coconut – Hālau 'Aha Hui Lānākila

Day 2 ~ 7-Day Snack and Dessert Challenge ~ Toasted Coconut Truffles

September 30, 2014October 2, 2014 Nā Hālau ʻĀha Hūi LanakilaLeave a comment

choco truffles — Chocolate Toasted Coconut Truffles ~ If you want info about this challenge and the shopping list, click on the image.

In our world, you should be able to have your chocolate and have your health too! These toasted coconut chocolate truffles are just what the doctor ordered if you are looking for something dense and satisfying that won’t totally weigh you down.

You may also be pleasantly surprised how flavourful these truffles are even tough they only contain 5 simple everyday ingredients. Enjoy these with a nice cup of tea at the end of your day, or as a pick me up snack during your day, or both!

Ingredients:

3 cups dried shredded coconut
3 cups Fresh dates, pitted and chopped
½ tbsp coconut oil
pinch sea salt
cacao or cocoa or carob powder to coat

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place coconut in an even layer on baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until coconut is brown and toasted. Be sure to watch it as it can go from brown to black in a very short time!

2. Remove coconut from the oven and transfer to a high speed blender or food processor. Blend with coconut oil until a smooth butter forms.

3. Add pitted chopped Fresh dates and process again until thick mixture forms. It is OK if the dates don’t get full blended in, having a few date pieces in your truffles can be tasty!

4. Remove mixture from blender and let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.

5. Roll your mixture into 1 inch balls and coat in cacao, cocoa or carob powder.

6. Place on lined baking tray and cool in the freezer or enjoy as they are!

Recipe ~ Samoan Panipopo Coconut Buns

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 Nā Hālau ʻĀha Hūi LanakilaLeave a comment

Recipe: Samoan Panipopo Coconut Buns

A popular, yet misrepresented, recipe is of panipopo, or coconut buns. There are many recipes on the Internet using ready-made dough, which is not authentic. An authentic recipe can be found by Lei Ne’emia. As with many people who “eyeball” in their cooking, Ms. Ne’emia’s recipe is similarly written. Here is a shortened version that hopefully will give similar results.

Pani Ingredients:
8 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter, softened
1/4 c sugar (add more or less to preference)
1/4 c dry active yeast
2 c warm water

Pani Preparation:
In a large bowl, rub softened butter into flour and salt. Using of clean hands works best to create the silky, but not greasy, texture that is needed.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour the sugar in the middle.

In a smaller metal or glass bowl, dissolve yeast in really warm water. Avoid using plastic bowls for this recipe. Stir until the yeast is fully dissolved. Add more warm water if necessary. The yeast should be a milky gray color and smell like bread. Pour mixture into the well of sugar.

Using a wooden spoon, fold the ingredients together. Scrape from the sides of the bowl into the middle until everything is combined nicely. If necessary, add more warm water in to make the doughy consistency, but be sure it is really thick and sticky, like pancake batter.

Cover bowl with a damp dish towel and allow it to rise in a warm, dark place for one hour.

Now, the dough should have doubled in size and have holes in it. Spread flour onto a counter top or tabletop, a thick blanket of flour is good. Knead the dough working from the edges inward. Continue kneading flour to the mixture until it can form into a ball. Do not knead too long or the buns will not be fluffy, but dense like bagels.

Cover the dough again and allow to rise another hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the dough into chunks a little larger than a golf ball. Roll each chunk into thick “strings”. Tie each string into a knot. Place about 24 knots in each large cake pan. About two and a half to three pans will be needed.

Popo Ingredients:
2 cans pe’epe’e (canned coconut cream)
1 c flour
water
sugar

Popo Preparation:
Fresh coconut cream is always best, but, when there are no coconut trees or coconut tree climbers to pick and crack open a coconut, it is okay to resort to canned coconut cream. A great coconut cream product is made by Kara.

Pour the coconut cream into a container.

In a small bowl, mix together flour and water to make a runny paste. Pour into container. Top off with more water to be sure there’s enough for all the pans. This mixture should be able to fill all the pans and cover at least half of the height of the buns.

Before pouring the mixture onto the buns, it needs to be sweetened with enough sugar to be a bit sweeter than you think it should be.

Panipopo Preparation:
Pour the cream mixture onto the buns. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. Be sure to check the cream to be sure it is not too dry. It has to have a chance to boil and the tops of the buns to golden.

While the buns are cooling, be sure to top it off with sugar water to prevent the buns from getting dry. Cover with foil or a damp cloth should work as well.

Best served warm in a shallow bowl with some extra sauce for dipping. Goes great with a warm drink like koko Samoa.

Please note:
Coconut is a laxative if enough is eaten. Be sure to watch your intake!

Healthy Recipe ~ Crunchy Coconut Crumble Ice Cream

September 23, 2014 Nā Hālau ʻĀha Hūi LanakilaLeave a comment

Crunchy Coconut Crumble Ice Cream contains no white sugar, and uses raw and plant-based ingredients. If you like this recipe, you'll love our upcoming 7-Day Snacks & Dessert Challenge! — Crunchy Coconut Crumble Ice Cream contains no white sugar, and uses raw and plant-based ingredients. If you like this recipe, you’ll love our upcoming 7-Day Snacks & Dessert Challenge!

This recipe will knock your socks off, and I am confident that it will convince any one – plant based eater or not – that raw and plant based desserts can be just as satisfying as their ‘junk’ food counter parts. This recipe is really simple to prepare, and you can have the components on hand in your freezer, ready to be mixed up whenever your sweet tooth calls you. I do recommend that you keep the two components separate until you are ready to munch to maintain maximum crunchability

Ingredients:

Crunchy Coconut Crumble:

(makes at least 20 servings, depending on how much crumble you want in your ice cream)

1 cup oat groats – ground into a flour
2 cups toasted coconut flakes – you can purchase pre-toasted coconut or toast your own at home.
1 cup almonds, chopped
3 cups fresh dates, pitted
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla powder or vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Ice Cream:

(This is for one serving of ice cream)

2-3 frozen, peeled bananas
1/2 tsp vanilla powder or extract
1/4 cup coconut or almond milk
1/2 cup crumble balls

Directions: To make your crumble, place your oat groats, coconut sugar, chopped pitted dates, cinnamon powder, vanilla and salt in a blender or food processor and pulse until a sticky cookie dough like consistency is reached. Remove from your blender or food processor and stir coconut flakes and chopped almonds in by hand to maintain their shape and crunch. Form into 1/4 inch balls and place in the freezer. When you are ready to make your ice cream, place your frozen bananas, vanilla and coconut or almond milk in a high speed blender or food processor and process until smooth. Remove from your machine and stir in your crumble mixture. Enjoy!

Recipe ~ Raw Chocolate Treats

September 6, 2014 Nā Hālau ʻĀha Hūi LanakilaLeave a comment

These taste great with a cup of your favorite organic coffee, or whenever you want a nutritional chocolatey pick-me-up. The cacao and dates are chock-full of vitamins and minerals and are sugar, dairy and nut-free. And the best part? They don’t melt in your bag, so you can take them with you and enjoy them while you travel.

Ingredients

3/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 cup of melted cacao butter
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
1/4 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. unsweetened dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions

Melt the cacao butter on the stove over very low heat. To avoid burning the butter, you can create a makeshift double boiler. Put a little hot water into a metal pot or bowl and then use another smaller metal bowl or metal cup for the solid chunks of cacao butter. Place the smaller metal cup into the larger bowl, and try to be sure that not one drop of water enters the cup with the butter in it. Gently stir the cacao butter while it heats up.

Remove the melted cacao butter from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the cacao powder and agave nectar and mix thoroughly and quickly. Next add in approximately half of each of the dry ingredients and stir. You will need to be quick with this step to ensure it is mixed well.

On a sheet of baking paper spread out the mixture into an even thickness into the shape of a rectangle. Put a second sheet of baking paper on top and press down firmly on the mixture. You can use a rolling pin if you have one or just give yourself an arm workout by pressing down on the mixture with your hands.

Take off the top layer of baking paper and add the rest of the dry ingredients on top of the mixture.

Fold the edge of the bottom sheet of baking paper towards the centre of the mixture, to roll the mixture over itself (a bit like rolling sushi). Be sure to press down firmly to keep the mixture warm with the body temperature from your hands and to keep the mixture sticking together. Roll until you have a nice fat tube created, and be sure to pull the tube away from the baking paper as you roll.

Alternatively you can roll the outside of the tube across a plate of shredded coconut.

Pop the chocolate tube into the fridge for an hour to make sure it’s nice and hard. This will make it easier to cut into the thickness of rounds that you prefer using a sharp straight edged knife.

Store in a container with a lid and pop a few in a sandwich bag when you’re ready to hit the road. Safe, healthy travels!

Recipe ~ 5-Minute Cacao & Superfood Smoothie

August 14, 2014August 14, 2014 Nā Hālau ʻĀha Hūi Lanakila3 Comments

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

1.5 cup coconut water
1/2 cup coconut flesh
1/2 banana
1/2 cup of your favorite berries (here I’ve used frozen raspberries)
1 Tbsp. hemp powder
1 Tbsp. cacao powder
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 Tbsp. maca

Toppings

Pistachios
Hemp seeds
Cacao nibs

Directions

Blend all ingredients into your high-speed blender until well combined and serve with your favorite toppings.

Here I’ve used pistachios, hemp seeds and cacao nibs for toppings.

Recipe ~ Fourth of July “Mounds” Bars

July 1, 2014 Nā Hālau ʻĀha Hūi LanakilaLeave a comment

Ingredients:

(1) 7 oz bag sweetened shredded coconut
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
(1) 12 oz bag dark chocolate chips
Food Coloring

Directions:

1. Combine one 7 oz bag of sweetened shredded coconut with 7 oz of condensed milk. Mix well.

2. Separate your mixture into 3 different bowls. Put the same amount in each bowl and add red food coloring to one bowl and blue to the other. The white obviously stays as is. The blue will only need about 2 drops but the red will require more otherwise it will be pink. If you have food coloring gels these work well. Refrigerate all the mixtures for 1 hour.

3. Remove your bowls from the refrigerator and start preparing 2 inch mounds on a lined baking sheet. I think it’s best to use a Silpat but if you do not have a Silpat, use wax paper. I did one color at a time then washed my hands and moved on to the next color so the colors did not bleed together.

4. Using a damp paper towel, cover your bars and shape them with your hands. Refrigerate for another 2 hours.

5. Once your bars are completely cold you need to melt your dark chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. Now there are two ways to melt your chocolate. If you melt your chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals (stirring in between) like I normally tell you to do, your chocolate will be more soft and malleable; meaning, if you leave these these candies out all day, the chocolate will start to melt a bit and it will get all over your hands. If you want your chocolate to be hard (like when you buy a box of candy) you will need to temper your chocolate. Once your chocolate is melted you will want to dip your bars into the melted chocolate and place back on the lined tray. This is totally messy and there is no other way to do it. Refrigerate for another 2 hours.

Tip: If you want your bars to look smoother you can dip them again and do a second coating of chocolate and then refrigerate once again. The bars pictured here were double-dipped. Enjoy!

Recipe ~ Triple Coconut Chocolate Cookies (vegan, gluten-free)

June 28, 2014June 28, 2014 Nā Hālau ʻĀha Hūi Lanakila2 Comments

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Ingredients for the cookies

1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour
2 Tbsp. shredded coconut
1 tsp. baking powder
dash of salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
2-3 Tbsp. agave
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients for the coconut icing

1/4 cup coconut butter
1 Tbsp. agave
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients for the chocolate sauce

2 Tbsp. agave
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Prepare flax “egg” by mixing ground flaxseed with 3 Tbsp warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine coconut flour, all-purpose flour, shredded coconut, baking powder and salt

In a small bowl, combine coconut oil, agave and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients and flax “egg” into large bowl until thoroughly mixed.

On a clean surface, use a rolling pin to roll batter out until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Use a circular cookie cutter (a jar lid works well) to cut cookie shapes. Transfer cookies to baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until edges are golden.

While cookies bake, prepare coconut icing by mixing coconut butter, agave and vanilla together. Prepare chocolate sauce by mixing agave and cocoa powder together.

Remove cookies from oven and allow them to cool. Spread a layer of coconut butter on each cookie and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Sprinkle extra shredded coconut on top. Enjoy!

Makes about 15 cookies

RECIPE ~ Coconut, Chia, Avocado & Blueberries Parfait

May 31, 2014May 31, 2014 Nā Hālau ʻĀha Hūi Lanakila1 Comment

This is the perfect way to start the day. Not only is it gorgeous looking but it’s also full of goodness to give you all you need for an amazing day.

You’ve got good fats and your essential fatty acids with the avocado, the coconut and the chia seeds, and you also have a good dose of antioxidants with the blueberries.

Ingredients

Serves 1