Category: Breakfast

Breakfast, Dairy-free, Dessert, Drink, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, How-To, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Raw, Sauce, Side Dish, Smoothie, Vegetarian

28 Uses for Coconut Milk: The Ultimate Dairy Alternative

Coconut is a dairy-free girl’s best friend. It’s that huge sigh of relief when you realize creamy ice cream can still be a part of your life. I did a little dance the first time I tasted coconut whipped cream. I wanted to shout, “Yay! My tastebuds are no longer deprived!” Coconut makes a delicious alternative that’s rich in key nutrients.

High in magnesium, 1 cup of coconut milk contains 88.8mg and this combined with it’s content of calcium keeps muscles and nerves functioning properly. It is also an excellent source of potassium, where 1 cup has over 630mg compared to 422mg in 1 banana. It is also rich in vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6.

A saturated fat, coconut is a medium chain fatty acid and quickly absorbed as energy in the liver. The body views it as priority energy and is therefor less likely be stored as fat. Coconut’s fat make-up contains lauric acid which the body converts to monolaurin, an antiviral and antibacterial that protects against infections and viruses. It is easily digested, making it a good choice for people working to heal their gut.

This table is a good run-down of all the nutrition in coconut milk.

For the best results and the most nutritional value, I recommend using organic, canned full fat coconut milk or cream. Native Forest and Let’s Do Organic are good brands I like. Coconut milk separates into water and cream in the can. When you open the can, drain off the water and use the cream for all the substitutions below. You can drink the water or add it into smoothies. Watch my video on how to do this here.

1. Coffee & Tea Creamer – add a spoonful of coconut cream right from the can into your cup.

Chai Tea dairy free

2. Creamy Soups – stir 2-3 tablespoons into any cream-based soup, such as a bisque or cream of mushroom soup.

3. Chowders – substitute coconut milk for the heavy cream

4. Substituted for cream and milk in any recipe

5. Whipped Cream – How to Make Dairy Free Whipped Cream 

6. Creamy Dressings – Dairy Free Ranch Dressing by Grass Fed Girl 

7. Creamy Dips like Spinach Artichoke Dip from Paleo Parent’s Real Life Paleo

8. Substitute for Sour Cream in any recipe + ½ teaspoon lemon juice

9. Curry Sauces

10. Smoothies – add ¼ cup to any smoothie – Find my Green Super Smoothie recipe here.

green super smoothie

11. Ice Cream – Sugar Free Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream by In Sonnet’s Kitchen

12. Milkshakes – substitute coconut milk for the ice cream

13. White Chocolate Candy – Better Than Candy Nut Crunchies by Free Coconut Recipes 

14. Candy Bark – Holiday Salted Peppermint Bark by PaleOMG

15. Cream Cheese – 5 Minute Coconut Cream Cheese by The Spunky Coconut 

16. Cake Frosting – layer thick coconut cream between cake layers and on top

17. Pumpkin Pie – Find my recipe here. 

Pumpkin Pie - dairy free

18. Frozen Pudding Pops

19. Chia Seed Pudding

20. Hot Chocolate

21. Combine with eggs for custard

22. Add to Scrambled Eggs

23. Substitute for Creme Fraiche

24. Alfredo Sauce – Find my recipe here.

 dairy free alfredo

 

25. Added to Mashed Potatoes

26. Substitute for condensed milk in any recipe + 1 tsp honey

27. Caramel Sauce – 3 Step Honey Caramel by The Urban Poser

28. Coconut Yogurt – Simple Coconut Yogurt by Paleo Plans 

 

References:

Harry Belafonte and the secret proteome of coconut milk, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037231

Coconut Milk Benefits, http://www.med-health.net/Coconut-Milk-Benefits.html

1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk Recipes, https://www.pinterest.com/recipes/1-can-full-fat-coconut-milk/

Breakfast, Dairy-free, Dessert, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Holiday Favorites, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Current temperature: 17°F. Wind chill: 2°F. My current state: huddled under a cozy blanket with the heat on full blast with no plans of leaving the house. At this point in the winter season I say enough and accept the fact that I’ve chosen to live in the Northeast. Let the hibernation continue. At least I can try to recreate summer in the kitchen. Lemon blueberry muffins add some sun to my snow-filled days.

The best way to preserve a little summer to last through the winter is by freezing your favorite fruits during their peak. I finally took my own advice last summer and froze batches of peaches and blueberries. Frozen blueberries work beautifully in this recipe and there is no need to thaw them. The muffins are only sweetened with applesauce and vanilla. No additional sweetener is needed.Lemon Blueberry MuffinsLemon Blueberry Muffins

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Yields 6
Lemon Blueberry Muffins, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, paleo
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 tbsp coconut oil - melted
  2. 3 eggs - room temperature
  3. ½ cup apple sauce - warm or room temperature
  4. ½ tsp vanilla
  5. ¼ cup coconut flour - sifted
  6. ½ tsp baking soda
  7. ½ cup blueberries - fresh or frozen (no need to thaw if frozen)
  8. 2 tbsp lemon juice
  9. 1 tsp lemon zest
  10. cupcake liners
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Grease muffin pan with coconut oil and line with cupcake liners.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut oil, eggs, apple sauce and vanilla. Make sure the apple sauce and eggs are at least room temp, if not the coconut oil will harden.
  4. Add in the sifted coconut flour and baking soda until well combined.
  5. Stir in the blueberries, lemon juice and zest.
  6. Pour into muffin tins and top with additional blueberries. Bake for 20 minutes.
  7. Allow to cool 10 minutes before enjoying.
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/
Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Appetizer, Breakfast, Dairy-free, Dessert, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Holiday Favorites, Nut-Free, Paleo, Side Dish

Maple Candied Bacon

“Do we eat too much bacon? Are you sure this is healthy?” asks my husband as I put the second tray of candied bacon in the oven. Bacon feels indulgent and almost too good to be true. How can something so delicious be nourishing? It all depends on the quality of the meat.

Bacon is predominately fat and when you’re eating animal fat it’s most important to source humanely-raised, healthy pigs. The fat contains the highest concentrations of an animal’s diet. If a pig was raised predominately on corn and soy meal then it’s fat will have higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids than a pig raised on pasture grasses/weeds, roots, tubers, rodents, reptiles and other grains. Pigs are natural foragers and have a varied nutrient dense diet. By consuming bacon from conventional/factory farmed pigs, you’re ingesting higher levels of inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids.

The pig’s health will be reflected in you. If the pig led a suffered, sickly existence then you don’t want that meat on your plate. Pigs should be raised humanely under happy, sustainable conditions. Whatever the pig eats, you’re eating too.

Chipotle recently pulled all pork from their menu after discovering their suppliers were sourcing non-humanely raised pigs. By holding up to this standard, the company is showing how much they care about the health of their customers. They successfully found another supplier, Niman Ranch to fill the loss.

Have your bacon and eat it too. Just make sure you know what’s in it. I like to consider bacon a complement to a meal, there to highlight all the other ingredients. Use this sweet and salty bacon candy as a topping for salads, guacamole or for dessert on ice cream or cupcakes.Candied Maple BaconSourcing Quality Pork:

►List of all the farms in the U.S. that Ship pasture-raised pork, http://www.eatwild.com/products/farmsthatship.html

►Niman Ranch, http://store.nimanranch.com/p-75-uncured-applewood-smoked-bacon-4-12oz-packages.aspx

►Local Famers Markets – Ask the farmers how their pigs are raised and what they feed them.

Candied Maple Bacon

Candied Maple Bacon

Maple Candied Bacon
Serves 12
Candied Bacon with Maple Sugar and Cayenne
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  2. ½ tsp salt
  3. 5 tbsp maple syrup
  4. 2 tsp dijon mustard
  5. 1 lb good quality bacon - sliced
  6. 2 tbsp maple sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 365 degrees.
  2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a metal cooling rack on top of the backing sheet. Make sure it’s folded down and secure over the pan.
  3. Mix together the cayenne, salt, maple syrup and dijon mustard in a large bowl. Individually dip each slice of bacon into the mixture, allowing excess to dip off into the bowl. Arrange slices onto metal rack.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes in the middle of the oven. It should be golden and not quite done.
  5. Remove from oven and sprinkle with maple sugar. Bake for 5-10 more minute until crispy. If chewy, allow to cook a few more minutes.
  6. Only allow to cool for 5 minutes. If they sit too long the bacon slices will stick together. Move to a plate. Eat as stripes or crumble for salads and desserts.
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/

Resources:

The Jungle Effect, Okinawa, Japan by Daphne Miller, M.D.

Hog Production Alternatives, Alternative Feeds, http://thenaturalfarmer.com/article/hog-production-alternatives

Pigs – the food connoisseurs of the farm animal kingdom, http://www.naturalpigfarming.com/feed.htm

Dear Mark: Bacon Fat Stability, Noise Machines, and Pig Feed,http://www.marksdailyapple.com/bacon-fat-stability-noise-machines-and-pig-feed/#axzz3Qiq23Htz

Dude, They Found Your Carnitas: Chipotle Solves Its Pork Crisis, http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/01/16/chipotle-pork-shortage-solved-carnitas-return