No Fry Coconut Donut Cake

One of my all time most popular posts is for No Fry Donut Cake.  I've made it even better by turning it into coconut donuts!  Im a bit ga-ga for coconut right now.

1-3/4 cup GF baking mix
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons flaked unsweetened coconut
Dash of salt
1/3 cup melted margarine
1 cup vanilla soymilk, or whatever milk you like
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 and grease the bottom of a 8" or 9" square pan.

Combine the above in a medium bowl and mix by hand.  Scrape into your prepared pan.  Bake for 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, melt 1/4 cup margarine and set aside.  You'll also need to toast in a dry pan about 1/2 cup of unsweetened flaked coconut.  It only takes a minute.  Don't walk away from it.  Stir constantly. Set aside with the melted margarine.  You'll need these to top the donut cake!

As soon as cake comes out of oven, pierce the top a ton with a fork.  I have to dip the fork in the melted margarine to keep it from sticking too much.

Brush the top of pierced cake with the melted margarine.  Sprinkle the toasted coconut over that and gently press down onto cake.  Mmmmmmm.....  Smells amazing!

Look at it!  I'm dying....

I Must Be Coconuts Mini Muffins

Coconut. Maple. Chocolate.  Yes, please!  Bub's home and I feel like I don't even know what to cook or have in the house for him!  My mommy senses are tingling and telling me muffins are a good start!  The roast beef in the crock pot is also a good idea.

Grease mini muffin pan and preheat oven to 375.

In medium bowl combine:

2 cups GF baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
Dash of salt
4 tablespoons flaked coconut (I use unsweetened with nothing added to it)
1/4 cups chocolate chips, mini are nice (thank you Amanda's Own )

In small bowl combine:

1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup Vanilla soymilk
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients.  Pour in the wet ingredients and stir from the bottom of your bowl until it's all moistened.

Spoon into greased pan.  Bake for 15-17 minutes until tops a little toasty looking.

It's been a long time coconut. Welcome back to you and my Bub!

Banh Xeo

There were mistakes made making this...  like I needed waaaaay more crepe batter than I prepared.  That said, it was still a carmelized delicious mess!  Jennie came home for the night and I wanted to try this since seeing it on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/videos/dv1900/big-time-bites.0226106.html

I made sugared edamame with lots of black pepper and some Bragg Liquid Aminos.  I boiled the soybeans, drained them, and let them dry for a little while.

I melted about 1/4 cup of Earth Balance stick margarine in a large skillet, added the beans and half a cup of sugar.  When it got bubbly and slightly thick, I added a splash of Braggs and the black pepper. Feel free to add your own spices here too.  I am just really plain...

Whisk together equal parts rice flour and water and a dash of turmeric is called for here.  The batter should be pretty thin.  When your pan and veggies are screaming hot, pour in the crepe batter and swirl the pan to cover.  Allow to cook until set and crispy underneath.  Mine looks too dark but it really wasn't burnt.  It was the Braggs and sugar turning into carmelized bits of delicious.

I'm going to try this again.... Less beans, more batter so I can flip it out and have it fold over like it is supposed to.

All in all... A good thing to try!

Cold Brew Coffee

An early Mom's Day gift from the kids gave me the best lattes I've ever had today!  Allegro Coffee is full of flavor when brewed in my French press but this.... THIS... this is completely amazing.

You need 12 ounces of coarse ground coffee beans, 7 cups of cold, filtered water, and 12-24 hours.  I use La Duena beans by Allegro which is a medium roast that is a sweet and chocolately coffee.

You basically layer the coffee beans and water, allow it to sit, filter it into a glass pitcher with an airtight lid, and enjoy over two weeks. The result is a coffee concentrate that is smooth and intensely flavored.

The kit Jen and Bub got for me is Toddy brand.  It requires no electricity (after the coffee beans are ground) and it is super easy.

I tried to drink it straight up to get the true flavor first and, apparently, I'm not woman enough.  But, a shot poured into hot soymilk is so smooth, rich, and creamy.  I always take an iced latte to work too and drink it mid-morning.  Today, when I sipped from my straw, I was knocked out by the flavor. Much wow.