Coconut Flour Pancakes

I admit that I haven't tried many recipes using Coconut Flour as a substitute for wheat flour. Overall, my experience with this ingredient is extremely limited, but I've experimented enough to know that I enjoy baked goods made with it as long as I am willing to drastically increase my egg consumption and am anticipating a fully coconut-y flavored experience. Otherwise, I won't even bother. One batch of coconut flour shortbreads left me very flat. I like regular shortbread made with butter and flour. Period.

This recipe makes a nice coconut-flavored pancake which is quite tasty by itself or accompanied by dollop of plain yogurt and apricot jam. I have no doubt that maple syrup would be delicious with them, but I don't keep it in the house anymore. I love maple syrup and think it's a wonderful food; it's just that I love it on sourdough (wheat) pancakes and I'm mostly gluten-free these days, so I don't keep companion foods around that will tempt my resolve.

Additionally, I didn't personally develop this recipe -- a family member did, but since my first-born requested that she not be named I'll say nothing more about it. (Of course, I had to make SOME mention of it; that's just the way I am. She will, no doubt, totally appreciate me being true to myself in this regard.)

Here's her recipe -- exactly as she wrote it down for me:


Coconut Flour Pancakes

1 c. coconut flour
2t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 T. sugar

2 c. milk
4-5 eggs

Mix everything up and plop it in the pan.

Note: for non-bakers with little cooking experience. I believe she measures about 1/4 c. of the batter and makes small (3 or 4 inch diameter) pancakes in a skillet. They brown up nicely, much like regular pancakes.

One Big Flan

6 beaten eggs

3 cups of milk (or 1 1/2 cups of half and half + 1 1/2 cups of water)

1/2 cup of demerara or Florida Crystals* (unbleached sugar)

2 t. vanilla

a pinch of salt

For the Caramel: 

1/2 c. Florida Crystals or finely ground raw sugar*

In a heavy saucepan, cooked the sugar for the caramel over medium-high heat until the sugar begins to melt, shaking the pan occasionally; DO NOT STIR. Reduce the heat to low and cook until a deep brown; stir frequently. Because you  the unrefined sugar is not bleached and still contains natural molasses this stage goes quickly once the sugar starts to melt;  you can easily over-brown the sugar. DON'T LEAVE THE STOVE DURING THIS PROCESS. (If you like a deep coffee-like flavor you can let it get really dark.) 

Pour the hot sugar syrup into the bottom of a casserole and tilt the casserole to coat the bottom. Let sit about 10 minutes to harden up. 

In the meantime, beat the eggs and add in the sugar. Beat well to begin dissolving  the sugar. Add the milk (or half and half mixed with water) and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. When the sugar is completely dissolved and the caramel-sugar in the casserole is fully set, pour the egg-milk mixture into the casserole.

Place the casserole in another baking pan and place in a pre-heated 325 degree oven. (I use a 9" square baking pan.) Add boiling water to the outer baking pan around the casserole -- the water should be at least an inch and half to two inches deep; this hot water bath will keep your flan from developing the holey texture that comes from cooking too fast from the direct heat of the oven. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes in a 325 degree oven or until a knife inserted in or near the center comes out clean. 

To serve it, take a sharp knife and carefully cut around the edges of the custard. Place a plate upside down on top of the casserole and carefully, but quickly,  invert the casserole & plate. You should hear or feel the custard plop onto the plate.  

You can serve this warm or cold; I prefer my flan chilled for several hours after it cools, but I remove it from the casserole before I refrigerate it. Make sure the serving plate has a good lip on it since the caramel will become quite liquid and the syrup makes a sticky mess.

This is a picture of the one I did with the deeper browning of the sugar -- it had a slight coffee flavor to it:

*you can substitute regular granulated white (bleached) sugar, but it does take longer to brown the caramel. 

Tropical Rice Pudding

6 eggs
2 1/2 c. organic coconut milk* -- the organic tastes better and is richer than the non-organic, in our opinion

1/2 c. half and half (if you want to make a dairy free version just use another 1/2 c coconut milk, almond milk or rice milk instead of the half and half)

1/2 c. sugar
pinch of salt

1/4 c grated unsweetened coconut - approximate measure
1/4 c raisins -- approximate measure
1/3 c. candied citrus peel (orange, grapefruit and lemon) -- approximate measure
1 1/2 c cooked rice - approximate measure

Beat the eggs, then add in the coconut milk and half in half (or just coconut milk for the Dairy Free version). Add the sugar and the pinch of salt, stirring with a whisk until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the unsweetened finely grated coconut, the raisins, candied citrus peel and the cooked rice.

Pour into a greased casserole and bake for about a half an hour at 325 degrees and then stir the mixture in the casserole. Bake for approximately another half an hour until the middle of the pudding is set and it begins to brown on top and along the edges. Remove from the oven and serve either warm or allow to cool.
I think the flavors meld and improve after the pudding cools, but who can wait for that?

I was just experimenting with this recipe so the measurements for rice and fruits are only approximate; you could easily alter the amounts if you prefer more or less rice and fruit.

I used homemade candied citrus peel following Jacques Pepin's recipe for the peel in his holiday fruit cake, since I had plenty left over from making Jule Cake for Christmas.

Also, I have not made the completely dairy free version of this recipe, but it should work just fine; I often make pumpkin custard with only coconut milk and it sets up just fine.

*Shake the can of coconut milk well before opening for easier mixing with your other ingredients. It has a tendency to separate in the can and leave all the yummiest parts coating the can and lid. Shaking vigorously prior to opening the can greatly reduces that problem.

Dairy Free Ginger Snaps

Dairy Free Gingersnaps

2 ¼ c all purpose flour
1 c Demerara sugar or brown sugar
¾ c coconut oil
¼ c mild molasses
1 egg
1 t baking soda
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon
½ t ground cloves
pinch of salt

About ⅓ cup of white or raw granulated sugar for rolling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine about half of the flour, the Demerara sugar, the coconut oil, molasses, egg, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Beat until thoroughly combined. (The original recipe says to use an electric mixer, but I just used a wooden spoon.) Beat in the remaining flour until thoroughly mixed.

Shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place balls of dough on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes until set and the tops are crackled. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

Makes about 4 doz.

Dairy Free Oatmeal Cookies

Mix together:

2 c. flour

1 t. cinnamon

¾ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

2 c. rolled oats

Cream together:

1 c. shortening or coconut oil

1 c. sugar (white or Demerara) 

2 eggs

1 c. raisins or 1 c. chopped nuts (or a mixture of both)

Add the dry ingredients little by little to the wet ingredients, mixing well. Then add raisins and/or nuts. Mix well and drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. These cookies will not spread very much. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12  minutes. Do not allow to brown too much or you will burn the raisins. Cool on wire racks. These cookies freeze well.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 large green, red, yellow or orange bell peppers
1 ½ lbs ground beef, ground pork, ground lamb or bulk pork sausage
2/3 c chopped onion
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
⅔ c basmati rice
1 t. dried basil, crushed
¼ t. dried oregano, crushed
1 c. water
½ t. salt
½ t. pepper
tomato sauce, optional

1 c. shredded cheddar or soy cheese

Halve the peppers lengthwise, removing the stem ends, seeds and membranes. Immerse the peppers into boiling water for 3 minutes.  Sprinkle the insides of the peppers with salt and then invert to drain on paper towels.

In a skillet, cook the meat and onion until the meat is brown and the onion is tender. Drain fat. Stir in the undrained tomatoes, the uncooked rice, dried basil and oregano, water, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or so or until the rice is tender. At this point you can make a non-dairy version of the recipe by using soy cheese or you can make both dairy and non-dairy by taking out some of the basic part of the recipe and mixing in cheddar for the dairy portion and soy cheese for the non-dairy portion or simply use regular cheddar cheese. Stir in ½ c. of your choice of cheese. Fill peppers with the meat mixture. Place in a 9 x 13" baking pan; I usually line mine with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. (Top with a thin layer of tomato sauce -- optional.) Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

These re-heat well.

Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie

 

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 - 16 oz can Libby's solid pack pumpkin
¾ c. granulated sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger  
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1 - 9" unbaked pie crust
 
Combine filling ingredients in order given; pour into unbaked pie crusts. Preheat cookie sheet while preheating oven to 425 degrees.  Bake pies at 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake an additional 20-30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (The most recent pies I baked in 9" round cake pans took about 45 minutes after reducing the temperature to 350 degrees; I checked them every 10 minutes after the minimum baking time of 20 minutes.) When done, remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Refrigerate until serving. Garnish, if desired, with Cool Whip and serve.

Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Makes one 9" pie

Making Rice

I know that it should be a simple process, making rice, but according to our Chinese and Cuban friends, Americans just don't know how to make good rice. I grew up in midwestern America and I never noticed that the rice was particularly bad, but I guess it's all a matter of what you are used to. At least that's how it was for me as far as rice was concerned. The worm at the bottom of the pickle barrel knew no better life, until I moved to China.

What kind of rice and does it make a difference?

I think so. For taste I prefer Jasmine rice, but it has a much higher glycemic index than Basmati and since we eat rice a few times a week my family finally got me to switch to Basmati last year. We try to eat Zone appropriate meals, a third of our calories from protein, a third from carbohydrate and a third from fat. I still prefer Jasmine, but we eat Basmati and I will give "precise" directions for both. Just you wait!

First, you have to decide how much rice you want to cook? Have you ever read the directions on a package of rice or out of a standard American cookbook? It's just ridiculous to give measurements in cups for making rice like this, unless it is your goal to use it as wallpaper paste or mortar for bricks. THIS is why Chinese and Cubans think Americans can't make rice.

For four people, I usually make 3 cups of rice (which is a lot), but I save the leftovers for fried rice the next day. (You cannot make decent fried rice with freshly cooked hot rice; it needs to be cold.) So you need to decide how much you want to make and what kind of pan you are going to cook it in. If you want leftovers, make more. If you only want to eat it at one meal, make less. I find making the same amount every time makes my life much easier in the long run since I don't use measuring cups to make rice -- as you are soon to find out -- and you have to sort of get a 'feel' for it.

You don't need special equipment to make good rice, though I had a nice plastic bowl from the dollar store that had holes only in the upper edge of one side for washing and draining rice. If you can find one, you make rice often and it's not too expensive, it's worth having one, but I just wash my rice in the pot now.

Since rice expands and I tend to make more rather than less, I use the bigger of my sauce pans. In any case, you need a pan or pot with a lid; don't worry too much about whether it makes a fabulous seal, but it should fit the pan you are using. I will show you how to make the lid fit better when I am explaining the process.

The most important step for cooking great rice is to wash it, so don't bother buying enriched white rice. You just end up washing whatever nutrients they've sprayed on it down the drain. Now that you've picked your rice, the type and how much you want to make and your pan, put the rice in the pan/pot and fill it with cold water. Run your hand through the rice, swirling the water thoroughly. Carefully pour most of the water out, refill the pot with cold water. Repeat the process until you've washed the rice three times. Since I live in Florida and the tap water here is undrinkable, I rinse it a fourth time with water from our Zero Water pitcher or bottled water. After the final rinse water has been carefully dumped out, push the rice back down into the pot so that it is evenly distributed and flat. Here's where you have to get a feel for it; you use your thumb as a guideline. Place the tip of your thumb just barely touching the top of the rice. For Jasmine rice, pour enough water in the pot to reach the cuticle of your thumb.

For Basmati rice (pictured below) I cover the rice with enough water to reach about a half centimeter above the cuticle of my thumb.

Add salt (to taste - for 3 cups of uncooked rice I add about a teaspoon of salt). Put the pan on the stove and bring the water & rice to a fast boil. When the rice becomes fragrant after it has been boiling, stir constantly for one minute as it continues to boil.

Place the lid on the pot either wrapped in a cloth napkin, tea towel or with a paper towel lining the lid to help better seal the pot and keep the condensing steam from dripping back into the rice. Turn the heat to low.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you use a towel to do this, make sure that it is not hanging down the sides of the pot! Pile the ends up on top of the lid or use paper towel that does not hang down near the element or flame.

For Jasmine rice, leave the pot over low heat for 20 minutes.
For Basmaiti rice, cook 23 minutes over low heat.

The second most important thing in cooking rice - NEVER lift the lid when it's cooking!!! If you must, put a note on it so that no one lifts the lid.

At the end of time (for the rice, not humanity) remove the pot from the heat and allow the rice to rest for at least 5 minutes before lifting the lid. 15 minutes is better according to Alton Brown. Check to make sure the rice is indeed done before calling everyone to dinner. No one enjoys crunchy uncooked rice. If it is still crunchy you can add a little bit of boiling water (maybe about a quarter of a cup) to the pot, return the pot to the low heat and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes

Dairy Free Jule Cake

Dairy Free Jule Cake
based on a recipe from Ann Byrd

This is my quick update on a traditional recipe -- I'll try to edit the directions more soon:

Soften the yeast in:
2 T yeast
1/4 c. warm water mixed with
¼ c honey

Then:

2 c warm water **
1 c. coconut oil
1 ½ t. salt
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
7-9 c. flour
4-8 oz. dried candied fruit peel
¼ c. raisins (optional)

Melt the coconut oil, if solidified, for a few seconds in the microwave or on the stovetop; add the warm water, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the beaten eggs, and the softened yeast mixture. Beat in about 3 cups of flour and stir until the flour is fully incorporated into the liquid. Add the remaining flour by the cupful until you can turn the dough out onto a floured counter or board to knead it. 7 cups is the standard for the original recipe, but due to substitutions to make this recipe dairy free, I ended up adding an additional two cups to make a workable dough on a very humid day. Knead in enough flour to make a dough that you can braid, but try not to add in too much flour. This is supposed to be a delicate bread, but will remain rather sticky because of all the oil and sugar.

Once you have a dough that is a consistency that you will be able to braid, return it to a large greased bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double in size. This dough takes longer to rise than most breads. *Divide into portions and braid. Place braids on greased baking pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again until double in size.



*Depending on how many loaves you decide to make, divide the dough into equal-sized pieces. (Dividing the recipe into 4 pieces makes about 4 standard loaf size braids, so that is what I will proceed with from here.)

Working with one of the four pieces - then divide it into three equal pieces. Form each piece into a log about a foot long and lay them next to one another - parallel - on the board.  Gather the left ends of the 3 logs and pinch them together; finish braiding the 3 logs together and pinch the ends firmly and tuck under the loaf. Place on a greased cookie sheet and form the other 3 loaves in a similar fashion.

2 medium sized loaves should fit easily on a standard cookie sheet. Don't overcrowd the baking sheets. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until nearly double. When the loaves have risen, place the baking sheet/s in a pre-heated oven (350 degrees). Baking time and temperatures may vary depending on the size and hotness of your oven. This bread burns easily, so keep an eye on it! Let your nose guide you. Breads are done when they are golden brown and should be 190 degrees.


You can glaze this bread just before baking with:
1 egg white
2 t. water

I do not glaze my Jule Cake before baking.

Traditionally, this bread was decorated with candied cherries on top as well.

Jule Cake is best served warm; you can also put a powdered sugar icing on the top before slicing. It's delicious with butter (for those who can eat it) or with your favorite dairy free butter substitute.

For:
2 or 3  large braids - (You can make these larger loaves, but it is harder to judge doneness for them. Standard tapping on the bread does not work to check doneness for it and I don't have a baking time for them - it will probably be closer to 40-50 minutes and you might want to bake only on the top rack since the bottoms tend to over- brown. If you opt to make these larger loaves, the logs for braiding will be about 18" long. If you use both racks in your oven, switch pan positions about halfway through the baking time.

or

4 braids medium (roughly equivalent to a standard loaf)
Bake for 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees. If baking on two baking sheets, switch positions halfway through baking to keep the bottoms from burning and to make sure the tops brown nicely.

or

6-8 small braids (the logs for braiding will only be about 8-9 inches long)
Bake 15-25 minutes for the small


For the icing:
-a cup or so of powdered sugar mixed with
-a few teaspoons of orange juice or water to make a medium glaze that you can drizzle over the warm breads. Add the juice (or water if you prefer) slowly, stirring to get the lumps out.


**I tried making this recipe first with an equal amount of coconut milk; it makes a very moist dense flavorful coffee cake, not at all like the original Jule Cake. It was good, but not what I was used to and it was very difficult to judge when it was done.

Dairy Free Pie Crust

Easy Coconut Oil Pie Crust

2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 T. sugar (optional -- I included it for browning purposes)
½ c. coconut oil
¼ c. COLD water


Mix the flour salt and optional sugar together with a fork or whisk in a bowl. Cut in the coconut oil with a pastry blender or two knives. Mine ended up looking like very coarse sand with some smallish pea sized pieces. Add the cold water to the bowl and gently stir the crumbly bits to get it to come together; try not to overwork it and if you need more water add a tablespoon at a time until you can get a ball of dough to stick together, but not be too sticky. Sometimes misting it with a spray bottle helps so that you don't add too much water at one time.

Gather the dough into one lump, divide into two balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Let it rest for at least 5 minutes.* Roll out between two pieces of waxed paper. Place the rolled dough in pie plate, fill and bake.

For a pre-baked pie shell, prick with a fork and bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes one 10" or two 9" pie crusts.

(I was actually working with 9" cake pans that are a little deeper than the pie plates so I chose to double this recipe to make the two pumpkin pies. I ended up with some leftover dough that I used to make a small freeform tart.)

*I tried freezing this pie crust dough ahead and found that it didn't really work very well; you should make it about an hour before you need to assemble your pie for the best results.