Coconut Sugar Treats

Sunday is my baking day for many reasons.  I love to bake and it is a stress-less activity for me; AND it gets us prepared for our week.  I find if I bake 3 snack type items, I don't have to worry so much about if there is a quick snack available.  Most people can provide the snacks a typical child needs by going to the store.  Even in a gluten and dairy free diet you can, however, it costs soo much I find it more effective for our family to just make sure we set aside the time to make the bulk of our snacks at home. Also, by making them at home, I have full control over the ingredients I put in them.

My goal for today was not only to make the snacks, but also to really get to know the flexibility and effective uses of Coconut Sugar.  I used it in all the cookies posted in the picture- UN-Peanut Butter Cookies, Coconut Macaroons made with bananas instead of eggs, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Bread.  It worked fabulously in all of these and I even had no problem with the yeast rising in my Bread.  There also was no noticeable compromise of flavor in these items, though the color was slightly darker than usual.  The color of the Coconut Macaroons was most noticeable, darkening just to the level of a pale-colored caramel. The Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies I am comfortable saying that their color was left unchanged and the bread was the color of your average whole wheat loaf.

SOO, many of you are probably wondering why I have ventured into Coconut sugar.  If you are curious about this, I recommend you read my previous post HERE- other than that, all I've got to say is its got more nutrients in it than many vitamin supplements and easier for your body to absorb too!

Chicken Nuggets OR Boneless Buffalo Wings

While sitting in a Doctors Office a few years ago I was a reading a child's magazine with one of my kids and saw a recipe for Chicken Nuggets. Seeing the nuggets on the page just gave me a challenge- Made me say there has got to be a way to not only get the bread to successfully stick to the nuggets, but also make the texture of the bread resemble the texture of 'normal' nuggets.  Out of that Doctors visit comes these, highly successful, and very yummy OVEN BAKED and chicken nuggets. They are even friendly enough that your children can help make them.  

Just a tip, this recipe will be much easier if you keep pre-packaged (bagged) mixes of my pizza crust on hand.  If so, you will need 2/3 cup of the mix instead of the first section of the 'Bread' recipe.

Chicken Nuggets

 

2-3 Large Chicken breast cut into 2 x 3/4 inch strips 

For the Bread:

1/3 cup Rice Flour

1/4 cup Tapioca Flour

3 TBSP Sorghum Flour

1 TBSP Ground Flax

1 tsp Gelatin

1 tsp Guar Gum

1/4 tsp Granulated Onion
1/4 tsp Granulated Garlic

1/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning (McCormick)

Pinch Oregano (rubbed in the palms of your hands 

                              first if you can't find rubbed oregano)

1/4 tsp Parsley

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

1/8 TSP Cream of Tartar

*  *  *  *

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Rice Milk

*  *  *  *

2 1/2 cups Corn Flakes, Crushed (or any other kind of flakes)

1) Get 3 bowls or shallow dishes like pie pans or cake pans

2) In the first bowl put the first list of ingredients.  This is actually a reduced portion of the dry ingredients of my Pizza Crust Recipe - I actually keep pre-bagged pizza mixes on hand so I can use it when I need it. If you decide to premake mixes like this, you will need about 2/3 cup of the mix.  It is much easier this way.

3) In the second dish, put the eggs and the rice milk and beat with a fork for a minute.

4) In the final dish put the crushed corn flakes.
5) Take a few of the chicken pieces and gently move them around in the pizza flour mixture and then dredge in the egg mix and finally in the corn flakes. Repeat the process til all the chicken is breaded.

6) As you finish pieces, place them on a greased baking sheet.  When you fill the sheet spray nuggets liberally with non-stick spray.

7) Bake at 450 for 10 minutes then flip the nuggets, spray the other side liberally with non-stick spray and then return them to the oven for 10 more minutes.

As dips or flavorings for these, you can use salad dressing or ketchup, OR you can toss them with Buffalo Wing Sauce.

Coconut Meringue Pie

This is a post I have been trying to put out since Thanksgiving. I have literally written this post 3 times now, 2 times it got swallowed up in the depths of Blogger and vanished. I had lost interest in putting out the effort in recreating it, until last night when I learned about Coconut Sugar (or Palm Sugar).  A very HIGHLY nutritious sugar made from Coconut-  So much so that I think I may consider replacing our vitamins with cookies these days!  It completely reignited my fire for this recipe being that this IS a Coconut pie that calls for sugar- Yeah, you know where I am going next :)

So if you are wondering what sparked my thrill with Coconut Sugar, read about it here. It's far more nutritious than blackstrap molasses.  At 35 its Glycemic Index scores better than molasses, which is 55, though it does not touch the GI of Agave Nectar which is 15 or better.  Strictly speaking about nutritional value, here is a chart that sets everything strait- from white or brown sugar to Maple Syrup and Agave Nectar. Below the chart that has the amounts of each macro-nutrient, there is a chart that tells you what each of those macro-nutrients do for your body. I think you will be just as AMAZED at the values as I was.  If you are interested in buying it, I have a link to the best price I found online on my Best Priced Ingredients page. (If you buy from a health food store they will charge you about 5 times the price!)

This pie is truly a Coconut Pie!  Coconut Milk/Cream, Coconut extract, Coconut Shreds, and now Coconut Sugar- To me that is just COCONUT HEAVEN!  I love coconut and I don't know too many people who do not.  Now, yes, it is true that I have not yet made it with Coconut Sugar, but I do not foresee any problems.  The substitution is 1 to 1 and all I have read says the flavor is just as sweet as sugar.  

Coconut Meringue Pie

1 teaspoon gelatin

2 TBSP COLD Rice Milk

*  *  *  *
2 cups unsweetened coconut cream
3/4 cup sugar - By all means replace with Coconut Sugar if you have it!
Pinch of coarse salt

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup Tapioca Starch

*  *  *  *

1 teaspoon pure coconut extract
1  2/3 cups shredded coconut

**Use My  Pecan Crust adding 1/4 cup melted chocolate mixed with 2 TBSP Coconut Cream (mix these together before adding them to the crust ingredients- Baking the crust before adding the filling and then again only if you top with the meringue)

1) In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 2 TBSP cold rice milk. Let stand for 5 minutes. 

2)In a medium saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, gelatin mixture, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with Tapioca starch until combined.

3) Slowly whisk one-fourth of the hot-milk mixture into egg yolks; return to saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture returns to a boil, for about 1-2 minutes. Stir in shredded coconut and coconut extract. Transfer to a large bowl; let stand 15 minutes.

4) Pour filling into the prepared crust. 

5) You can top with either a meringue or whipped topping.  I top with meringue then bake Meringue for 15 minutes at 350. 

6) Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.

For Meringue (adapted from The Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book):

3 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Vanilla or Orange Extract
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
*  *  *  *
1/3 cup Sugar

Beat first set of ingredients til soft peaks form and then add sugar and beat til the peaks are firm and glossy. Spread over the filling while filling is still hot/warm and then bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until partially golden on top.