Coconut Benefits

Coconut milk is delicious in a curry but it sweet creaminess can be used to create a plethora of other dishes for Vegans. Coconut milk and coconut oil can be bought from most grocers. If you are watching your pennies (and lets face it most of us are at the moment) visit an asian grocer where it will be alot cheaper. Alternatively you can buy online cheaply here and stock your cupboard with cans or coconut milk which will last for ages.

Here are my 3 favourite Vegan recipes for cooking with coconut milk. Not only do they taste great but they also offer a load of heath benefits. There’s one for entree, main and dessert, try all three at once for a truly delicious coconutty night.

ENTREE – COCONUT AND CORN SOUP

From Nava: “Soup is something I could eat every day — and often do. It’s a fantastic way to get a variety of nourishing ingredients in one dish, and no matter how homey or jazzy the flavors, it’s my favorite kind of comfort food. When I first came up with this soup, I was looking to make something speedy to serve with a main-dish salad. And speedy it is, taking only about 15 to 20 minutes from start to finish, yet it tastes like a long-simmering soup. At first, I thought I was imagining things, but having made it many times since, that’s just how long it takes. The tiny bit of red curry gives it ample heat; if you’d like a spicier soup, use more, and for a less spicy effect, omit the red curry altogether.”

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon light olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 to 5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into short, narrow strips
Two 15-ounce cans light coconut milk
1½ cups rice milk
One 16-ounce bag frozen corn
2 teaspoons good quality curry powder
¼ teaspoon Thai red curry paste, more or less  to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ cup minced fresh cilantro/coriander(uk)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a small soup pot. Add the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the bell pepper. Sauté over medium-low heat until softened and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the coconut milk, rice milk, corn, curry powder, the green parts of the scallions. If using the curry paste, dissolve it in a small amount of water before adding to the soup.
3. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from the heat.
4. Serve, passing around the cilantro OR freshly chopped coriander(uk) for topping.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Vegan Express: Featuring 160 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Healthy Meals, by Nava Atlas. Buy the book from Amazon.com

MAIN – PETE’S NICE SPICY COCONUT RICE

Pete’s nice and spicy coconut rice is quick and simple to prepare.

8 oz extra firm tofu or already marinated tofu
2 tablespoons grapeseed or other oil
2 onions, chopped
2 1-inch cubes of fresh ginger, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers
1 chopped zuchinni
1 large handful of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup almonds or cashews, toasted and chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1.  In a good sized fry-pan lightly coated with oil, heat tofu over
medium-high heat until all liquid disappears and tofu lightly browns.  Remove
and set aside.
2.  In the same pan, turn down the heat to medium, add oil and heat about 2
minutes.  Add onion, ginger, and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until
onions become soft, about 5-6 minutes.
Add mushrooms, zuchinni and bell peppers and sauté for 5 more minutes on
medium heat or until peppers and onions are soft.   Add coconut milk, stir,
and cook for 2 minutes until partially absorbed.  Add tofu, cooked rice, and
almonds or cashews; stir and cook 2 more minutes.
3. Remove from heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir. Chop coriander or
another fresh herb such as basil or parley and garnish.

Serves: 3-4
Preparation time: 20 minutes

 
DESSERT – MANGO COBBLER

It’s from Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen, by Ani Phyo. Buy the book from Amazon.com.
From Ani: Mangoes are one of my favorite fruits! This cobbler will blow your mind, it’s super delicious and easy to make. Make sure to choose perfectly ripe mangoes, the type without fibers if possible. The flavor of your mangoes will fully determine the flavor of your cobbler. My philosophy is that raw desserts must taste as good as their cooked counterpart…or better! I’ve served this cobbler at many potlucks, and folks love it! And not one person has ever guessed it was raw!

CRUST
3 cups pecans, dry
1 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1 Tablespoon alcohol-free extract
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup pitted dates

SYRUP
¾ cup pitted dates
3 Tablespoons coconut oil
½ vanilla bean, or ½ Tablespoon alcohol-free extract
⅔ cup filtered water, as needed

FILLING
3 to 4 ripe mangoes, peeled, seeded, sliced, about 6 cups

To make crust, process pecans, vanilla bean, and salt into powder in your food processor. Add ¾ cup pitted dates and process until mixed well. Sprinkle half of the crust onto bottom of pie dish, and set aside. Don’t bother rinsing out your food processor after making the crust; the leftover crumbs will add in with the syrup ingredients.

To make syrup, process ¾ cup dates, oil, vanilla bean, and water as needed to make a thick syrup. Set aside.

To make filling, place sliced mango into a large mixing bowl. Toss with the syrup. Spoon onto cobbler crust. To serve, top with remaining half of the crust. Will keep for two days in the fridge.

ENJOY!

Technorati Tags: coconut milk recipes, coconut oil recipes, coconut recipes, recipes for vegans

Tags: coconut milk recipes, coconut oil recipes, coconut recipes, recipes for vegans

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 15:13 and is filed under coconut benefits, coconut oil, coconut recipes, cocunut, organic coconut oil. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.