Tag: coconut

Coconut Straw-nana Chia Pudding

Coconut Straw-nana Chia Pudding

by Kat ♥ 4 Comments

May is National Strawberry Month

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Here’s a little known fact about me (or maybe it is a well-known fact):  I love Veggie Tales.  I grew up on regular doses Esther, Jonah, and King George and the Rubber Ducky (on VHS of course).  I had the Madame Blueberry card game.  I often fell asleep while listening to the audio cassette tape of Daniel.  As time passed, my family had DVDs of Wizard of Ha’s, Lord of the Beans, and Sumo of the Opera.  We knew every lyric to every song on Veggie Rocks.  We even met Bob and Larry!

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This day was the highlight of my childhood…okay, not really…but it was a great day!

To this day, I regularly quote Veggie Tales.  This is one of the scenes I have perfected:

 

You can’t eat strawberries without bananas!

So if we are celebrating National Strawberry Month, we need to have some bananas, too!

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This chia pudding incorporates strawberries, bananas, and Coconut Macaroon Nut Butter!

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If you have never made chia pudding, there is something you need to know.  The chia seeds absorb a lot of the liquid, making the pudding thicker as it sets.  When you make this pudding at night and let it sit until morning, you will get a thick, creamy pudding.  If you don’t wait, you will basically be drinking milk with raw chia seeds.

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But trust me, this is worth the wait!

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Ingredients:

  • One overripe banana
  • One 5.3-oz container of coconut-flavored Greek yogurt
  • Four tablespoons coconut macaroon nut butter
  • One cup of milk (any milk will work.  I used 2%, but I am sure this would be amazing with coconut milk)
  • Eight or more strawberries
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • Extra banana slices and strawberries for topping

Directions

  • Using a fork, mash the banana and mix it with the Greek yogurt.  Try to make this mixture as smooth as possible.   Stir in nut butter and milk.  You may have to stir for several minutes to incorporate everything.  Alternately, you could use a blender.
  • Dice at least eight strawberries and stir them into the mixture.
  • Add chia seeds and mix until everything is well-combined.
  • Cover and refrigerate at least two hours, preferably overnight.
  • Top with additional strawberries and banana slices, if desired.
  • Eat and enjoy!

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P.S. – I am linking up with Angie and her cohost, Antonia @ Zoale.com, for Fiesta Friday.

Gooey Coconut Bars {Blind Spot Monthly Recipe Series}

Gooey Coconut Bars {Blind Spot Monthly Recipe Series}

by Kat ♥ 1 Comment

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Now that I have my diploma in hand, I have a confession.

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Shortbread Cookie Waffles (Blind Spot Monthly Series)

Shortbread Cookie Waffles (Blind Spot Monthly Series)

by Kat ♥ 2 Comments

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My family does not have many traditions, but when it comes to Christmas, we always conduct our morning the same way.

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We sleep in.  That’s right.  We don’t rush to the tree at three o’clock in the morning to open presents.

When we finally pull ourselves from our warm beds, we cook a delicious breakfast of bacon, potatoes, fresh fruit, and homemade waffles.

We eat together, do the dishes, and (finally) open presents one at a time.

I associate Christmas with homemade waffles, but a lot of people consider December the month of cookies.

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Friends exchange cookies as presents.  Because of family traditions, children decorate sugar cookies to look like Christmas trees and snowmen.  Families bake cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.

In celebration of Christmas, I combined these two Christmas treats and created…

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Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 banana, mashed
  • 1/4 tbs honey
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/4 tbs coconut oil (melted)
  • 1 tbs Blind Spot Shortbread Cookie blended nut butter

Directions

  • Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) together in a small bowl
  • In a food processor, combine wet ingredients (banana, honey, milk, oil, and nut butter).
  • Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients
  • Preheat waffle iron and coat with nonstick spay. Pour batter into prepared iron and cook 1.5 – 2 minutes.
  • Top with the Oatmeal Artist’s Chocolate Sauce and sprinkles.
  • Eat and enjoy (or leave out for Santa)

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Lime Overnight Oatmeal with toasted Coconut and Cashews

Lime Overnight Oatmeal with toasted Coconut and Cashews

by Kat ♥ 3 Comments

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If I’m being honest, this isn’t even really a recipe.  It came about because the Oatmeal Artist’s weekly theme was overnight oats, and I wanted desperately to participate on Instagram.  My family had just returned from our speedy vacation, and the only fresh fruit in the house was an overripe banana (which tastes great but doesn’t take very pretty pictures) and some neglected limes in the bottom of the fridge.

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So I did what any self-respecting oatmeal enthusiast would do; I made it work.  I scavenged my meager supplies and employed my overnight go-to: the voluminous oatmeal trick.

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I must say–if nothing else, Lauren’s weekly themes have challenged my creativity and food photography skills.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup oatmeal
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 tsp. lime juice
  • 2 tbs. shredded coconut
  • 2 tbs. cashew pieces
  • lime zest and  wedges, optional

Directions

  • Combine water and oatmeal in a microwaveable container.  Microwave 1 minute.
  • Transfer oatmeal to an airtight container and add lime juice.  Refrigerate overnight.
  • In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.  Spread coconut and cashews on the pan in a single layer.
  • Cook coconut and cashews in preheated for a about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, remove oatmeal from the refrigerator and stir, adding water or milk if necessary.  If desired, microwave oatmeal for an additional 30-60 seconds.
  • Top oatmeal with lime zest or wedges and toasted coconut and cashews.
  • Eat and enjoy.

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Irresistible Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Irresistible Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

by Kat ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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Next to Christmas and my birthday, today might be the best day of the year.  Why?  Because today is National Oatmeal Cookie Day.

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In honor of this wonderful holiday, I am going to share with you my recipe for Coconut Oatmeal Cookies.  In my opinion, these cookies are simply irresistible.

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I must confess, though, that I have substituted one very important secret ingredient.  This ingredient truly makes the difference in the coconut oatmeal cookie recipe.  The recipe you see below is how I made the cookies one time when I was out of my secret ingredient.  They were still delicious and quickly devoured, but they were not quite the same.

You can guess the secret ingredient all you want, but I will neither confirm nor deny any guesses 🙂

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Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks of butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup shredded coconut

    Directions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
    • Beat butter and sugars to form a cream
    • Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.
    • Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a flour sifter.  Sift into the egg, butter, and sugar.
    • Beat with a hand mixer until all ingredients are completely combined.
    • Stir in oatmeal.  To make mixing easier, I like to add one cup at a time.
    • Add coconut.
    • Form teaspoon-sized balls and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool 1 minute on the pan before transferring to parchment paper.
    • Let cool, eat, and enjoy!

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    **Note: Pictures were taken of a half-batch of cookies.

    Microwave Carrot Cake

    Microwave Carrot Cake

    by Kat ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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    Every week, The Oatmeal Artist posts a roundup of oatmeal recipes and Instagram pics, often based on an announced theme.  This week, her theme is vegetables.  I may have gone a little crazy…

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    Here’s  all the vegetable-oatmeal dishes I made:

    • Apple-Cinnamon Sweet Potato Oatmeal
    • Carrot Cake Oatmeal Mug Cake (the recipe I am posting now)
    • Mac-n-Cheese Oatmeal using vegetable pasta (recipe coming next Friday)
    • Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies (using Amy’s recipe)
    • Orange Dreamsicle Green Oatmeal Smoothie Bowl (recipe coming eventually…)

    What can I say? I love oatmeal, and I love a challenge!

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    Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup oatmeal
    • 1 medium carrot
    • 1/4 cup orange juice
    • 1/8 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • Topping ideas: cream cheese, raisins, walnuts, shredded carrot, coconut

    Directions

    • Chop the carrot into several large chunks.  Grind carrot and oatmeal in the food processor until it forms a course flour.
    • Add orange juice, baking soda, and cinnamon to the food processor.  Pulse 4-5 times to combine all ingredients.
    • Coat a single-serve ramekin or a mug with nonstick spray.  Pour batter into mug.
    • Microwave for two minutes.  Let cool.
    • Decorate with desired toppings.
    • Eat and enjoy!

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    Honey Nut Granola

    Honey Nut Granola

    by Kat ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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    On January 10, I received an email saying that January is National Oatmeal Month.  I don’t know how I had missed this!  I should have dedicated the entire month to this wonderful, warm morning treat.

    I have had an abundance of oatmeal this month, but I haven’t made any new recipes since I have been at school.  I couldn’t let the entire month go by without posting an oatmeal-related recipe, so I pulled this granola recipe out of the dark recesses of my drafts folder.

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    Ingredients

    • 2 cups rolled oats
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/2 cup coconut flakes
    • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
    • 1/4 cup chopped almonds
    • 1/4 cup chopped cashews
    • 1/4 cup honey
    • 1/3 cup plain yogurt

    Directions

    • preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
    • toss oats, cinnamon, coconut, pecans, almonds, and cashews in a large bowl
    • in a separate bowl, whisk honey and yogurt
    • stir honey + yogurt mixture into oat + nut mixture until everything is well coated
    • pour granola onto a lightly greased 13×18 rimmed baking sheet
    • bake approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasional until granola has turned a light golden brown
    • eat and enjoy

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