Toasting Coconut

A quick online search will lead you to about a million and a half different ways of toasting coconut. Since we often want to incorporate this into our meals, I really wanted to learn how to do it properly. Well, I tried quite a few of the methods I found online and found that none of them worked to my satisfaction. So, through some trial and error, I was able to come up with my own way of doing it and it works great. I wanted to share this with you guys so you don’t have to go through all the mistakes and mess that I did.

First, you are going to make sure you prep your coconut. Once you have cracked the coconut and have pulled away the meat, get out your old fashioned kitchen grater. You know, that bulky metal thing that always happened to just be in the kitchen? It always looked so scary to me as a kid, but I love how many things I can use it for now! But, back to business… Take your chunks of coconut and start grating them on the grater. Tip: Only grate as much as you’ll need for your recipe and maybe a bit extra for snacking later… coconut keeps longer in larger chunks than after it has been grated.

Once you have your small pieces of grated coconut, you’ll have to decide how toasted you want it. It really depends on your preferences and what kind of crunch you want it to have. If you are mixing in the coconut, or prefer slightly less crunchy toasted coconut, then use the frying pan method.

To do this, take a medium sized frying pan and spread your coconut out in a single layer. Turn your heat to high. As soon as you see the coconut begin to tan (about a minute), turn your heat down to medium low and stir the coconut around while continuing to toast until it reaches desired color/texture. Note: this method does not toast coconut evenly, so I would not recommend this method where the presentation of the toasted coconut will be visible. The advantage to this method, is you get the great coconut flavor without tons of crunch as soon of the coconut stays a bit on the softer side. This is great for those who have issues with texture differences.

However, if you are looking for either more crunchy or more uniformly toasted coconut, use the oven method.

To do this, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread your coconut in an even layer on a cookie sheet and place into the oven. Let it roast for about 5-7 minutes and give it a good shake and stir to ensure even toasting. Continue toasting until desired level of color and crunch is achieved.

Store your toasted coconut in an air tight container. If you happen to have any left that is! I hope this helps out those who are looking for a better way to toast their own.

If you haven’t tried toasted coconut, I highly recommend it! Its a great addition to salads, main dishes, and desserts. Its also great to have on hand as a quick snack!

Homemade Bubbles

We made bubbles for the kids today and everyone loved them. The neighbor’s neices were visiting and they enjoyed them too.

Super easy bubble recipe
6 cups water
1 cup corn syrup
2 cups regular strength dish soap

Homemade Pancake Syrup

My girls are on spring break this week, and this morning we had nowhere that we had to be, so I decided to make pancakes. A treat we don’t have very often, because of time contraints of getting both girls off to school and getting myself ready for work. The pancakes and sausage were done cooking, and I was setting the table when I checked the pantry and realized we had no syrup. I jumped on the internet and found a few syrup recipes, but didn’t have all the ingredients. I decided to wing it. Here is what I did… I used 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 1 1/4 cup of water. I put it all in a pan and cooked it on medium until it started to boil, stirring constantly. I boiled it for about 6-7 minutes.

When it was done it was thinner than syrup, so maybe I should have let it cool some or maybe cooked it longer. However, in a pinch this definitely worked, and it was pretty good. If nothing else it’s good for a sugar rush. 🙂

ENJOY!

Brunch Biscuits & Gravy

This has become a favorite at our house.  We enjoy having it for breakfast or lunch.  Thought I would share.  It is peanut free, nut free, and lactose free.

Biscuits & Gravy

Biscuits

• 3 c self rising flour
• 1/3 c butter or lard or shortening
• 1 1/2 c lactose free milk

Gravy

• 1 pound of pork sausage
• 3 Tbsp shorting or drippings
• 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 3 c lactose free milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (can add more to taste)

To make biscuits, preheat oven to 500 degrees, in a large bowl mix flour and shortening to coarse crumbs.  Blend in milk.  Fold 8-10 times.

On a well floured surface, roll out dough to about 3/4″ thick, use a glass or cup or biscuit cutter to cut out circles for the biscuits

Put on a cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes

 

While biscuits are baking, make the gravy.  In a frying pan, brown the pork sausage and the shortening or drippings over medium high heat.  When browned, don’t drain.  Add flour, salt, and pepper, stir constantly until the flour browns.

 

Slowly add milk and stir well.  Bring to boil, stirring every couple of minutes.  After it boils, reduce heat and cook 2 minutes until thick.  It will also thicken when it cools too.

Enjoy!

 

Thursday – Wowbutter Banana Graham Snacks

My kids love this recipe and it is so super easy and quick to make.  It is basically the same recipe that is on the Wowbutter website.  I changed it a little bit though to our taste and preference.  My kids do not like frozen bananas, so we just put them in the fridge instead.  They don’t last long in our house.  The original recipe can be found on the Wowbutter website here.  Below is our version of it – I did change the name since I altered the recipe a little.

Wowbutter Banana Graham Snacks

• 1/2 cup Wowbutter – we mix half smooth and half chunky
• 3 tbsp honey
• graham crackers broken in half
• 2 small bananas

Directions

Blend WOWBUTTER and honey in small bowl.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of mixture on 10 of the graham wafers, top with banana slices and remaining 10 graham wafers.

 

Eat right away or place in the refrigerator for an hour.  Depends on if you like them cold or not.  :0) ENJOY!

 

Tuesday – Wowbutter Snack Mix

This has become a favorite of ours.  It is easy to make and my girls love helping me make it!  It is the same recipe found on the Chex™ website, but made with Wowbutter!  It is only a few simple ingredients and it’s super easy to make.  It is peanut free, tree nut free, and with the ingredients I used, it was also Gluten Free!

Ingredients:

• 9 cups Gluten Free Rice and Corn Chex
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup Wowbutter
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl measure cereal                                              
2. In a 1 quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, Wowbutter, and butter uncovered on high for 1 minute, stir, add another 30 seconds, stir, until mixture is stirred smooth                                            
3. Stir in vanilla
4. Pour mixture over cereal and stir until evenly coated
5. Pour into two 1 gallon plastic storage bags (or one two gallon bag) and add powdered sugar
6. Seal bag, and shake well until coated.  Spread out on wax paper and let cool.                                         

1. Store in a sealed airtight container.  I just stored in the bags.
2. ENJOY!!

It’s great for packing in lunches or as a take-a-long snack.  Don’t forget to affix your Wowbutter peanut free label!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a case of Wowbutter (6 jars 500g) Enter HERE!

Week of Wowbutter and GIVEAWAY!

This week is dedicated to Wowbutter!  My family loves this stuff, especially my severely peanut allergic daughter, Bean.  Since finding out my daughter was allergic to peanuts we have kept a peanut free home.  I really love peanut butter and miss having cookies, PB&J, and other yummy snacks made with peanut butter.  We have tried other peanut alternative spreads like sunflower butter and almond butter.  I really didn’t like how they would separate, spread, or the consistency of them.

I just happened to be shopping at Whole Foods about a year and a half ago, and saw Wowbutter on the shelf.  It looked like peanut butter in the jar.  I thought, why not?   When I got it home, I showed Bean what I got for her.  She wasn’t very enthused, because she really never liked the alternative ones that I bought in the past.  So I opened it and it smelled just like peanut butter!  So I got out a spoon, and tried some.  It tasted like peanut butter and even stuck to the roof of my mouth.  I instantly fell in love.  Bean agreed to try it and she loved it too!  My younger daughter tried some too and also loved it.  It has become a staple in our house.  All of the things I couldn’t eat before, I can have again, and my daughter can have too!  So many things she was missing out on, she can have now.  Any recipe that calls for peanut butter, I have used Wowbutter as a substitute.  They have all come out fantastic!

WOWBUTTER IS PEANUT FREE, TREE NUT FREE, GLUTEN FREE, AND DAIRY FREE!

Wowbutter is doing a giveaway to TWO lucky winners!!

The first winner will be chosen randomly from Facebook likes using Rafflecopter to win a case of Wowbutter (6 jars 500g)!!

The second winner will be chosen by entering a recipe that includes Wowbutter as the ingredient.  It cannot be the same as any that have been posted already on their website.  This winner will be chosen using Random.org.  To enter, post a Wowbutter recipe in the comment section of this post.  The random winner will have their recipe posted on the Wowbutter website, and the person who submitted the recipe will get honorable mentioned on their site for submitting the recipe!    PLUS they will also win a case (6 jars 500g) of Wowbutter!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now for the disclaimer… I was not compensated for this post or any other Week of Wowbutter post in any way.  The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way. All items reviewed and used for the Week of Wowbutter recipes were purchased by me.

I-Phone Allergy Friendly Recipe App

How cool is I-Phone?  They have an app for Allergy Friendly Recipes.  You can view info about it here

Super Yummy Fig Bars (Egg, milk, peanut, & tree nut free)

Fig Bars – Makes 36 Bars

Filling

3c chopped pitted figs

1/4 c sugar

1 1/2 c water

Bars Mixture

1 c packed brown sugar

1 cup softened butter (margarine can be substituted)

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp salt*

1/2 tsp baking soda*

*If you use self-rising flour, omit the salt and baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook dates, 1/4 c sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of water in a 2 quart pan on low heat, stirring constantly.  Cook 10 mins, and then let cool for 5 minutes.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 13X9 pan with shortening.  Mix brown sugar and butter until well mixed.  Add flour, oats, salt*, and baking soda* until crumbly.  Spread half on the bars mixture on the bottom, cover evenly with fig mixture.

Here is a picture of the mixture spread over the top of the bars mixture, and a side view

  

Use the rest of the bars mixture to cover the filling,  press lightly.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Cool 5-10 minutes, and cut into 6X6 rows while warm.

ENJOY!

The Allergy-Free Cook Bakes Cakes & Cookies by Laurie Sadowski

What a great resource!  Click here to see information about this book on Amazon.  You can even look inside.