Dark Chocolate Coconut Mousse {Dairy free}

A dark-chocolate lover and whole foodie's dream dessert.  I love this because I can feel good about eating; it's gluten free, dairy free and simple as hell.  I no longer announce upfront that this is made with avocados and not eggs because you can't even TELL. Serve it plain & simple, top with bananas or dress it up to be "fancy" as possible.  I have layered this pudding in a martini glass with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream for an extra special flare.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Mousse 

Ingredients:
1 c organic cocoa powder (quality makes all the difference in the world.  I use Frontier)
2 ripe avocados
1/3 c raw honey
1/2 c coconut milk
2 T coconut flakes (Let's Do Organic brand)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
More coconut flakes, cacao nibs (Also Frontier) and a pinch of cocoa to top (optional)

Directions: 
Blend all, scraping down the sides a few times.  Top with toppings.

Optional:
Freeze for a couple of hours.  This makes for awesome ice cream substitute!

Shrimp with Papaya-Coconut Sauce + Brown Basmati Rice

I found a beautiful papaya at Trader Joe's the other day!  Since it's especially good for the digestion and we're on our second week of the Gut Rehab, it was a must-buy. It felt like a mini tropical get-away to enjoy shrimp with papaya coconut sauce over brown basmati rice. Along with papaya and it's unique enzymes, the  ginger and garlic give the sauce a kick & are also great for the gut. This dish is great for digestion, gluten-free, dairy-free and 100% delicious. ;)

Ingredients:

1 lb raw shrimp (I used wild red argentinean shrimp)
1 small papaya or 1/2 large papaya
1/2 c coconut cream
1/2 tbsp garlic (minced)
1/2 tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp coconut oil (or other high-heat oil)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp allspice
White Pepper
Sea salt
Dried unsweetened coconut flakes (optional garnish)

1 c dry brown basmati rice (cooked to package directions

Directions:


Start the basmati rice as it takes 35-40 min to cook; salt the water well & prepare it to package directions.


Sauce: Scoop out meat from the papaya and place into a food processor along with a pinch of sea salt, allspice, red pepper flakes, coconut cream and lime juice.  Blend until smooth.

Clean the shrimp. Pat dry and season with salt, white pepper, and cumin.   In a medium-large pan, heat to medium-high and add the oil.  Sautee shrimp for just a couple minutes on each side until cooked on the outside, but not thoroughly.  Add the minced ginger & garlic.  Sautee a couple more minutes.  Add the sauce and reduce to low.  Let simmer for 15 min.  Serve papaya-coconut shrimp & sauce over the rice and garnish with coconut flakes.

Banana-Coconut Pancakes with Blueberry Smash (& let's talk about GLUTEN)

(Gluten-Free) Coconut-Banana Pancakes
& Blueberry Smash

These banana-coconut pancakes are out of this WORLD yummy, and super quick & easy! Not to mention, way better tasting and way better FOR YOU than some crappy pre-made pancake mixture with a bunch of who-knows-what on the ingredient list! I have been making them a couple times a week and perfecting the recipe. First, let's get down to business with making these delicious pannycakes...and then we have to talk about something. GLUTEN.

Blueberry Smash:
(High in antioxidants and a MUCH better choice than syrup)

1/3 c frozen or fresh organic blueberries
Coconut Oil (1 tsp)

Throw blueberries and coconut oil into a small saucepan. Turn on medium heat and let this go while you're cooking the pancakes. When the blueberries are hot and juicy, smash 'em with a fork turn the heat to simmer.

Banana-Coconut Pancakes:

NOTE: To my friends & loved ones who are allergic to coconut, NO WORRIES, I got you: OMIT the coconut shreds (throw in some walnut pieces instead!?!) and use another gluten free flour instead of coconut. Or just use regular flour.

1 large ripe banana
2 organic eggs
1.5 tbsp coconut flour (find this online, at your local health store or at a Whole-Foods type grocery store)
1.5 tbsp shredded (unsweetened) coconut
Cinnamon (large pinch)
Sea Salt (small pinch)
1/2 tbsp Coconut Oil
Organic brown sugar (optional)

Smash banana and whisk all ingredients together until the chunks are relatively small and everything is well-incorporated. Let sit for a few minutes (2-5) so that the batter thickens.

Heat coconut oil in a large pan/griddle or skillet. Pour 4 equal portions of the batter into the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes (med-heat) on each side, or until golden brown. I like to sprinkle a wee-bit (like a teaspoon total) on the pancakes before I flip them. Then I sprinkle some other the other side and flip them for just a few seconds at the end to caramelize the sugar. This makes for a bit of sweetness and a crispy outside of your pancakes!

(After about a minute in the pan before the first flip and after a bit of brown sugar...blueberry smash is a-steamin'!)

Serve pancakes with smash on top (you can use any kind of fruit - strawberries, blackberries, peaches, etc.) and serve with an egg for some more protein!

NUTRITION FACTS COMPARISON vs. BOXED PANCAKES

FYI, here are the nutritional facts for both my version and a traditional pre-mix store bought version with syrup:

Banana-Coconut Pancakes + Blueberry Smash
(2 pancakes + 1/4c topping)
181 calories
8 g fat
24 g carbs
5 g protein
Pancake Ingredients: BANANA, EGGS, COCONUT FLOUR, COCONUT SHREDS (UNSWEETENED), CINNAMON, COCONUT OIL, BROWN SUGAR
Topping Ingredients: BLUEBERRIES

Bisquick Pancakes + Aunt Jemima Original Syrup
(2 pancakes + 1/4c topping)
370 calories
2 g fat
83 g carbs
5 g protein
Syrup Ingredients: CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE AND SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE.
Pancake Ingredients: ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, LEAVENING (SODIUM BICARBONATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), DEXTROSE, NONFAT DRY MILK, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, SALT, WHEAT GLUTEN, CALCIUM CARBONATE, DEFATTED SOY FLOUR, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SOY LECITHIN, SODIUM CASEINATE, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOYBEAN OIL, LACTIC ACID.
Nice. My rule of thumb? ALWAYS choose the product with less ingredients.

Buzzword: Gluten

NOTE: I don't have celiac disease or much of a gluten sensitivity...I just think we, as Americans, eat too much wheat in general. I limit any bread/pasta/etc. to 2x a week.

What is"gluten free"? Many people seem confused by this, which is why food manufacturers now proudly stamp "gluten free" all over their products (many of which NEVER CONTAINED Gluten in the first place). Gluten is a protein naturally found in wheat. It's a safe bet to say that anything that contains wheat, contains gluten. This includes: bread, pasta, cookies, crackers, flour, anything that is made with flour. Read more here. Bottom line - products like apple sauce never had wheat in it to begin with, but is now labeled "Gluten Free". I encourage ALL people to understand what gluten is, whether or not they want or need to avoid it, and not to become DEPENDENT on labels!

Consider this: How do you make PASTE in kindergarten? You mix flour together with water. It makes a thick, pasty GUNK. Now, imagine all of the bread, flour, wheat, dough, etc. that you eat, gunking up your intestines and digestive tract. Your small intestines are not smooth; they have textured walls. Over time, when you eat too much flour, you're filling in these crevices of these walls with "paste". This makes it tough for your body to absorb the proper nutrients. Think: smearing putty on a stucco wall....


Traditional Medical Doctors (MD's) test for gluten sensitivity via an invasive BIOPSY of your small intestines. *No thanks!* But, there are non-invasive tests that can provide a good indicator if one is gluten sensitive before resorting to an invasive test. A good first step would be to call a few (licensed) Naturopathic Medical Doctors in your area. Each state should have an association. For example, here is Michigan's (MANP). Many times they can get an indication of gluten-sensitivity via a simple stool test. An easy way to find out on your own is to just remove all gluten-containing products from your diet. Wait a MINIMUM of two weeks (better 4-6 weeks) and then see if your symptoms clear at all. Eat a big plate of whole wheat pasta. Then see how you feel...

Siting my sources: my#1 nutrition source comes from expert Dr. Matthew Marturano, NMD.

While you're checking out his site, make sure to take a look at our new business to teach other Metro-Detroiters how to eat REAL whole food and live healthier: Green Dreams!

30 min Thai: Pineapple Curry Shrimp over Coconut Rice

I love Thai - and this sweet coconut curry dish is a guilty pleasure, but without the unknowns (msg) of your local Thai dive.  This turned out restaurant quality, and in less than 30 minutes.  I looked at a few recipes for inspiration,  and wrote down what I actually used, below.  "Traditional" version call for added sugar in both the sauce and rice. (2 tbsp in curry sauce, 1 tbsp in rice). Feel free, but I skip this, as the pineapple makes it sweet enough for me....

Ingredients for Pineapple Shrimp (serves 4):

3/4 can coconut milk (unsweetened) **
1 lb raw, deveined shrimp
1/3 fresh pineapple,diced
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, finely diced **
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 green onions, sliced (approx 1/4 c)
1 tbsp fresh lemongrass (the middle of the white tender part only) **
1 handful chopped cilantro
1 large pinch, tumeric**
2 tbsp red curry paste**
2 tbsp fish sauce**

**All of these ingredients can be purchased for CHEAP at your local Asian market.  I found tumeric for $0.99 and the coconut milk was $1.49.  Whenever I go, I end up with a grocery bag or two for less than $10 bucks.  You can probably find this stuff in the ethic section of a Whole Foods or other high-end grocery store, but you'll pay an arm and a leg.


Ingredients for Coconut Rice (serves 4):

1/2 cup rice (I used jasmine, but white or brown would work fine)
1/4 can coconut milk
1/4 c coconut flakes
1/2 vanilla bean pod
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Salt & Pepper

Prep all ingredients as stated above - it makes your cook time so much faster and it's easier to modify your dish to your tastes as you go along. Make rice according to package directions, subbing out the 1/4 c coconut water for 1/4 c water and adding vanilla extract and some sea salt and the vanilla bean pod to the pot.  After cooked (15-30 min depending on which kind of rice you use.  Stir in coconut flakes as you fluff.  Let sit for a few min, covered.

In a large saute pan, heat the coconut milk, fish sauce, red curry, garlic, ginger, tumeric  and lemongrass to medium, until bubbling, but not boiling.  Now, add shrimp, green onions, pineapple and cilantro.  Cook about 8 min, or until shrimp is pink.  Serve over rice with a few pineapple chunks  and some cilantro on top for garnish.

Nutritional Info for both pineapple shrimp & rice:


459 Calories
26 g fat
32 g carb
28 g protein