Like Coconut?

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I know not everybody does, but if you like coconut, you have to check out this list of recipes - all of them using coconut.  Originally I got distracted by the pictures - that strawberry rhubarb pie looks amazing and so do the muffins - but be sure to scroll down the page, because there are so many more coconut recipes.  I'm definitely going to have to try some of them.

I found all these recipes when I entered the Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil for Hair Treatment Review & Giveaway over at Shelley's Swag.  In order to enter the giveaway you need to check out the recipes and leave a comment letting her know which recipe (or recipes) sound amazing to you.  Sounds easy enough, right?  And you could win hair treatment that leaves your hair smelling good enough to eat!  (Giveaway ends June 24 at 11:59p.m.)

Oatmeal Sourdough Bread

I made this Oatmeal Sourdough bread once before, using 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and I really enjoyed it.  It was really good in my French Toast Casserole, too.  Yesterday I made it again, with a few adjustments:

Oatmeal Sourdough

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup cooked oatmeal 
• 1 ½ cups water, warm
• 3 T brown sugar
• 1-1/2 t salt
• 1 T oil
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 (or more) cups unbleached flour

Directions:

1. Combine starter, oatmeal, water, and 1 cup whole wheat flour in a large bowl and let sit for about an hour.
2. Mix in sugar, salt and oil.
3. Starting with the remaining cup of whole wheat, add in the flour gradually until the dough comes together into a ball.
4. Turn out dough onto a floured surface, adding extra flour if necessary, and knead until dough is smooth and somewhat firm. Place into an oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rise at least 4 hours or overnight.  (for overnight, plastic wrap is best)

5. After the first rise, turn dough out onto a floured surface. Divide in half, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Form into two loaves and place in greased loaf pans, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 425°F.
6. Slash dough two or three times with a sharp knife. Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes.

Yum!  This bread is going to be really good for sandwiches, and toast, and just to eat.

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My mom linked me to this Sourdough Bread recipe a while back, and I tried it. It didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, so I will have to try it again to see if I can make it work.  The flavor was great, but it just didn't rise worth anything.  That may have been because my starter wasn't quite there yet - but it definitely is now.

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• Making a Sourdough Starter (bethstedman.com)

Using the Egg Whites

The verdict is in, and we like the pudding without the egg yolks best.  It tastes better, and I'm more than happy to skip that extra step of adding egg yolks.  So, I won't always have egg whites to use.  But for this time, I went looking for something to do with them and found this whole list of Recipes to Use Left-over Egg Whites.  I ended up freezing the egg whites instead of using them - which I didn't know I could do.  But, when I have time, I think I'm going to make these Coconut and Chocolate Macaroons.

Coconut and Chocolate Macaroons
30 Cookies

From Ready for Dessert (Ten Speed)

4 large egg whites
1¼ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
2½ cups unsweetened coconut (see note)
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

In a large skillet, mix together the egg whites, sugar, salt, honey, coconut and flour.

Heat over low-to-moderate heat on the stovetop, stirring constantly, scraping the bottom as you stir.

When the mixture just begins to scorch at the bottom, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl to cool to room temperature.
(At this point, the mixture can be chilled for up to one week, or frozen for up to two months.)

When ready to bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Form the dough into 1 1/2-inch mounds with your fingers evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until deep golden brown. Cool completely.

To dip the macaroons in chocolate, melt the chocolate in a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or in a microwave.) Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Dip the bottoms of each cookie in the chocolate and set the cookies on the baking sheet. Refrigerate 5-10 minutes, until the chocolate is set.

Note: Unsweetened coconut is available in most natural-food shops or you can purchase it online.

They sound really good!

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Chocolate Pudding

My husband loves chocolate pudding.  Before we got married and even for a while after we were married, he was happy with the instant kind - add some milk, shake it up, and you've got pudding in a few minutes.  In recent years he's decide that he must have the cookin' kind.  He especially likes the 'scum' that forms on top.  I usually buy the large boxes of Jell-O  chocolate pudding at Walmart for $1, but the last several times I've been there, the spot on the shelf has been empty, and last night they had removed the price tag and spread the small boxes into that spot as well.  Maybe they're not going to carry it any more?  I can't bring myself to buy the small box for 84¢ when I know I could get the large one for $1.

So today I decided to follow the pudding recipe in my cookbook.  It was fairly simple - sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and milk - cook and stir until thickened pretty much like the Jell-O.  But then it has you add egg yolks and cook and stir again, and then add butter and vanilla.  It got me to wondering why I really needed the egg yolks and that extra cooking, so I went looking on the Internet for chocolate pudding recipes without eggs and found this one:

Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
 
In a saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine and vanilla. Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in refrigerator until serving.

Source: allrecipes

Jeffrey said the pudding I made tasted good, but I'm thinking that I will try this recipe tomorrow.  Then we can compare the two and see which one is better - and then decide if the extra work is really necessary.

And now I have to find a recipe for the egg whites...

Update:  We tried both recipes side by side and decided we liked the way this one tastes better.  So, it's easier and it's better.  This is now my go-to chocolate pudding recipe.  I have it written on a Post-it note inside my kitchen cabinet - the cabinet that contains the cocoa, cornstarch, salt and vanilla.  And no more egg whites to worry about.