The Pajama Chef

Mango Coconut Muffins

June 9, 2014June 7, 2014 Sarah

I love fruit. Love, love, love it. Crisp apples, slightly underripe bananas, juicy peaches, sweet blueberries… I could go on and on. I love them all. Nine times out of ten I’d choose fruit over chocolate–whether on its own or in a dessert. But when you add chocolate to fruit…? Oh man. I’m in heaven. Heaven! Like these muffins, a basic coconut batter filled with juicy chunks of tropical mango, coconut flakes, and white chocolate chips.

These muffins are my dream come true!

You can make these muffins with the regular variety you buy in the grocery store but my favorite kind of mango is the Ataulfo mango, also known as the honey or champagne mango. They are rich and sweet, and in my opinion… easier to cut. They have an intensely sweet flavor, with some peppery or minty notes.

They’re soft and fluffy, perfect for any occasion from book club [that’s what I made them for!] to lunchboxes. Ben’s been taking them in his lunch and people have been asking him what in the world is in that glorious muffin that smells SO SO good. I mean, who can resist these tropical treats, especially during a long day? I know I can’t! And you won’t be able to either! 🙂

Mango Coconut Muffins [adapted from Following in My Shoes]
click to print

Ingredients:

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted + cooled
1 egg
1 teaspoon coconut emulsion/extract [or vanilla extract]
1 cup fresh diced mango
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried coconut, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease well.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl stir together buttermilk, milk, coconut oil, egg, and coconut emulsion. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then gently fold in mango, white chocolate chips, and half [2 tablespoons] of the dried coconut.

Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tins and then top with remaining coconut.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days and then freeze leftovers.

Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 16 muffins.

Other, Recipes, Sides

Tabbouleh

June 6, 2014May 31, 2014 Sarah

Tabbouleh is one of those things I didn’t know I liked, but once I found out I did, I wanted to make it all the time. This cold Lebanese salad is so fresh and flavorful. It goes with almost anything! I had eaten tabbouleh at the occasional restaurant over the years, but just kinda ate it because it was there. It wasn’t until I went to a Mediterranean theme dinner and decided to try my hand at making a batch that I really fell in love with it.

There are a zillion recipes for tabbouleh, though most are pretty much the same: bulghur wheat, parsley, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, etc. I had Marisa‘s recipe pinned and decided to try it out because it was actually her grandma’s recipe, and we all know that grandma recipes are the best! Marisa’s grandma puts an extra spin on it by adding a little allspice at the end. This makes it extra special, in my opinion.

I’ve made this salad for several groups now and have actually had some comments on how much better this version is from others. Chance? Or Marisa’s grandma’s special touch? I’ll never know! 🙂 This recipe makes a large bowl–plenty of servings for a party, a week’s worth of lunches, or whatever you fancy! I’m sure the recipe could be halved too if you need less. Oh, and be sure to try scooping some up with pita bread… heavenly!

one year ago: Italian Chicken & Veggie Couscous Bowls
two years ago: Banana Crumb Muffins
three years ago: Creamy Taco Mac

Tabbouleh [from Hummus and Jalapenos]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 cups bulghur wheat [there are different sizes–I used medium]
2 bunches parsley
3-4 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and allspice to taste

Directions:

Rinse bulghur in cold water 3-4 times, then pour boiling water over top. Let rest in large bowl for at least a half hour, then drain with a fine mesh strainer and set aside in a bowl.

Remove stems from parsley and place in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

Place parsley, tomatoes, green onions, cucumber, lemon juice, and olive oil in bowl with wheat. Season with salt, pepper, and allspice. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Time: 60 minutes.
Yield: 16 servings.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons

June 4, 2014June 6, 2014 Sarah

Last bridal shower post! I received these cookies [and the recipe] back at Christmas from Mary Beth at A Carrot and A Cupcake for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. Since the bride loves coconut, these were a natural addition to our menu. Can’t go wrong with chocolate and coconut, right?! 🙂 I must say, I was a bit nervous making these macaroons for a bridal shower because you want bridal showers to be pretty, not trashy. And let’s face it: sometimes working with melted chocolate causes things to look trashy. Or is that just me? ANYWAYS…

I breathed a sigh of relief when these macaroons came out of the oven golden brown, with crunchy exteriors and soft interiors. And I breathed a second sigh of relief when my dipped chocolate looked… well… normal. Not drop-dead-candy-shop gorgeous, but passable. Normal, even for a home kitchen. And then I wanted to run away to the beach with the entire tin of Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons. They were so good [c’mon, I had to allow myself one to taste test. That’s just a thing ya do!] and I wanted more. But guys… I decided to share. 🙂 It was just the right thing to do.

More chocolate, more coconut, more more more. That’s the problem with little rich desserts. You can convince yourself ahead of time that “one is enough” and “I couldn’t possibly eat another. I am too full/stubborn/ridiculous girl embarrassed/pick your poison.” But no. One isn’t enough. These macaroons are rich and addictive. I heard that non-coconut lovers inhaled these macaroons. I must have done something right. 🙂

If the length of the recipe and all the steps scare you… don’t let it. These macaroons are foolproof, tested, and relatively simple. If you’ve ever had a dry macaroon and have sworn off making them because of that, well–this recipe is for you. These macaroons aren’t dry and they don’t have weird ingredients either. Just lots of delicious coconut and chocolate sweetness! I know these will be my go-to Christmas cookie and bridal/baby shower treat for years to come. Food bloggers always say that sort of thing, but I really mean it. I’ve never had a macaroon as good as these and I bet you haven’t either! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 🙂

one year ago: Pretzel Rolls
two years ago: Orange-Glazed Chicken Stir Fry
three years ago: Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pancakes

Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons [from A Carrot and A Cupcake]

Ingredients:

28 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup canned cream of coconut [i.e. Coco Lopez] – or if you can’t find that, substitute an equal amount of sweetened condensed milk
2 ounces softened cream cheese
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract
pinch of salt
16 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine 14 ounces coconut and the powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse until chopped into small pieces. Add cream of coconut, cream cheese, flour, egg whites, vanilla and salt. Pulse until mixed well. This batter will be soft, wet, and gooey so refrigerate for 15-30 minutes to make it easier to work with.

Place some of the remaining coconut flakes in a shallow bowl or baking dish [you can put it all in but you may not use it all, so I used a bowl and added more as necessary]. Drop rounded tablespoons of chilled batter into the coconut flakes, toss some coconut on top, and then gently roll with your hands to form balls. I found that some of the softer balls required more coconut to hold them together. Repeat until all batter is used.

Place 1 inch apart on prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating pans from bottom to top and front to back halfway through. Be sure to check early and often so they don’t burn! Let cool on baking pans for about 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. I cooled mine overnight and just covered up the cooling racks with a kitchen towel.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper [just reuse what you already have, and discard excess coconut flakes]. Combine chocolate and coconut oil in a small bowl and melt in microwave until smooth. I always melt chocolate at 50% power with 30 second bursts, stirring in between.

Dip bottoms of macaroons in melted chocolate, then place chocolate-side down on prepared pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set.

Store macaroons covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Time: 60 minutes active, plus time to chill.
Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

SRC: Black Bean and Rice Soup

June 1, 2014August 28, 2014 Sarah

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I was given the wonderful Sarah’s blog, Things I Make (for Dinner). Note that the URL of her blog reads “oreos and cool whip.” How fun! Be sure to read her about page for an explanation of that! 🙂 Sarah’s blog is full of tasty recipes, which isn’t a surprise since she has such a great name! She lives in Ontario with her husband and loves challenging herself to try new recipes, especially from magazines. As always I found many many recipes to try, but had to choose one–this awesome Black Bean and Rice Soup! If I had had more time, I would have made this Strawberry Cream Cake Roll. If I had needed to make an appetizer, these Buffalo Chicken Wontons look incredible. And when peaches are in season, this Peach Cobbler will definitely be on my table! But back to this soup.

If you follow my blog, you’ll know that we often eat black beans and rice for dinner. It’s easy, fast, inexpensive, and we almost always have the ingredients on hand. Plus, if you add some salsa and taco seasoning, it’s basically Mexican food, right? And I love love LOVE Mexican. So naturally I had to make this soup, even though it’s been in the 80s here in Nashville. Naturally.

This soup is just as good as it sounds. I changed up Sarah’s recipe a little to exclude chicken [because I didn’t have any cooked] and to include some extra rice [wild and white]. All in all, this is a hearty, flavorful soup that gets better with each bowl you enjoy for leftovers. In her post about it, Sarah mentions that her husband wanted to put cheese on it but she thought it was flavorful enough without. For the record, I totally agree with you, Sarah! You definitely don’t need cheese with this soup. We enjoyed it with some english muffin bread and were more than satisfied. Thanks for the great recipe, Sarah!

one year ago: Blueberry Burg ers
two years ago: Parmesan Garlic Rolls
three years ago: Lemony Kale Pasta

Black Bean and Rice Soup [from Things I Make (for Dinner)]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil [I used the Mediterranean Chili Pepper Oil from Star Fine Foods]
1 large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 cups chicken broth
3 cups black beans, drained and rinsed [about 2 – 15 ounce cans]
2 cups salsa
2 1/2 cups cooked rice [I used 1 cup white rice + 1 1/2 cups wild rice]
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons lime juice
cilantro, for topping
green onions, for topping

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then add chicken broth, black beans, salsa, rice, cumin, and lime juice. Stir together, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and then simmer until heated through, at least 20 minutes or longer if possible. Serve with cilantro and green onions.

Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 8-10 servings.

Check out other SRC recipes in group A by clicking below!

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

June 1, 2014May 31, 2014 Sarah

Week of June 2

Monday: BBQ Chicken Salad
Tuesday: Asian Turkey Meatballs with Carrot Rice
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Sweet Potato & Edamame Hash with Eggs [from Ellie Krieger’s newest cookbook]
Friday: Asian Drumsticks
Saturday: pizza [probably from Sam’s. because we’re cool, aka we have a coupon for a freeee pizza :)]
Sunday: loaded baked potatoes