Gluten Free Coconut Almond Cookies

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

• 1 egg (optional)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, soft
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup carob chips (optional)
• 1 3/4 cups almond meal
• 1/4 cup shredded dried coconut
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup organic whole sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine egg (room temp), coconut oil, honey, almond extract and vanilla extract and mix well. Add carob chips if using. Then add dry ingredients and mix well with wooden spoon.

Roll into walnut sized balls and bake for 5 minutes on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Use a fork to flatten and bake for 10-18 more minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Recipe submitted by Sandy, Ogden, UT

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Coconut Cream Health Fudge

Photo by recipe author

Servings: 15 to 24 squares
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cup coconut cream concentrate
• 3/4 cup coconut peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup nuts (your choice)
• 3/4 cup sesame seeds
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes
• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat honey, coconut cream concentrate and coconut peanut butter on low until melted and smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and pat into a well greased 9x9 pan.

Sprinkle top with more coconut and press lightly in the bars. Cool in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set up. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Recipe submitted by Barbara, Pinconning, MI

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No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Energy Bars

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Servings: 16
Preparation Time: 25 minutes

• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 cup raw pecans
• 4 tablespoons Coconut Oil
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 4 tablespoons honey or enough to sweeten
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Dried, shredded coconut

Chocolate Sauce Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 8 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2-3 tablespoons honey

Grind up 1 cup of sunflower seeds and the cup of pecans in food processor or coffee grinder and pour into bowl. Add coconut oil, coconut flour, honey, raisins, vanilla flavoring, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds and mix all together. Pour into square casserole dish and press mixture down firmly.

Sauce:

In small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons coconut oil and mix in cocoa and honey until thickened. Pour chocolate sauce on top and sprinkle with shredded coconut. Refrigerate for about 25-35 minutes. Cut up into squares and enjoy!

Recipe submitted by Melinda, Albany, GA

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Homemade Matzah

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Servings: 6 cookie sheets full
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 large organic eggs
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 6 to 6 1/2 cups organic bread flour*

Heat oven 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, honey, salt, eggs, and water. Stir until well-mixed, then stir in 4 cups of flour. Mix then add more flour as needed and knead into a fairly stiff dough. Divide into 3 pieces.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a large rectangle. You can make your matzah as thin or as thick as you want; everyone likes it thick (about as thick as pie crust). Cut rolled dough into squares. (I used a knife, though a pizza cutter would be better if you have one.) Place squares onto baking sheets. Prick with a fork. Sprinkle with salt if desired.

Bake it:

For thin matzah, bake 10-11 minutes. For medium matzah, 13-14 minutes. For thick matzah, bake 15-20 minutes or until done. Matzah should be very lightly browned on top. Over-baked matzah will be hard and not very good, so be careful to not bake too long! Removed baked matzah from baking sheet and place on wire rack to cool, covered with a clean towel. Store in an airtight container or bag.

*I used about 1 cup of organic whole wheat flour in place of one cup of the all purpose, to make it a little healthier. I like it with the whole wheat better. I also used the flour I got from Tropical Traditions to make it! The best I've used!

Recipe submitted by Ra'chel, South Whitley, IN

Sarah's Notes: Since this is a bread recipe, you can play around with the whole wheat flour amount, using as much or as little as you want. Just keep in mind that the more whole wheat flour you use the more the water may have to be increased.

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I love this recipe. It's easy, just a handful of ingredients, and no cooking involved.

If you read the comments below from when the recipe was first posted you'll see my comment and the way I like to make it. But you don't have to; I can tell you right now.

I like to use the juice from 2 (usually large) lemons, and all of their zest (or almost all). Then I warm the Coconut Cream Concentrate to a smooth, stir-able, peanut butter consistency and stir all the ingredients together. Warming the CCC is important; that's what gives the balls a smooth, creamy, melt-in-you-mouth taste and texture. I usually don't use any of the optional stuff. Sometimes I even add a few tablespoons of melted coconut oil in, but that is totally optional as there is already a good amount of oil in the CCC.

After stirring everything together, I scoop the balls unto a cookie sheet (or whatever other flat baking-pan like thing my hands grabbed first) and freeze or refrigerate until firm. If the mixture is too thin for scooping just stick the bowl into the freezer for a couple minutes at a time and stir until the desired consistency is achieved.

So when life gives you lemons, make these. Watch the video for a quick walk-through and enjoy these tart and creamy little bites. The only thing you'll have to worry about is not eating the entire batch in one day.

Enjoying Lemons,

Sarah:)

Quick Lemon Coconut Candy (No Bake)

Quick Lemon Coconut Candy

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

• 1 cup coconut cream concentrate
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Dried coconut flakes, toasted if desired
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Mix the first 4-5 ingredients together until well mixed and smooth. Form into balls, roll them in the coconut flakes and refrigerate or freeze. You can also put them in candy molds without the coconut flakes to get a different look. They will harden when refrigerated.

Recipe submitted by Alice, Las Crescenta, CA

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No-Bake Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Balls

Photo by recipe author

Servings: Approx. 16, or more depending on size
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour

Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in a bowl. If the mixture is too sticky, add more coconut flour; if it's too dry, add more peanut butter.

Roll into peanut butter mixture into small balls using your hands or a cookie scoop. Store in the refrigerator.

Recipe submitted by Lindsey, Denver, CO

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Coconutty Creamy Grits

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Servings: 1 serving
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

• 1 cup water
• dash salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon coconut cream concentrate
• 3 tablespoons hominy grits
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil (or butter if you're out of VCO)
• 1-2 tablespoons raw honey

In a small saucepan, add salt to water and dissolve. Heat water to boiling. When boiling, stir in coconut cream concentrate. Sprinkle grits over coconut cream 'milk', stirring with a whisk to make sure there are no clumps.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, until grits are soft and of a creamy consistency; remove from heat. Serve with coconut oil (or butter) and honey to taste.

For-The-Crowd Servings

For 4 servings - use 3 cups of water to 3/4 cup grits, and 1/4 teaspoon salt

For 6 servings - 4 cups of water to 1 cup of grits and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Recipe submitted by Ra'chel, South Whitley, IN

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Healthy Simple Coconut Macaroons

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Servings: 12

• 6 egg whites (save the yokes to add to scrambled eggs)
• Pinch salt
• 2/3 cup honey (run your honey under some hot water if it has crystallized, it needs to be liquid)
• 2 1/2 cups shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets with coconut oil.

Beat egg whites until almost stiff peaks form. Add salt. Slowly pour in honey while whipping the eggs.

Fold in the shredded coconut with a spatula until it's thoroughly mixed. Be gentle, you don't want to deflate the eggs.

Using a large cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheets spacing about 1 inch apart.

Time will vary depending on how big your cookies are. These took about 50 minutes. Allow to cool briefly on the cookie sheet. Remove with a thin spatula and cool completely. They will continue to harden and dry as they cool.

Recipe submitted by Cara, Billings, MT

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If you're on a sweet or chocolate craving looking for something quick and easy to make, then come over here. I have something for you.

It's called Quick Chocolate Coconut Pudding/Fudge, and there's no cooking whatsoever. And it can be made in under 5 minutes.

Seriously!

Just watch the video. It'll walk you through the whole recipe. This recipe is so quick and easy; it can be made whenever you so desire (providing you have Coconut Cream Concentrate, of course. You cannot substitute for it).

And as the name says, it can be either a pudding or fudge.

See:

Chocolate Coconut Pudding

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Look at how creamy that is. But it's dairy free! Sshhh, don't tell. No one will ever know. On top of being naturally dairy free, this is gluten free also.

If you're not a pudding person, pour the pudding into a small parchment paper lined pan and refrigerate or freeze until firm. Then you get this:

Chocolate Coconut Fudge

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

No, I didn't put nuts in there (I'm not too crazy about nuts in my sweets). Those are little coconut oil clumps. You can mix and mix and mix and mix (depending on how solid the oil is) to fully blend them all in but I don't bother. It tastes phenomenal just the way it is: creamy, rich, soft, and sweet. Not a sickeningly sweet like a lot of fudge; it's just right. And unless you use more Coconut Cream Concentrate and Virgin Coconut Oil (instead of Expeller Pressed coconut oil), the coconut isn't noticeable. Even coconut haters will eat this if you don't tell them there's coconut in it.

That's it! It's just a 3 step process. Measure, mix, and eat. Unless you're making fudge, then there's one extra step. But I doubt that it'll make it to the fridge. *grins*

Enjoy!

Sarah:)

Quick Chocolate Coconut Pudding/Fudge

• 4 tablespoons organic cocoa powder
• 4-6 teaspoons honey, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons coconut cream concentrate
• 2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil
• coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients well, except the nuts. Add nuts, if desired, and mix through.

This makes 2 small servings (it is very rich).

When eaten at room temperature, this is something like a rich pudding.

To make fudge: Double or triple recipe, pat into a pan and chill until firm; cut into squares. Depending on the temperature of the room, let it stay at room temperature a while before serving.

Recipe submitted by Simi, Los Angeles, CA

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Raspberry Peach Melba Smoothie

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This smoothie is perfect for a nutritious breakfast on the go. The additional high quality protein from the raw eggs or goat's milk powder keeps you going strong till lunch!

Servings: 2
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

• 1 1/2 cups plain kefir (preferably homemade)
• 2-4 organic eggs OR 1-2 tablespoons goat milk protein powder
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 3 tablespoons melted virgin coconut oil
• 3/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 3/4 cup frozen peaches
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add kefir, eggs or protein powder, honey and coconut oil, blend to mix before adding frozen ingredients. Add frozen fruit and vanilla, blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Recipe submitted by Lydia, Salem, VA

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Spicy Coconut Cilantro Dressing

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Servings: 15
Preparation Time: 12 minutes

• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/3 cup coconut milk*
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 whole jalapeño, ends trimmed
• 1 whole garlic clove, peeled
• 1 inch ginger, peeled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon honey

Place all ingredients in high-powered blender. Blend until smooth.

Store in glass container in the refrigerator.

Very easy and delicious. Use it in salads or soups.

* For the freshest coconut milk make homemade coconut milk. (See video at this link.)

Recipe submitted by Tamara, Salida, CO

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Vanilla-Flecked Coconut Macaroons

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These cookies are incredible easy to make - no need to whip the egg whites beforehand. Just mix everything and bake. Parchment paper is the key to keeping these cookies from sticking (and easy clean-up).

• 3 egg whites (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup white granulated sugar (you could substitute raw honey)
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 whole vanilla bean
• 5 ounces semisweet chocolate

1. Mix the egg whites, sugar, and coconut in a large bowl.

2. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise down the middle and scrape all the seeds into the bowl. Mix again making sure to evenly distribute the vanilla seeds. You should see tiny specks of black throughout the batter.

3. Using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop, place 12 scoops of batter at a time (evenly spaced) on a baking pan lined with parchment paper; each scoop should be about the size of a golf ball. The batter will be thick and lumpy with little peaks of coconut.

4. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes or until the tips of the coconut turn golden brown. Let cool completely on the pans, then separate the batch in half.

5. Melt the chocolate.

6. Dip a spatula into the melted chocolate and wave over the macaroons about 4 or 5 inches above the tray. Let the chocolate drizzle down in zig-zag patterns and let cool. (You can also dip the cookies one at a time by hand.)

Enjoy!

Recipe submitted by Alejandra, New York, NY

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