  The next morning I dutifully wrote down the ingredients while they were fresh in my memory, then viewed the memory card from the camera to some disappointment.  The broccoli and peppers are identifiable, the rest a jumble….grr!  Well, that’s the breaks!

This recipe has a fair number of ingredients and steps, but it is so worth the effort!  It has just the right amount of spice to wake your mouth up  – and you want your taste buds awake for the subtle sweetness of the coconut milk, peppers, onions, and basil, and the sneaky tartness of lime mingled with curry.  The broccoli and cashews add some crunch, and the crispy chicken skin added something undefinable, but essential, to the dish.  Try it and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

  • 6-8 chicken thighs (skin-on, bone-in)
  • 1 onion, cut into thin slices
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups of broccoli florets
  • ~1/2 cup raw cashews
  • grapeseed oil
  • 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (shake well before opening)
  • ~2 1/2 t Thai red curry paste
  • ~1 1/2 t sweet curry powder
  • 1/4 t ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 T fish sauce
  • 1 T honey or coconut palm sugar
  • red pepper flakes (optional, for additional heat)
  • kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • ~1/3 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
  • 1 lime, quartered

[I recommend these curry blends from The Spice House...linky.]

Preheat oven to 400F.  Place chicken thighs in an oiled baking dish.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cook the chicken thighs for 20-30 minutes.  Remove from oven and drain off the accumulated liquid.

In the meantime, heat about 1 T grapeseed oil in a wok over medium-high heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic.  Stir fry until tender; place cooked vegetables aside in a bowl.

Reheat the wok with another tablespoon of grapeseed oil; add broccoli and cashews.  Stir fry until broccoli is tender but still has some life to it (crispy-tender) and the cashews are lightly browned in places.  Season with a little salt and pepper, and set aside in another bowl.

Put about 1/3 of the coconut milk into the wok; add the curry paste, curry powder and ground ginger.  Heat over medium heat, whisking well to combine.  Add the rest of the coconut milk, fish oil, honey, and red pepper flakes (if desired).  Heat to a boil, then add onion/pepper mixture back to the wok.  Simmer for a few minutes; adjust seasoning if needed.

Pour the coconut milk mixture (with onions and peppers) over the chicken thighs in the baking dish, leaving the tops of the thighs exposed for better browning.  Place baking dish back in oven; reduce temperature to 375F.  Bake for about 20-30 minutes longer, until thighs are browned and a little crispy on top, and the liquid has somewhat reduced and thickened.  (It will thicken a little more as it cools down.)

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.  Scatter chopped basil over the top, and squeeze lime juice over it all.  Serve along with the broccoli and cashews in a big bowl so you can have plenty of sauce!

A truly astounding meal, what a mixture of tastes, from the curry to the chicken and the cashews…marvelous!

So, since dinner was an exotic mixture of tastes and cultures, so is the soundtrack! First, George Harrison and Ravi Shankar were friends that created beautiful music together, and this box set Collaborations gathers it in one place with a nice book and dvd. Lovingly created by George’s widow Olivia, this is Indian music for the masses.

ravi

Master guitarist John McLaughlin has explored many avenues in his storied career, from Miles Davis to the Mahavishnu Orchestra and beyond. One of the most interesting and productive ventures was Shakti, which paired the British guitarist with Indian musicians, and what they created wasn’t quite jazz, and not quite Indian, but altogether extraordinary. Decades past its release it still sounds vibrant, fresh and new.

shakti

Much like this incredible meal!

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Posted in Entrees, Poultry

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