Coconut Nut

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I’m a coconut nut! Whether it’s sweet or savory, I love the tropical, fresh flavor of creamy coconut mixed into a multitude of dishes. Last year, I was even lucky enough to taste freshly cracked coconut at a smoothie stand on St. Maarten (heavenly!) Anything from the unique, chewy texture of raw, shredded coconut, to the creamy smoothness of coconut milk to the crisp crunch of toasted coconut makes my taste buds go crazy.

Though I’m not too picky about my coconut, I have to admit that my favorite coconut dish happens to be a salad at my favorite restaurant. Yes, I did say “salad,” but no, it’s certainly not health food. Though it starts with a wholesome base of greens, strawberries, and slivered almonds, it’s topped with its crispy, amazing crown jewel, the coconut breaded chicken. I love this chicken so much that I will eat all the healthy ingredients first just so I am left with the fantastic chicken, just me and it, to savor and love.  It has a crispy, tangy outside with soft, tender chicken on the inside. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I LOVE it.

Unfortunately, the fried exterior isn’t exactly the most nutritious option, so I can’t indulge myself too often. Instead, I tried to create a slightly healthier version with smaller, baked coconut breaded chicken tenders. They still incorporate the creamy, chewy coconut flavor and texture without the greasy, fried crust. Though the coconut doesn’t crisp up as much with just the oven heat, the mild flavor of the tropical fruit is truly showcased alongside the unseasoned chicken.  My dad said they needed a little bit of sauce, and I have to say, for someone who doesn’t love coconut as much as I do, I can understand the need for a little extra flavor. Some recipes for coconut chicken that I found recommended orange or honey sauces on the side. I can't say that the recipe can truly compete with the amazing coconut chicken salad at Chocolate Avenue Grill, but as a healthy subsitute, it's not too bad.

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To go with the chicken, I wanted to stick to bright, fruity flavors. I chose to make some steamed, orange rice topped with orange zest and toasted coconut.  The rice was slightly sweet with fresh squeezed orange juice flavor. The texture of the wild rice mixed perfectly with the crunch of the toasted coconut. I used my mom's method of placing a bowl with the rice and cooking liquid inside of a ceramic cooker with a lid. The  cooker is then filled with water about 2 inches up the side. The lid is then placed on the cooker on a hot stove where the water can boil and steam the rice in the bowl.

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Baked Coconut Chicken

adapted from Spark Recipes

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 egg and 1 egg white, beaten together
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the panko and coconut in a small bowl.
2. On a clean and separate surface, cut chicken into thin strips.
3. Dip and coat the chicken individually in the egg mixture. Then, immediately dredge in the coconut and panko mixture. Coat to desired thickness. Place each piece on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for roughly 25 minutes. Cooking time varies with ovens and tender sizes, so bake until the coconut starts to brown and chicken is completely cooked through. (My chicken did not brown completely so I broiled it for 1-2 minutes at the end of the cooking time).

Orange Toasted Coconut Rice

• 3/4 Cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 3/4 Cup coconut water
• 1 Cup wild rice
• 1 tbs. orange zest
• 1/4 Cup toasted coconut

1. Prepare rice in whatever way you are most familiar with (I steamed it, as mentioned above), soaked in the combination of coconut water and orange juice.
2. While rice is cooking, toast coconut in the oven. (I toasted my coconut while the chicken tenders were baking. I scattered it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, placed it in the oven and checked on it frequently, removing it when it browned and crisped slightly.)
3. When rice is finished, stir the orange zest into it and top with toasted coconut.

*Sorry about the terrible pictures. My mom and I were quite hungry by the time this dinner was finished, and we completely forgot to take pictures. These pictures were taken about halfway through the meal.

The Birthday Trade-off

                    In late June, I started my first ever summer class. There are so many courses that I wanted/ needed to fit into my schedule for the fall semester that I felt the summer was a good time to get a required course out of the way. So, I decided to sign up for CAS 100 (Effective Speech) through my local branch campus.  Luckily, the class only meets twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays from six to nine, and it only lasts for roughly eight weeks. Also on the positive side, my professor is very relaxed and capable of putting the class at ease (which is very important when you have to prepare and give five speeches in front of that very class). So overall, even though I’d rather be out in the summer sun or spending time with my friends, my first summer class has not been an unbearably painful experience.

                There was one major downside to this particular summer class. It’s not the exams, or the speeches, or the three hours of sitting in a cold room. It’s that one of those Wednesday classes happened to fall on July 25^th. What’s so special about July 25^th? Well, it just happens to be my birthday. Through my 13 years of public school, having a birthday right in the middle of summer meant I never had to endure class, or worse, an exam on my birthday. I never had to wake up early or study or impatiently watch the minutes tick by on the clock while a teacher lectures on my birthday. It made for 18 years of blissful, stress-free birthdays. But, do to my first ever summer course and an unfortunate coincidence of dates, I had to endure not only a class on my birthday, but also, one of the two exams that the class requires. Instead of the typical birthday dinner that is our family tradition, I spent my evening studying for and taking an exam on effective speech tactic. Truly scintillating!

                Ok, I’m being a little dramatic. It really wasn’t that bad.  The exam was really easy, even comical. (My professor has a very pronounced sense of humor) The family dinner was rescheduled and was just as delicious a week after my birthday. I still didn’t have to wake up early and one 3 hour class is much better than an entire day of school. The occurrence of class on my birthday actually provided me with an opportunity that I had always wanted to have as a kid.

                In elementary school, the “cool” thing to do was to bring in your favorite baked treat to share with the class on your birthday. I saw and ate everything from homemade gooey chocolate chip cookies to the store-bought, brightly colored, whipped cream frosted cupcakes, depending on the tastes of the child whose birthday was being celebrated.  The treats were handed out by the birthday boy or girl on neatly folded napkins while the class sang “Happy Birthday” to him/her. I always enjoyed the treats and the singing, but there was a part of me that was a little jealous that I wouldn’t be able to share my favorite treat with the class.

                So, in true kindergartener-at-heart fashion, I decided to bake my favorite birthday treat for my class full of adult students.  I chose the chocolate cake that my mom always baked for me for my birthday, and formed it into individual, easy-to-handle cupcakes. I loaded the cupcakes with delicious peanut butter buttercream frosting, once again reuniting my two favorite flavors. I even brought my own colorful napkins for serving. The best part, though, was when my class decided to sing happy birthday to me! Even though I was celebrating my 19^th birthday, I felt like a little kid again, savoring the moment in the birthday spotlight.

                So, all in all, having class on my birthday was a nice trade-off for the opportunity to serve my cupcakes while being sung to.

Chocolate Cupcakes





 

• 3/4 Cup Salad Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 3/4 Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Cups Flour
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 2 tsp. Baking soda
• 2 tsp. Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Hot Coffee

1. Preheat oven to 350 degress F.
2.  In a mixer bowl, combine salad oil and sugar. Blend well. Add in eggs one at a time. Slowly add hot coffee and milk, making sure not to cook the eggs. Add vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. In small batches, combine the dry and wet ingredients.
5. Scoop batter evenly into a cupcake pan. (The cupcakes will rise so do not overfill).
6. Bake for 25 minutes. Check centers with a toothpick for doneness.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

• 3/4 Cup Butter
• 1/2 Cup Creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3-4 Cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tbs. milk

1. Combine butter, peanut butter and vanilla.

2. slowly add in powdered sugar, being aware of the texture.

3. Add in milk (amount depends on desired texture).

 

COOL THE CUPCAKES, FROST AND SAVOR!