Coconut Sorbet

This week’s #letsgetfoodiechallenge from Amanda is all about alcohol. She chose this because English Wine week is May 23rd through May 31st and World Gin day is June 13th.

So what better way to celebrate both than to have week 3 of our #letsgetfoodiechallenge to involve alcoholic recipes. Amanda made Malibu Rainbow cookies with Malibu Rum. If you want to check out that recipe you can find it on her site here.

I had a couple ideas for this challenge but I think this one is best with the hot weather. Oh who am I fooling, coconut won this choice, hands down!

Because y'all know how much I love (some might say obsessed with) my coconut! That and the creamy coolness of this sorbet.

Perfect for eating straight out of the container (a bowl for you people with manners), or you can even serve it on top of a slice of cake, brownies, or fruit.

Whatever way you serve it up, you will swoon over this coconut sorbet!

Coconut Sorbet

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A refreshingly cool, tropical frozen treat you can make at home.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0
Total time: 8 hours and 5 minutes (includes freezing time)
Ingredients

• 1 cup organic unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 cups (1 can) coconut milk
• 3/4 cup coconut water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup coconut vodka*
• pinch sea salt

Directions

1. Add coconut flakes to a blender or food processor and blend on High until flakes are smaller. Don't completely liquefy the flakes, but make them almost pureed. You want a little texture for the sorbet.
2. Add remaining ingredients into blender with flakes and pulse until all ingredients are combined.
3. Pour into a freezer safe container and cover.
4. Place into the freezer overnight or for at least 6 to 8 hours so it can set up.

*Helpful Hints*

- *If you prefer non-alcoholic Coconut Sorbet, leave out the coconut vodka and increase coconut water to 1 cup.

- *If you want it a little more boozy (which I'm going to try next time I make this) you can always increase to a 1/2 cup of coconut vodka.

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.

Shared with: Savoring Saturdays, The Wednesday Roundup #83

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge Salad with Greek Yogurt Bleu Cheese Dressing

This week’s #letsgetfoodiechallenge from Amanda is for us to create our best recipe with green, in honor of National Vegetarian week which ran from the 18th to the 24th of May.

All your life, ever since you were a small child, (even though some of you still might be!) you've been told to eat your vegetables. Most people (kids and adults) hate eating their vegetables because ....well, because vegetables just don't taste as good as potato chips, fast food, and candy. And I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but potato chips don't count as a serving of vegetables (I'm so sorry!). However, vegetables can taste good when made correctly with lots of flavor and without all the fat and calories.

I'm about to share with you a recipe for a simple salad that's easy to make and a Greek yogurt bleu cheese dressing that tastes just as good as the fat laden version. What better way to try this healthy bleu cheese dressing than on a simple wedge salad.

Yes, another two recipes on one post! Boy, y'all are just getting it from me these last few weeks! I hope you enjoy this recipe and for all the food challenge recipes, just search #letsgetfoodiechallenge and see what other dishes the other guys and gals are making.

Bon Appetit!

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge Salad

Recipe by Julie Murphy

An easy and healthy way to serve individual salads.

Prep time: 12
Cook time: 3 minutes, for the edamame
Total time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 individual salads
Ingredients

• 1 head iceberg lettuce, rinsed
• 1 package grape tomatoes, rinsed
• 1 English cucumber, washed and sliced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 package edamame, cooked and hulled
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 small package fresh chives, rinsed and diced
• dash Salt & pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Edamame is best prepared the night before so it can cool down and absorb the lime juices. Prepare edamame as directed on package. Hull edamame so you're left only with the edamame beans.
2. Place edamame in a small bowl. Add lime juice and a pinch of sea salt. Cover and refrigerate to let chill.
3. To prepare your wedge salad, cut head of lettuce into quarters and place on plates.
4. Prepare other ingredients and place around lettuce quarters.
5. Dollop bleu cheese dressing over lettuce and garnish with chives, edamame, avocado, and remaining bleu cheese crumbles.
6. Salt and pepper as desired.
7. Best served with extra dressing on side.

Greek Yogurt Bleu Cheese Dressing

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A delicious healthy version of the classic bleu cheese dressing.

Prep time: 5
Cook time: 0
Total time: 5
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients

• 1 cup Plain Greek yogurt, nonfat
• 2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
• 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 4 ounces Bleu cheese crumbles
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Cooking Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until combined. Dressing will be thick. If you prefer your dressing a little thinner, you can add a little more lime juice or olive oil.
2. Place into small jar or bowl and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
3. Can store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.

Coconut Cream Truffles

I've done it again. I've put myself up for another food challenge. However, unlike my last challenge, the Sugar Crush Challenge, this current one is specific to me challenging myself to create a food from one of my fellow foodies, Amanda Bootes, food picks. And this week Amanda has challenged us to creating a recipe with chocolate.

Amanda chose chocolate to start off our challenge because she cares about raising awareness for the Sick Children'sTrust, who hosts a Big Chocolate Tea Party each year to help raise awareness, monies, and support for their charity.

 If you're interested in raising awareness for the Sick Children's Trust, you can also host a party, either online or through an organization such as schools or your workplace. Just go to their website here and check it out. It's a great way to give back to those in need of help.

Yes, that's a strawberry you see in the back there. With the leftover chocolate, I made chocolate dipped strawberries.

 

So in honor of the chocolate food challenge this week, I made a recipe I've had my eye on for some time now, Coconut Cream Truffles covered in dark chocolate.

A creamy coconut filling surrounded by a thin layer of dark chocolate. They remind me of a Mounds bar. So if you love Mounds bars, you're going to love these scrumptious little coconut bites.

And the best part is that I made them a little more healthy so you don't have to feel so guilty about eating them! I substituted coconut oil for the butter and pure coconut cream for the sugar laden cream of coconut. Plus I used organic unsweetened coconut flakes instead of the ones covered in sugar. And we all know dark chocolate is much better for you than milk chocolate.
 

The result is a sweet, creamy coconut center with a thin chocolate shell that satisfies any sweet tooth. If I never told you, you would never have guessed the ingredients I substituted to make these truffles good for you.

Stay updated to my blog for more food challenges this month from Amanda's  #letsgetfoodiechallenge.

 

 

Coconut Cream Truffles

Recipe by Julie Murphy

Scrumptious bites of creamy coconut covered in dark chocolate.

Prep time: 15
Total time: 25
Yield: 1 dozen
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup organic coconut oil, softened
• 2 Tablespoons coconut cream (separated from coconut milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract*
• pinch sea salt
• 1 cup organic unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 6-8 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers

Cooking Directions

1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium to large bowl, beat together coconut oil and coconut cream until smooth.
3. Blend in coconut extract, vanilla, and salt.
4. Gradually add in powdered sugar until thoroughly blended.
5. Fold in coconut flakes, making sure everything is mixed together.
6. Take Tablespoon size balls and roll between your palms until mixture is made into a uniform ball shape.
7. Place onto wax paper and repeat.
8. Once all of coconut mixture is shaped into balls, place cookie sheet into freezer for at least 1 hour so balls can set up. Can even leave in freezer overnight.
9. When you're ready to dip ball shapes, prepare melting wafers as directed on package.
10. Have 2-3 clean forks, a large spoon, and toothpicks available nearby.
11. Place chilled ball into prepared dark chocolate. Leaving the ball in one place, take spoon and gently drip chocolate over the ball.
12. Once ball is covered with chocolate, place ball onto spoon, lift out of dipping chocolate, gently transfer chocolate covered ball over to fork. Tap off excess chocolate using edge of bowl or two fingers from your free hand. Swipe fork on edge of bowl and repeat tap, swipe at least 2-3 times. You do this to remove excess chocolate so the chocolate doesn't overpower the coconut cream filling of your truffle.
13. Once this process has been repeated 2-3 times, take truffle ball on fork over prepared cookie sheet with wax paper, place toothpick at bottom of truffle ball and gently swipe off of fork using the toothpick. Immediately sprinkle with coconut flakes or candy sprinkles if desired.
14. After all truffles have been dipped in chocolate, place cookie sheet into refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour to let chocolate set.
15. Best served at room temperature.

 

*Helpful Hints*

 

- Watch me and learn how to dip your truffles here.

- I used Madagascar Vanilla extract, which is also known as bourbon vanilla.

-  As in the directions above, I state to have a few clean forks available while dipping your truffles. This is because you want a clean fork for dipping the truffles. Sometimes the truffle filling will get stuck between the tines. If this happens, just grab a clean fork that is nearby or wipe fork off clean with a towel.

Recipe inspired by ~ Dorothy at Crazy for Crust.
 

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.

Shared with: Mix it up Monday!, Skip the Housework Link Party #71