Crazy for Coconut

Every February for the last two years, Brian and I have traveled to Hawaii to visit my sister and her husband.  They live in Kailua, on the windward side of Oahu, where the weather is always warm and the breeze always smells like coconuts and plumeria flowers.

It is truly the most visually inspiring place I have ever visited.  Breathtaking mountains arise out of the sea, white sand beaches offer unobstructed views of the bluest water you have ever seen, tropical plants like red ginger, bougainvillea and orchids grow wild.  We prefer the funky little surfer towns of the North Shore to touristy Honolulu and Waikiki, but there isn't a single place on the island that I don't wish to return.

This year, we're not going to Hawaii.  At least not this month.  We're planning another big trip for this summer so we had to forgo the annual tropical vacation, and since we saw Colleen and Ben over the Christmas holiday, we decided we should wait a little longer before our return trip.

Perhaps it's because I feel like we should be packing for our yearly Hawaiian trip, but my mind keeps returning to Oahu.  The foods, the sights, the hiking and paddle boarding.  I may not be able to go to Hawaii this month, but I decided to bring a little bit of Hawaii to me.

This recipe calls for only 5 ingredients and no eggs so it's rather quick and simple to prepare.  I chose not to strain out the shredded coconut after steeping it in the simmering milk mixture, but in retrospect I would recommend that you do, as I thought the texture was a little odd with it in.  I used an ice cream maker to churn the finished product, but if you don't have one you could try David Lebovitz's no-machine method.

This isn't too sweet, perfect for my taste buds.  It was marvelous with some toasted coconut and a drizzle of Nutella.  I absolutely recommend the toasted coconut, it adds so much.  

5-Ingredient Coconut Ice Cream
makes about 2 pints
loosely adapted from David Lebovitz

1 can coconut milk (not light)
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or substitute the same amount of regular white sugar)
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (or substitute unsweetened coconut, but you may need to increase the sugar by a few tablespoons)
1 tablespoon coconut-flavored rum, I used Malibu (or substitute unflavored vodka or rum)

Toasted coconut to garnish (NOT optional.  Do it.)

Add the coconut milk, heavy cream, sugar and shredded coconut to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in the coconut-flavored rum.  At this point, if you desire strain the cooked ice cream base through a mesh strainer to remove the shredded coconut.  Chill ice cream mixture over an ice bath to cool quickly, then place in the refrigerator for several hours until thoroughly chilled.  Once completely chilled, pour ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Transfer ice cream into an air-tight container and store in the freezer.

For the toasted coconut:  heat your broiler to high and move the rack to the top-most position.  Sprinkle shredded coconut onto a foil-lined baking sheet and place on the top rack of the oven.  Broil about 1 minute, watching carefully, as it will burn very quickly.  Remove from oven and sprinkle on top of ice cream.

All Hawaii images used in today's post are courtesy of my AMAZINGLY talented sister, Colleen Cordle.  She is a photographer located in Kailua, Hawaii and specializes in infants, children, families, couples and portrait photography.  Not only is Colleen one of the most talented photographers I have ever met, she is one of the nicest and most down to earth people and will put anyone at ease.  If you ever travel to Hawaii, you have to check her out!  She loves to document the beautiful landscape and would be happy to photograph your family in the gorgeous surroundings there.  Please check out Colleen's website here for more samples of her work.  

Crazy for Coconut

Every February for the last two years, Brian and I have traveled to Hawaii to visit my sister and her husband.  They live in Kailua, on the windward side of Oahu, where the weather is always warm and the breeze always smells like coconuts and plumeria flowers.

It is truly the most visually inspiring place I have ever visited.  Breathtaking mountains arise out of the sea, white sand beaches offer unobstructed views of the bluest water you have ever seen, tropical plants like red ginger, bougainvillea and orchids grow wild.  We prefer the funky little surfer towns of the North Shore to touristy Honolulu and Waikiki, but there isn't a single place on the island that I don't wish to return.

This year, we're not going to Hawaii.  At least not this month.  We're planning another big trip for this summer so we had to forgo the annual tropical vacation, and since we saw Colleen and Ben over the Christmas holiday, we decided we should wait a little longer before our return trip.

Perhaps it's because I feel like we should be packing for our yearly Hawaiian trip, but my mind keeps returning to Oahu.  The foods, the sights, the hiking and paddle boarding.  I may not be able to go to Hawaii this month, but I decided to bring a little bit of Hawaii to me.

This recipe calls for only 5 ingredients and no eggs so it's rather quick and simple to prepare.  I chose not to strain out the shredded coconut after steeping it in the simmering milk mixture, but in retrospect I would recommend that you do, as I thought the texture was a little odd with it in.  I used an ice cream maker to churn the finished product, but if you don't have one you could try David Lebovitz's no-machine method.

This isn't too sweet, perfect for my taste buds.  It was marvelous with some toasted coconut and a drizzle of Nutella.  I absolutely recommend the toasted coconut, it adds so much.  

5-Ingredient Coconut Ice Cream
makes about 2 pints
loosely adapted from David Lebovitz

1 can coconut milk (not light)
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or substitute the same amount of regular white sugar)
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (or substitute unsweetened coconut, but you may need to increase the sugar by a few tablespoons)
1 tablespoon coconut-flavored rum, I used Malibu (or substitute unflavored vodka or rum)

Toasted coconut to garnish (NOT optional.  Do it.)

Add the coconut milk, heavy cream, sugar and shredded coconut to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in the coconut-flavored rum.  At this point, if you desire strain the cooked ice cream base through a mesh strainer to remove the shredded coconut.  Chill ice cream mixture over an ice bath to cool quickly, then place in the refrigerator for several hours until thoroughly chilled.  Once completely chilled, pour ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Transfer ice cream into an air-tight container and store in the freezer.

For the toasted coconut:  heat your broiler to high and move the rack to the top-most position.  Sprinkle shredded coconut onto a foil-lined baking sheet and place on the top rack of the oven.  Broil about 1 minute, watching carefully, as it will burn very quickly.  Remove from oven and sprinkle on top of ice cream.

All Hawaii images used in today's post are courtesy of my AMAZINGLY talented sister, Colleen Cordle.  She is a photographer located in Kailua, Hawaii and specializes in infants, children, families, couples and portrait photography.  Not only is Colleen one of the most talented photographers I have ever met, she is one of the nicest and most down to earth people and will put anyone at ease.  If you ever travel to Hawaii, you have to check her out!  She loves to document the beautiful landscape and would be happy to photograph your family in the gorgeous surroundings there.  Please check out Colleen's website here for more samples of her work.  

Morning Glory Oat Muffins...for any time of the day or night.

I notice that as the seasons change, I find fresh inspiration for cooking and baking.  As fall comes around, the fresh tomatoes, peaches, corn and blueberries of summertime give way to squash, pumpkins, dark leafy greens and apples.  I find myself wanting to use the warm spices in all of my recipes - cinnamon and allspice move to the front of my (insanely crowded) spice cabinet.  


Since B has been away for the last few weeks, I'm having a hard time using up all of the fresh fruit and vegetables I buy.  This week, I was left with some Fuji apples that were past their prime - their texture had gone a bit mealy, but the apple flavor was still there so I hated to waste them.  And after making one half of a zucchini for dinner one night last week (I stuffed it with italian sausage and onions and smothered it with tomato sauce and some mozzarella and parmesan cheese), I still had half to use - and fast!  


So you see, I HAD to make these muffins.  It was either that, or waste all that good produce....no way, Jose!


I had been perusing Morning Glory muffin recipes because I love the idea of adding vegetables (carrots) to a breakfast food and I thought it would be easily adapted to also include the addition of some grated zucchini.  And I wanted to bake something that included apples and cinnamon, since these are two of my favorite Fall flavors.  This recipe from Honey & Jam immediately caught my eye because it included Old-Fashioned Oats.  That, and it used 100% whole wheat flour.  Sold.  No other recipe even had a chance.


I made some changes from the original recipe:  I didn't have orange juice, so I substituted light sour cream + some grated lemon zest.  I figured the OJ was just in there to add some brightness of flavor in addition to moisture, so I thought the sour cream and lemon zest could do that just fine, you could probably use pineapple juice instead.  Also, I wanted to use up that half of a zucchini from my fridge, so I decreased the amount of grated carrots and added grated zucchini to the mix.  I decreased the amount of sweetener and substituted Splenda-Brown Sugar Blend to lessen the impact of the muffins on blood sugar, but you could probably go with Agave Nectar if you wanted to avoid refined sugar and artificial sweeteners.  And lastly, I sprinkled a teensy bit of granola on the tops of the muffins before baking for added texture.  I have provided the link to the original recipe, for anyone interested.  


These muffins are absolutely DIVINE and are worth it just for the smell that will fill your house as they are baking.  They are so moist and have a perfect texture to them, a fairly-dense crumb, but not too dense (if that makes any sense) - just dense enough to let you know you're eating something substantial.


Enjoy them with a schmear of cream cheese, almond butter or just plain with a cup of coffee or tea.  You will dream about them, they are so good....

Morning Glory Oat Muffins 
makes about 16 standard-size muffins
Adapted from Honey & Jam


1/2 cup raisins
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup Splenda-Brown Sugar blend
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup zucchini, grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut (or you could use unsweetened if you can find it at the store)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup light sour cream
zest from 1/2 of a lemon
about 1/4 cup granola for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers. 

In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, splenda-brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, zucchini, apple, coconut and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, applesauce, vanilla, light sour cream and lemon zest. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan, filling almost to top. Sprinkle tops with the granola (if using), each one should get about a teaspoon.

Bake for 23 to 25 minutes (mine took exactly 23 minutes), until domed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of pans to finish cooling.

Morning Glory Oat Muffins...for any time of the day or night.

I notice that as the seasons change, I find fresh inspiration for cooking and baking.  As fall comes around, the fresh tomatoes, peaches, corn and blueberries of summertime give way to squash, pumpkins, dark leafy greens and apples.  I find myself wanting to use the warm spices in all of my recipes - cinnamon and allspice move to the front of my (insanely crowded) spice cabinet.  


Since B has been away for the last few weeks, I'm having a hard time using up all of the fresh fruit and vegetables I buy.  This week, I was left with some Fuji apples that were past their prime - their texture had gone a bit mealy, but the apple flavor was still there so I hated to waste them.  And after making one half of a zucchini for dinner one night last week (I stuffed it with italian sausage and onions and smothered it with tomato sauce and some mozzarella and parmesan cheese), I still had half to use - and fast!  


So you see, I HAD to make these muffins.  It was either that, or waste all that good produce....no way, Jose!


I had been perusing Morning Glory muffin recipes because I love the idea of adding vegetables (carrots) to a breakfast food and I thought it would be easily adapted to also include the addition of some grated zucchini.  And I wanted to bake something that included apples and cinnamon, since these are two of my favorite Fall flavors.  This recipe from Honey & Jam immediately caught my eye because it included Old-Fashioned Oats.  That, and it used 100% whole wheat flour.  Sold.  No other recipe even had a chance.


I made some changes from the original recipe:  I didn't have orange juice, so I substituted light sour cream + some grated lemon zest.  I figured the OJ was just in there to add some brightness of flavor in addition to moisture, so I thought the sour cream and lemon zest could do that just fine, you could probably use pineapple juice instead.  Also, I wanted to use up that half of a zucchini from my fridge, so I decreased the amount of grated carrots and added grated zucchini to the mix.  I decreased the amount of sweetener and substituted Splenda-Brown Sugar Blend to lessen the impact of the muffins on blood sugar, but you could probably go with Agave Nectar if you wanted to avoid refined sugar and artificial sweeteners.  And lastly, I sprinkled a teensy bit of granola on the tops of the muffins before baking for added texture.  I have provided the link to the original recipe, for anyone interested.  


These muffins are absolutely DIVINE and are worth it just for the smell that will fill your house as they are baking.  They are so moist and have a perfect texture to them, a fairly-dense crumb, but not too dense (if that makes any sense) - just dense enough to let you know you're eating something substantial.


Enjoy them with a schmear of cream cheese, almond butter or just plain with a cup of coffee or tea.  You will dream about them, they are so good....

Morning Glory Oat Muffins 
makes about 16 standard-size muffins
Adapted from Honey & Jam


1/2 cup raisins
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup Splenda-Brown Sugar blend
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup zucchini, grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut (or you could use unsweetened if you can find it at the store)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup light sour cream
zest from 1/2 of a lemon
about 1/4 cup granola for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers. 

In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, splenda-brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, zucchini, apple, coconut and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, applesauce, vanilla, light sour cream and lemon zest. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan, filling almost to top. Sprinkle tops with the granola (if using), each one should get about a teaspoon.

Bake for 23 to 25 minutes (mine took exactly 23 minutes), until domed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of pans to finish cooling.

My mom's banana bread

We had three sorry-looking bananas in the fruit bowl yesterday and they were calling to me. Well, not literally, but I've been wanting to make banana bread for a while and I had to wait until we had enough over-ripe bananas. So when I noticed that I had plenty of freckled beauties the other day, I decided the time was right.

I always use my mom's recipe for banana bread. It's delicious, always turns out moist and whenever B takes it into work its gone in no time. This time, I wanted to experiment with substituting some of the All Purpose flour for Whole Wheat Flour instead. I also had two ripe pineapples, an opened bag of sweetened flaked coconut and some chopped walnuts so I decided to make it a "Nutty Hawaiian" banana bread. And WOW, it turned out awesome! B ate 4 of the banana muffins for dessert, he just couldn't get enough. We ate it all before I could get any pictures and B took the large loaf to work today. I'm going to share my mom's original recipe and below it I'll describe the specific changes I made this time. Whether you make the banana bread as the recipe is written or modify it like I did, you'll love it. Make it in one large loaf pan or several small ones, or in a muffin pan (makes about 24 muffins). It's also really good with chocolate chips in it, I usually use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup and just toss it right into the batter before baking. While this time we ate the banana bread for dessert, it is AWESOME for breakfast: just add a dab of cream cheese and a cup of coffee...that's my idea of a perfect morning!


Mom's Banana Bread (The Original)
Makes 1 large loaf, 3-4 mini loaves, or about 24 muffins


3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce (optional, but I always add one of those little individual serving cups)
3/4 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups sugar
2 cups AP flour
1 rounded teaspoon baking soda
1/2 rounded teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 325. Spray loaf pan(s) or muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix bananas, apple sauce (if using), oil, vanilla, beaten eggs and sugar until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix just to incorporate, don't over-mix. The batter should be thick but not so thick that you can't pour it (my mom says "It shouldn't be thick like glue" hehe). If its too thick, add a splash of milk or a little extra apple sauce or oil. Now is when you add in your optional mix-ins - the nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, or whatever else you feel like adding.

Bake at 325 until toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. For the muffins, it took me about 15 minutes and it took about 40 minutes for the large loaf pan, but check back often because you do NOT want to overcook it.

Once you remove the bread from the oven, allow it to sit in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool fully.

Here's what I did this time to make it a"Healthy Nutty Hawai'ian" Banana Bread:

• I substituted 2/3 cup Whole Wheat flour for the same volume of AP flour
• I substituted 1/4 cup of splenda for the same volume of sugar and decreased the sugar by a little less than 1/4 of a cup (so to be exact: for my bread I ended up using a little more than 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup splenda, I figured the added fruit would sweeten the bread enough to leave out some of the sugar... and I was right)
• I added about 1/4 cup old fashioned oats that I had food processed into a very coarse flour (this was to add weight since I was using splenda)
• I added about 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple to the wet ingredients
• I added 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut to the batter before baking, and I sprinkled some additional coconut onto the tops of the muffins and the loaf of banana bread before baking
• I used 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

The bread turned out so flavorful and delicious. I was a little worried that the coconut on top of the bread would get brown or burn but it came out perfectly, just a touch toasted. The bread was just as moist as it usually is and you'd never know that there was whole wheat flour in there! Next time I might even increase the whole wheat flour to 1 cup and I might try to substitute 1/4 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt for 1/4 cup of the oil - I've read that this is an acceptable substitution in a lot of recipes. I would probably add even more walnuts, pineapple and coconut because well, you really can't ever have too much of a good thing :)

My mom's banana bread

We had three sorry-looking bananas in the fruit bowl yesterday and they were calling to me. Well, not literally, but I've been wanting to make banana bread for a while and I had to wait until we had enough over-ripe bananas. So when I noticed that I had plenty of freckled beauties the other day, I decided the time was right.

I always use my mom's recipe for banana bread. It's delicious, always turns out moist and whenever B takes it into work its gone in no time. This time, I wanted to experiment with substituting some of the All Purpose flour for Whole Wheat Flour instead. I also had two ripe pineapples, an opened bag of sweetened flaked coconut and some chopped walnuts so I decided to make it a "Nutty Hawaiian" banana bread. And WOW, it turned out awesome! B ate 4 of the banana muffins for dessert, he just couldn't get enough. We ate it all before I could get any pictures and B took the large loaf to work today. I'm going to share my mom's original recipe and below it I'll describe the specific changes I made this time. Whether you make the banana bread as the recipe is written or modify it like I did, you'll love it. Make it in one large loaf pan or several small ones, or in a muffin pan (makes about 24 muffins). It's also really good with chocolate chips in it, I usually use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup and just toss it right into the batter before baking. While this time we ate the banana bread for dessert, it is AWESOME for breakfast: just add a dab of cream cheese and a cup of coffee...that's my idea of a perfect morning!


Mom's Banana Bread (The Original)
Makes 1 large loaf, 3-4 mini loaves, or about 24 muffins


3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce (optional, but I always add one of those little individual serving cups)
3/4 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups sugar
2 cups AP flour
1 rounded teaspoon baking soda
1/2 rounded teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 325. Spray loaf pan(s) or muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix bananas, apple sauce (if using), oil, vanilla, beaten eggs and sugar until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix just to incorporate, don't over-mix. The batter should be thick but not so thick that you can't pour it (my mom says "It shouldn't be thick like glue" hehe). If its too thick, add a splash of milk or a little extra apple sauce or oil. Now is when you add in your optional mix-ins - the nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, or whatever else you feel like adding.

Bake at 325 until toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. For the muffins, it took me about 15 minutes and it took about 40 minutes for the large loaf pan, but check back often because you do NOT want to overcook it.

Once you remove the bread from the oven, allow it to sit in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool fully.

Here's what I did this time to make it a"Healthy Nutty Hawai'ian" Banana Bread:

• I substituted 2/3 cup Whole Wheat flour for the same volume of AP flour
• I substituted 1/4 cup of splenda for the same volume of sugar and decreased the sugar by a little less than 1/4 of a cup (so to be exact: for my bread I ended up using a little more than 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup splenda, I figured the added fruit would sweeten the bread enough to leave out some of the sugar... and I was right)
• I added about 1/4 cup old fashioned oats that I had food processed into a very coarse flour (this was to add weight since I was using splenda)
• I added about 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple to the wet ingredients
• I added 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut to the batter before baking, and I sprinkled some additional coconut onto the tops of the muffins and the loaf of banana bread before baking
• I used 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

The bread turned out so flavorful and delicious. I was a little worried that the coconut on top of the bread would get brown or burn but it came out perfectly, just a touch toasted. The bread was just as moist as it usually is and you'd never know that there was whole wheat flour in there! Next time I might even increase the whole wheat flour to 1 cup and I might try to substitute 1/4 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt for 1/4 cup of the oil - I've read that this is an acceptable substitution in a lot of recipes. I would probably add even more walnuts, pineapple and coconut because well, you really can't ever have too much of a good thing :)