coconut milk

Coconut Haupia Pudding

Ever been to a luau in Hawaii? You might have seen this delightful Haupia dessert there, more in the form of a jello-like square.

I actually haven’t been to Hawaii, yet this delightful dessert has quickly become a retreat favorite among all my guests. It’s light and straight, so it doesn’t weigh you down after dinner. Plus it’s dairy and gluten-free!

My version is more pudding-like. And I can’t imagine not adding a little topper, like fresh pineapple, toasted coconut, and always an edible flower.
Happy Eating,
~Monique

Coconut Haupia Pudding

1 can full-fat coconut milk or cream
1/4 cup coconut sugar
pinch of pink salt
2 heaping tbls arrowroot
Toppings: fresh pineapple, toasted coconut, and edible flowers

Whisk the arrowroot in a tablespoon or two of water, and set aside.

Place the coconut milk, sugar, and pinch of salt in a small pan over medium heat. Once the mixture is warm and the sugar has melted. whisk in the arrowroot slurry.

Continue to simmer, whisking often, until the pudding is thickened and well-cooked together (about 7 minutes.)

Pour into a pretty bowl or individual ramekins, and store in the refrigerator until well chilled.
To serve, top with minced pineapple, toasted coconut, and an edible flower.

Poblano Avocado Soup with Grilled Corn Salad

Each of these recipes is so good on their own, but when you combine the Poblano Avocado Soup with the Corn Salad, it’s absolutely so good! Perfect for late summer when the corn is perfectly sweet. Serve with a bunch of fresh herbs for extra flavor and presentation. ~monique

AVOCADO POBLANO SOUP

1 poblano pepper, grilled or roasted and skin scraped

1 small avocado

¼ cup raw or toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 tbls lime

1 garlic clove, crushed

~1 cup coconut milk

salt to taste

Add the poblano, pumpkins seeds, lime, garlic clove, 1/2 tsp salt and coconut milk to the blender, blend on high until smooth.
Add in the avocado and blend to combine again. This should be a really smooth sauce. Add additional coconut milk or water as needed to achieve a desired consistency.
Taste and adjust salt & lime to taste.

GRILLED CORN SALAD

1 garlic clove, minced

2 ears grilled corn, cut off cob

1/4 cup finely diced grilled red onion

1 tbls minced jalapeno

2 tbls olive oil

1 tbls lime juice

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Toss the garlic, corn, onion jalapeno, olive oil, lime and salt

Putting it all together:
Place a scoop of the corn salad into soup bowl, pour the avocado soup around it.

Adorn with fresh herbs: Cilantro, basil, mint, fennel or try parsley, oregano, dill

Strawberry Coconut Popsicle

These Strawberry Coconut Popsicles are the simplest thing to blend together. I made a batch (using little paper cups and toothpicks because I don’t have popsicle molds) and now I have a great, simple and healthy frozen treat anytime I need one.

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 pint fresh strawberries

2 tbls maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Set out little paper cups or popsicle molds. I used pretty small cups and make about 20 popsicles; the amount you make will depend on your mold size.

Rinse strawberries (if the they are organic, leave the leaves on them.) Place into a blender and pulse until relatively smooth depending on your preference; any berry chunks will be a frozen little berry in the popsicle. Pour into a container and set aside.

Add the coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla to the blender, blend to combine. Pour the coconut milk into the bottom of each cup, just a few tablespoons, using about 1/2 of the coconut milk.

Add half of the blended strawberries the the coconut milk in the blender and blend to combine. Now fill each cup with about 1/4 cup of the coconut strawberry mixture.

Top each cup with the remaining blended strawberries. Set the cups in the freezer. Set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes (so the popsicles are formed enough to hold up the sticks) and push a toothpick or popsicle stick into the cups. Enjoy when fully frozen.

Variations: mix these easy homemade coconut popsicles up by using different berries like blueberry, blackberries or cherries.

Roasted Banana Ice Cream

Banana ‘nice’ cream is all the rage and I totally understand why. It’s simple and delicious. But my Roasted Banana Ice Cream takes that concept to the next creamy, dreamy level. It’s dairy free though you would never know it by the texture.

2 bananas, sliced

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup + 1 tbls brown coconut sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 can full fat coconut milk, cream only (save the water-like liquid for another use)*

Cinnamon roasted bananas

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the bananas about 1″ thick and place close together on a parchment lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and 1 tbls coconut sugar. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Blend the cooled bananas with remaining coconut sugar and vanilla until creamy.

To the blender add the coconut milk, blend until mixed and smooth. I then place the mixture in fridge to chill and allow the flavors to meld a bit more, 2 hours up to overnight. Skip this step if you don’t have time.

Process in ice cream maker and enjoy immediately.

*It helps to place one can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. Open the can and scoop out the thick cream from the top of the can, leaving the the water-like liquid for another use.

*The roasted bananas give a deep sweetness to this nice cream, but if you like ice cream a little sweeter; add a few more tablespoons of coconut sugar

*Works best if you have an ice cream maker, but you could freeze this in a loaf pan, it will be just a touch icy. Or freeze in ice cube trays, then pop them into the blender until creamy.