Although coconut is quite delicious straight from the package, toasting it for a few minutes give it a slightly crunchy and dried texture that is perfect for many recipes. And it’s lightly browned color makes it perfect for garnishing.

On occasion I have seen prepackaged toasted coconut, however it is quite expensive and not always available. Besides, it is super easy and less expensive to simply toast it at home in the oven.

I know some people recommend only toasting the coconut until dry, removing it from the oven before it gets any color; but I think a golden brown color on the coconut is attractive and flavorful, so that is how I make it.

Toasted Coconut

You could easily use more coconut, but be sure to only bake it in a thin layer, so that it browns evenly.

• 2 cups shredded coconut (I used sweetened)

1. Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet or pie plate. Place in oven and bake about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until coconut is dry and slightly golden in color (you don’t want to over brown it). If you prefer a colorless toasted coconut, simply watch it more closely and remove it from the oven as soon as it appears dry, but hasn’t quite began to change color.

Desserts, quick and easy toating coconut at home

We are still enjoying fresh, local blueberries here in Oregon, so I decided to whip up some blueberry sauce for breakfast. You can literally make this sauce in a couple of minutes, which makes it perfect for breakfast (or an impromptu dessert topping). If you have a kid that enjoys cooking, this is one of those super easy, yet super delicious, recipes they would probably enjoy making themselves.

This is a very basic recipe, with no fancy ingredients; which is the way I think a berry sauce should be. I do like a little sugar in the sauce, however, if you are watching your sugar intake or have really sweet berries, you might want to reduce or eliminate the sugar.

I think the slightly sweetened sauce is perfect for pancakes or waffles, but it would also be delicious poured over ice cream or pound cake for dessert.

You could use frozen blueberries in this recipe if you don’t have fresh. Also, I like the sauce fairly thick, but if you find it is too thick for your liking, you could reduce the cornstarch to one tablespoon or if the sauce is already prepared, you could always add water a tablespoon at a time to get the desired consistency.

Blueberry Sauce

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• dash salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups blueberries

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt, whisking to combine. Add water and stir or whisk until dissolved and smooth. Add blueberries and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until mixture is thickened, about one minute. Remove from heat and serve warm or cold.

Breakfast, Cooking With Kids, Desserts, quick and easy, Sauces & Dressings gluten-free blueberry sauce

Flank steak grills up very quickly, making it the perfect choice for a weeknight dinner or easy entertaining. It’s a favorite at my house for a quick dinner any day of the week.

This recipe is based on a dish from Paula Deen’s The Deen Family Cookbook. It’s much more my style than the typical Paula dishes, which tend to be too heavy on the cream and butter (making them not so friendly on my waist or cholesterol).

This isn’t a recipe truly from Paula Deen, it’s from her husband Michael. If this dish is any indication of his cooking, I am thinking maybe he should write a cookbook, because it is delicious.

I did significantly reduce the oil in this recipe, but other than that it was great as written. I served it with rice and it was a hit with the whole family.

I used bell peppers, onions, and zucchini as the vegetables, but you could exchange them for your family’s favorites. Anything that grills well could work here (eggplant, mushrooms, asparagus, etc).

Grilled Flank Steak and Vegetables

The meat and veggies take almost the same amount of time to grill. So by the time you are slicing the steak the veggies should be ready too, making this a really quick and easy dinner.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce (I use San-J’s gf one)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• about 2 pounds flank steak or flat iron steak
• 1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 sweet onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1. If using wooden skewers for the vegetables, soak in water for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a 9×13 pan, whisk together the soy sauce, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Slowly add the oil, and whisk to combine. Remove a few tablespoons of the marinade to a separate container (to use to brush the veggies). Add the steak to the dish and turn over to cover both sides with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour (it can be marinated over night).
3. Thread the vegetables onto skewers. Brush with the reserved marinade.
4. Preheat grill. Remove steak from marinade and grill for about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare (I typically cook mine about 7 minutes per side, as we like it more medium). Remove from heat and allow to rest 5 minutes on a platter or cutting board before slicing against the grain.
5. Place the vegetables on the grill and cook about 5 minutes per side, or until they are the desired tenderness. Remove from heat and carefully remove the vegetables from the skewers. Serve with the sliced steak.

BBQ, Main Dishes, quick and easy

Heirloom Tomatoes

You know how some kids have faces only a mother could love? Or at least that is the expression.  Well, heirloom tomatoes are the produce only a cook could love.

They are ugly, wrinkly, and multicolored, but I just love them! They are interesting and colorful and are bursting with flavor this time of year.

Perhaps salsa is not the best use of these expensive tomatoes, but what can I say, I am a girl that loves a homemade salsa. So these beautiful tomatoes met their fate in the food processor today.

I tend to make my salsa in a food processor, just because it’s so fast and easy, but it does tend to make it watery, so it might need drained slightly before serving. Chopping the salsa ingredients seems to alleviate most of this issue, but it takes more time and effort.

Roughly chopped for and going into food processor

Seeded tomatoes (I used the reddish ones)

Chips & Heirloom Salsa

Heirloom Tomato Salsa

You don’t really have to use Heirloom Tomatoes, any large ripe tomato should work just fine. And if you prefer not to use a food processor, you can simply chop all the ingredients and stir it together in a bowl.

• 1/2-1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and cored
• about 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• juice of one lime
• salt to taste

1. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times.
2. Add tomatoes, cilantro, oil, and lime juice and pulse to desired consistency (but don’t overdue it or you’ll have soup). Taste and add salt if desired.
3. If the salsa is too watery pour through a strainer to remove the excess liquid before serving.

 

Make ahead, quick and easy, Sauces & Dressings, Sides heirloom tomato salsa recipe

Plant a zucchini, feed a neighborhood. If you garden or have neighbors that do, chances are you have some zucchini waiting to be used. I know a lot of people dislike zucchini, but I actually enjoy it and have no problem coming up with ways to use it.

Even if you don’t care for it, chances are there are two ways you’ll eat it: zucchini bread and fried zucchini sticks. Maybe. No? Come on, who doesn’t like a quick-bread. And anything fried is better right? With enough crispy, crunchy coating and red sauce it’s not so bad. You know it’s true.

Well, fried zucchini might get your family to eat their veggies, but it’s messy and not exactly the recommended way to get your 5 a day. I came across a baked zucchini recipe from King Arthur Flour. Of course, with panko crumbs, it was full of gluten.

Lucky for me a local store carries gluten-free panko crumbs (Kinnikinnick Crumbs – Panko Style Gluten Free). And since I mentioned the brand, what’s with the name Kinnikinnick? Sorry, that name is insane to spell and pronounce (just saying).

These gluten-free panko crumbs look and feel like traditional panko crumbs and are gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free (unfortunately they do contain egg though, so they are a no-go for my oldest kid). With some modifications to the original recipe I was able to make some excellent gluten-free baked zucchini sticks that were a huge hit at a recent family dinner. In fact they were so popular they were gone before I got a chance to take any pictures. Oh well, it just meant I had to make them again. I am not complaining though, these are super tasty and way less messy than frying.

The coating has Parmesan cheese and pizza seasoning, which really gives a nice flavor. However, if you are dairy-free, I think skipping the cheese altogether would be fine.

The dipping stations.

Coated and ready for the oven.

Hot, crunchy, & ready to dip!

Baked Zucchini Sticks

These are really easy to prepare, but it does dirty a few dishes.

• 2 small-medium zucchinis, unpeeled, ends trimmed and cut into 3 inch sticks
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 cup panko style bread crumbs (I used kinnikinnick gluten-free)
• 1/4-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I didn’t really measure, just guessed)
• 1 tablespoon pizza seaoning (Italian Seasoning would also work)
• 2 large eggs
• about 1/2 cup cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 425 (if you have a convection setting use it). Line a baking sheet with silpat mat or parchement (or at least grease it really well).
2. Place the zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl (or in the sink) and sprinkle evenly with salt. Allow to set for at least 15 minutes (and up to an hour). Rinse zucchini with water and allow to drain.
3. In a shallow dish or bowl, combine panko, Parmesan, and pizza seasoning.
4. In another shallow container, add eggs and lightly beat.
5. In yet another shallow container add cornstarch.
6. Dredge a few zucchini sticks at a time in cornstarch, then egg, then crumb mixture. (As the mixture gets wet, I noticed I had to press the crumbs onto the zucchini to make it stick). Place on prepared sheet.
7. Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned and crisp, about 12-15 minutes (I like them crisp-tender; but they could be cooked a few minutes longer if you prefer them soft). I don’t need to turn these, but I have a convection setting on my oven, so you might want to watch these and turn if needed.
8. Serve immediately with a marinara sauce or an onion dip.

quick and easy, Sides, Snacks gluten-free baked zucchini sticks