Posts Tagged ‘Coconut’

Grain-free Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Posted 30 Aug, 2010 in Dessert, Recipes [ 8 Comments ]

I have a confession. I took last week off from the primal lifestyle. A few things contributed to this:

  • I didn’t go to the gym and any other form of exercise was quite minimal.
  • I went out to client lunch and had a few too many glasses of Pinot Noir. I also indulged in the bread basket.
  • I went out for after work drinks and had many more glasses of Pinot Noir and indulged in chips and other fried foods.
  • I ate….gasp…a sandwich for lunch on Saturday.
  • I’ve been having a couple of Salada crackers (Australian version of saltines)  with peanut butter and jam for breakfast.
  • I spent too much time working and not enough time playing.

It’s not terrible but I definitely felt like shit all of last week.  Maybe I was a bit hung over for a part of the week. Work stress definitely contributed to this erratic behavior. And the best justification of all- sometimes you need to fall off the wagon to see how good you have it when you are .  I’m fully back on board and have really realized that this way of eating and exercising really does give me more energy and a sense of sanity.

I’m not going to lie. I loved having my Salada crackers with peanut butter and jam for breakfast. This is comfort food as this is what I used to snack on when I was young. I’m going to attribute the 80/20 rule to this. I can try to make my own low-carb crackers but sometimes it’s just not worth it.  I’d rather eat the real thing but have it in moderation. But there are some things that are just as good using primal ingredients as they are to the real thing.

With that in mind, I made this a few weeks back and it’s pretty good. I’m calling it a pound cake, because the texture reminds me of the frozen Sara Lee pound cake that my mom loves. This cake is meant to be eaten cold as it firms up in the fridge.

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Grain-Free Sweet Potato Pound Cake

1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
168ml coconut milk (about 1/3 cup)
60 grams butter melted (3 tbs)
1 cup mashed sweet potato
3 tbs honey

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  3. In a food processor, mix the eggs, coconut milk, butter, sweet potato, and honey.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the food processor and mix.
  5. Grease a cake pan with butter.
  6. Spread the batter evenly.
  7. Bake at 175°C for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
  8. Cool completely.
  9. Place in the refrigerator to firm up overnight.
  10. Enjoy cold with a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes about 16 small squares.

Coconut Milk Mocha

Posted 12 Aug, 2010 in Beverages [ 9 Comments ]

I’ve resisted drinking coffee for the longest time because it’s expensive to buy coffee daily and because I didn’t want to be addicted to caffeine.

Somehow over the last few months, I’ve become a coffee lover. So much so that I have essentially replaced breakfast with a flat white from a local cafe. The main reason for this being time. I like grabbing a coffee on my way to work rather than stopping for breakfast at home. This means I get to work earlier which means more time to get myself organised for the day.

The major drawback to this is of course the amount of dairy I’m consuming with the flat whites and also the cost of $4.00 per day. It doesn’t seem like much but it adds up. So I found a way to enjoy coffee at work without breaking the bank or overdoing it on the dairy.

The idea of having coconut milk in coffee sounded a bit gross to start with but with a bit of  good quality cocoa, it’s a nice hot drink to have in the mornings and surprisingly filling. The more coconut milk you add, the thicker and creamier the mocha. I like to take mine in a thermos so I can have it hot when I get to work.

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Coconut Milk Mocha

2 heaping tbs of good quality dutch cocoa
1 heaping tbs or more of plunger coffee (aka. French press)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup hot water
sweetener of your choice (I use stevia)
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

  1. Pour in the coconut milk into the plunger.
  2. Add in the dutch cocoa, coffee, and vanilla.
  3. Add in the hot water and stir all ingredients.
  4. Let it steep for 5 minutes and then plunge.
  5. Pour into a thermos or a mug.
  6. Sweeten with stevia or honey before drinking.

Makes 2 small cups.

Coconut Macaroons

Posted 5 May, 2010 in Biscuits, Dessert [ 2 Comments ]

This recipe for Coconut Macaroons is a result of trying to use up leftover egg whites. I pay a premium for organic free range eggs, and I hate to think of throwing any of it out. Macaroons are generally sweetened with sugar or some sort, but I chose to omit it completely in this recipe to let the flavor of the coconut come through.

As it isn’t very sweet on its own, you can dip it in chocolate or crumble it on other sweeter foods. I like it plain or sprinkled with just a little bit of cinnamon. I’m still amazed at how my taste buds have adjusted since reducing my carbohydrate intake as I find these coconut macaroons just sweet enough without any added sugar.

This recipe is part of Real Food Wednesdays.

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Coconut Macaroons

2 egg whites
1 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut
1/8 tsp salt

  1. Whip egg whites with salt until a stiff peak forms.
  2. Fold in the coconut.
  3. Bake at 150° C for 30 minutes on buttered baking paper.
  4. Lower heat to 100°C and bake for another hour.
  5. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
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