Authors: Mary Enig
8 cups rolled oats | 1 teaspoon sea salt |
½ cup melted butter | 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon |
½ cup melted coconut oil | 1 cup Coconut Sprinkles or freeze- |
1½ cups whole yogurt | dried fine-cut coconut |
2 cups water | 2 cups chopped Crispy Nuts |
½ cup raw honey | 1 cup raisins |
Mix oats, butter, coconut oil, yogurt, and water together in a large bowl. Pat down, cover with a plate, and leave on the kitchen counter for 2 days. Preheat oven to 200°F. Place honey, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set in a small pot of simmering water until honey warms and becomes thin. Mix honey with oat mixture. Place on 2 parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for several hours, until completely dry and crisp. Mix with Coconut Sprinkles, chopped nuts, and raisins. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Serve with whole raw milk or cream diluted with a little water.
Legumes
JAMAICAN-STYLE BEANS AND RICE
Serves 8
•
257 calories per serving
1 cup red kidney beans | 3 cloves garlic, mashed |
1 tablespoon Homemade Whey | 2 teaspoons dried thyme |
vinegar, or fresh lemon juice | 2 teaspoons sea salt |
1 can whole coconut milk | 1 teaspoon dried green peppercorns, crushed |
1 bunch green onions, chopped | 1 cup brown rice, soaked at least 7 hours |
3 jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped | |
Place beans in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Stir in whey and leave overnight in a warm place. In the morning, drain and rinse beans and place in a pot. Add enough water to cover beans, bring to a boil, and skim. Add remaining ingredients except rice. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 6 to 8 hours, or until beans are very tender. Drain rice and add to the pot along with enough filtered water to cover the rice and beans by about ½ inch. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until liquid has reduced to level of rice and beans. Lower heat, cover, and cook on lowest heat for about 30 minutes, or until rice is tender.
COCONUT BLACK-EYED PEAS
Serves 8
•
286 calories per serving
This recipe comes from Tanzania.
1 cup black-eyed peas | 1 tablespoon ground coriander |
2 tablespoons Homemade Whey | 2 teaspoons turmeric |
vinegar, or fresh lemon juice | 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro |
2 tablespoons ghee or | 1 cup desiccated coconut |
Mary’s Oil Blend | 2 cups diced cooked potatoes |
3 cloves garlic, crushed | Juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes |
1 teaspoon chili powder | Sea salt to taste |
1 tablespoon ground cumin | |
Place black-eyed peas in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Stir in whey and leave overnight in a warm place. In the morning, drain and rinse black-eyed peas and place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover peas, bring to a boil, and skim. Cook for about 3 hours and drain.
Heat ghee in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chili powder and sauté for half a minute. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cilantro. Cook for another minute or two, stirring often to blend. Add coconut and mix well. Add cooked beans and potatoes. Add lemon juice and season with salt. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, until thoroughly warmed.
NUTS
Our coconut-nut recipes use
Crispy Nuts
. Although very nutritious, nuts are highly caloric and should be avoided if you are trying to lose weight.
COCONUT WALNUTS OR PECANS
Makes 2 cups
•
350 calories per
¼
-cup serving
2 tablespoons butter | ½ teaspoon plus a pinch of sea salt |
2 tablespoons Rapadura, Sucanat, | 2 cups Crispy Walnuts or Pecans |
or maple sugar | 1 egg white |
½ cup freeze-dried fine-cut coconut | |
Preheat oven to 300°F. Melt butter with Rapadura, coconut, and ½ teaspoon salt and toss with nuts. In a clean bowl, beat egg white with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Fold in nuts. Spread on cookie sheets and bake for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until egg white is thoroughly dried. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
COCONUTTY BUTTER
Makes 2
½
cups
•
320 calories per
¼
-cup serving
This nut butter is so delicious that it’s hard to stop eating it. So if you are on the Quick and Easy Weight Loss plan, do not make Coconutty Butter! (However, it’s great for those who need to gain weight.)
2 cups Crispy Nuts, | 2 tablespoons raw honey |
such as peanuts, almonds, or cashews | 3 |
1 teaspoon sea salt | |
Place nuts and salt in a food processor and grind to a fine powder. Add honey and coconut oil and process until “butter” becomes smooth. It will be somewhat liquid but will harden when chilled. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
COCONUTTY FUDGE
Makes about 2 dozen small squares
•
188 calories per square
2 cups Crispy Almonds | 2 teaspoons chocolate extract |
1 cup coconut oil, softened | (if using carob powder) |
1 cup raw honey | 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract |
1 cup carob or cocoa powder | ½ teaspoon sea salt |
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until well blended. Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper and spread mixture about ½ inch thick. Wrap up in parchment paper and refrigerate several hours. Cut into small squares and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
COCONUT ALMOND COOKIES
Makes about 20
•
185 calories per cookie
1½ cups Crispy Almonds, | Grated rind of 1 lemon |
plus 20 to top cookies | 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract |
½ cup coconut oil or butter, softened | 1 teaspoon pure coconut extract |
1 cup arrowroot powder | ½ cup desiccated or freeze-dried fine-cut |
½ cup Rapadura, Sucanat, or maple sugar | coconut |
½ teaspoon sea salt | |
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place almonds in a food processor and process to a fine meal. Add remaining ingredients, except 20 almonds, and process until well blended. Form dough into walnut-sized balls and place on buttered cookie sheets. Press an almond into each. Bake for about 5 minutes, then press cookies down lightly with a fork. Bake another 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool completely before removing to an airtight container. Store in refrigerator.
COCONUTTY CANDIES
Makes about 32
•
146 calories per candy
Children love these!
½ cup Crispy Almonds | ¼ cup raw honey |
1½ cups coconut oil, softened | 3 tablespoons butter, softened |
2/3 cup freeze-dried fine-cut coconut | ½ cup natural peanut butter or hazelnut butter |
5 tablespoons cocoa powder | |
Grind almonds in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until well blended. Pour into ice cube trays and refrigerate or freeze.
COCONUT-ALMOND KISSES
Makes about 12
•
53 calories per kiss
2 egg whites | ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract |
Pinch of sea salt | ½ cup Crispy Almonds ground up in |
¼ cup Rapadura, Sucanat, or maple sugar | a food processor |
1/8 cup cocoa powder | 1 cup desiccated coconut |
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and rub with butter or coconut oil. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in a very clean bowl until stiff. Beat in sweetener, cocoa powder, and almond extract. Fold in almonds and coconut. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until nicely colored. Remove from oven, let stand a minute or two, then remove with a spatula and cool completely on a rack.
Desserts
Coconut is an absolutely delicious ingredient in desserts. Occasional desserts like these, made with coconut and other whole foods such as fruit, butter, cream, nuts, and eggs, are fine in moderation for most people. If you’re struggling with weight gain, though, you must curtail your consumption of sweets, even healthy sweets. When you do eat sweets, choose those containing coconut products, which will minimize the tendency to gain weight.
And if you’re on Phase Two of Quick and Easy Weight Loss, avoid desserts and sweet snacks altogether.
COCONUT SPRINKLES
Makes 2 cups
•
53 calories per tablespoon
An excellent topping for many desserts, salads, and curries. Coconut Sprinkles are similar to freeze-dried fine-cut coconut (see Resources), which is also crunchy and made naturally sweet by the freeze-drying process.
2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut | ½ cup maple syrup |
Mix coconut with maple syrup in a medium bowl and spread on a stainless-steel baking pan. Bake at low temperature (about 200°F) until coconut is dried out. Break up with hands and store in an airtight container.
AMBROSIA
Serves 8
•
165 calories per serving
8 large navel oranges | 1 cup Coconut Sprinkles (previous recipe) or |
¼ cup Grand Marnier | freeze-dried fine-cut coconut |
Peel and slice oranges. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle on Grand Marnier and Coconut Sprinkles. Chill well before serving.
AKWADU
Serves 6
•
225 calories per serving
Coconut, lemon, and orange distinguish this banana dessert that comes from Ghana.
6 medium bananas | 3 tablespoons Sucanat, Rapadura, or maple |
1 tablespoon butter | sugar |
Juice of 2 small oranges | 2/3 cup Coconut Sprinkles (see above) or freeze- |
Juice of 1 lemon | dried fine-cut coconut |
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut bananas crosswise into halves; cut each half lengthwise into halves and arrange in a greased 9-by-13-inch Pyrex dish. Dot with butter and drizzle with orange and lemon juice. Top with sweetener and sprinkle with Coconut Sprinkles. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until coconut is golden.
THAI BANANA DESSERT IN COCONUT MILK
Serves 4
•
376 calories per serving
This authentic Thai recipe is adapted from
It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking
by Kasma Loha-Unchit.
4 large red bananas, fully ripened | ¼ teaspoon sea salt |
1 can whole coconut milk | Few drops of mali (Thai jasmine) essence |
¼ cup coconut sugar | (optional), available in Asian markets |