This week, I bought a fresh coconut. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it, but it was in my Imperfect Foods (referral link – we both get $10 toward a box) order and so there we were. Me. And a coconut. Looking at each other.
Image by tree-species on Flickr
Somewhere in the back of my mind was a vague memory of coconut fried rice. So, I googled around, never quite finding the right recipe, but getting enough info to cobble together. And then decided to partner it with a very basic Thai curry.
Coconut Fried Rice
Ingredients 8 cups cooked and chilled rice (I used Loto Rice for something different) 2-3 cups coconut meat, finely chopped (fresh or frozen fresh) ⅓ inch of fresh ginger, finely diced or grated ½ teaspoon garlic, minced ¼ cup coconut water or 1 tsp olive oil in scant ¼ cup water 2 TBSP olive or sesame oil 2-3 scallions, chopped
Process – Add coconut, ginger, and garlic to a wok or large sauté pan. – Cook over medium-high heat, tossing frequently for even toasting. If/when it begins to get overly dry, add a bit of the coconut water. You likely won’t use the whole amount. – Once coconut meat has become slightly golden, push to the sides of the pan and add oil. Allow to heat and then add rice. – Toss rice in oil area for a few moments, then reincorporate the coconut meat mix. – Add scallions, reduce heat a bit, and continue to cook for 5-8 minutes. – If you aren’t ready to serve yet, lower heat to low and just remember to stir occasionally. Do not cover with a lid. You don’t want rice to get mushy.
Easy Thai Chickpea Curry
Ingredients 2 TBSP olive oil 1 medium onion, diced ½ inch of ginger, minced or grated 1 red pepper, diced 2 cans chickpeas, drained 1 can diced tomatoes 2 tsp Thai red curry paste 1 can full-fat coconut milk 1 large handful of kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped/ripped
Process – Sauté onion, pepper, and ginger in olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent. – Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and curry paste – Cook until heated through – Smash up some of the chickpeas for texture and to help thicken – Add coconut milk and stir in – Add kale, cover, and allow to simmer 5 minutes – Reduce heat to low until ready to serve
Today, for breakfast, we had homemade cinnamon rolls. Not to be outdone, dinner said, “hold my beer,” and came around with colcannon and corn on the cob. Yum!
If you don’t know colcannon, this old Irish recipe traditionally contains cabbage, but here kale is substituted because why not? This makes a great comfort food side dish with a little nutrition wrapped in! Everyone in the house likes it, even if they aren’t into greens.
Colcannon
5 lb chopped potatoes (peeled or not)
5 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
4 T olive oil
6-8 cups roughly chopped kale
3 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
2 T nutritional yeast (optional)
4 T unsweetened soy milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop potatoes (skins on or off) and put on to boil. Put olive oil and garlic in a large pan and sauté the garlic until fragrant. Add kale, soy sauce, and liquid smoke and toss to coat. Cook kale at medium high until tender. When potatoes are tender, drain. While potatoes are draining, add milk to kale mix to warm. Then combine ingredients and mash by hand or with an electric mixer. I leave these a little more solid than I would mashed potatoes, since the kale is in there. Salt and pepper to taste.
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
6-8 ears of corn
2 cups of water
Shuck and clean corn as usual. Add 1 cup of water into the instant pot. Place corn on top of the rack/trivet. Cook at high pressure 2 minutes. Allow to cool for 3 minutes then quick release.
