charityjones89 wrote:I also avoid soy products so I use almond milk or rice milk, whichever is cheaper when I go to the store.

Have you tried coconut milk? And speaking of that, I happened to find TWO MORE previously forgotten cans of coconut product! They are labled 'Young Coconut Meat in Syrup.' I can't recall purchasing them... will update when I try. Tonight it was Eggplant Boats. This is the eggplant equivalent of stuffed peppers. Scoop out the inside of the eggplants (which could then be used as a raft for a small pet, hence the name) and parboil the outer, skin-part, of the eggplant to the point of it losing its crispness. At this point, add put whatever you like in a stuffed pepper to the eggplant. Of course, some previous cooking time may be desired for these ingredients. I like including the inner part of the eggplant in an olive oil stir-fry. Anyway, when you've finished with all this, place the mixture in the boats and bake for a short amount of time at a moderate setting. Any remaining stir-fry portion I like to use as an ocean to float my boats.

Roasted Yucca Root

A root vegetable that should be a more familiar item. Peel the skin off, slice yucca into wedges. Toss in a mixture of oil, garlic powder, and chili powder (or the seasonings of your choice), bake at 475F until the top begins to brown. The bottom half will be more brown. I prefer this method rather than fliping the wedges over... less work. Potato and Plantain wedges are also nice. Some like it hot. I prefer them with salsa.

Kevin, A Yucca is a large exotic-looking garden plant here in the UK. I looks a bit like a bromeliad, pineappley type thing, with enormous alien looking flowers. They don't look right in English gardens imo, so I would like to eat them. Never seen the root for sale in shops. I am intrigued.

Yesterday evening our supper was as follows:-

Chicken, Avocado and Almond Salad

These quantities are based on 2 adults
Sweet potato 1 x large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
Chicken breast (skinless and boneless) 280 grams
Green beans 100 grams, trimmed and halved
Cider vinegar 1 x tbsp
Dijon mustard 1 x tsp
Olive oil (extra virgin) ½ x tbsp
Avocado 1 x avocado stoned, peeled and thickly sliced
Watercress 50 grams
Whole almonds 30 grams

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Boil the sweet potato for 15 mins, or until soft.
2. Meanwhile, grill the chicken for 10 mins, or until cooked, turning halfway. Then slice into strips and set aside.
3. Also meanwhile, steam the green beans for 7 mins, or until bright green and tender, but with bite.
4. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard and oil to make a dressing. Then toss the avocado in the dressing, coating each slice well.
5. Add the watercress, sweet potato, chicken, green beans and almonds to a mixing bowl. Tip in the avocado and dressing. Toss well to combine and then serve up.

I am not a great fan of salads, but this was lovely. Watercress and Sweet potato is a heavenly combination.

We ate fresh raspberries with raspberry yoghurt to follow.

Kevin wrote:

charityjones89 wrote:I also avoid soy products so I use almond milk or rice milk, whichever is cheaper when I go to the store.

Have you tried coconut milk? And speaking of that, I happened to find TWO MORE previously forgotten cans of coconut product! They are labled 'Young Coconut Meat in Syrup.' I can't recall purchasing them... will update when I try.

I love coconut! I also try to avoid using dairy products and try to minimize the soy products I use. I have recently discovered coconut oil and coconut butter which I will put on toast. It takes a little getting used to, though.
I love coconut milk, and recently ate at a Thai restaurant where they had a drink of "roasted young coconut" which was yummy and had little chunks of coconut floating around in it. I had never had that before. Maybe this is what you have in your cupboard.
Coconut ice cream is also very good.

Penelope wrote:Kevin, A Yucca is a large exotic-looking garden plant here in the UK. I looks a bit like a bromeliad, pineappley type thing, with enormous alien looking flowers. They don't look right in English gardens imo, so I would like to eat them. Never seen the root for sale in shops. I am intrigued.

And I've never seen them growing in a garden. Looking at picutures of them now I think we're talking about the same thing. It has an unusual taste, though not an overwhelming one... I like it. Ahh garden talk... my worst season ever... drought and heat... should've grown cotton. My onions are doing reasonably well but everything else has died.

Last night was oatmeal. Need to get to the store. Your recipes are so detailed! I'm wondering, do you plan your meals in advance?

Lois wrote:I love coconut! I also try to avoid using dairy products and try to minimize the soy products I use. I have recently discovered coconut oil and coconut butter which I will put on toast. It takes a little getting used to, though.
I love coconut milk, and recently ate at a Thai restaurant where they had a drink of "roasted young coconut" which was yummy and had little chunks of coconut floating around in it. I had never had that before. Maybe this is what you have in your cupboard.
Coconut ice cream is also very good.

It seems like they're similar though I think this was too rich to enjoy on its own - at least I found it to be. I mixed some curry powder in and added some rice, onions, and whatnot. I have had coconut drink with bits of coconut floating in it. EDIT: There is a coconut treat I like that is popular here. I can't recall what exactly all the ingredients are (there aren't many) but basically it cocunut shavings bonded together by some sort of syrupy agent (corn syrup I'm guessing) and it makes for a nice afternoon snack. It's colored red, white, and green to resemble the mexican flag.

Kevin said:

Your recipes are so detailed! I'm wondering, do you plan your meals in advance?

Not exactly, I base my meals on what is selling for a reduced price at our co-op. But I have a pattern to the week's meals. Like Monday something with fried/roast potatoes, Tuesday something with pasta, Wednesday a fish dish, Thursday a casserole or salad, Friday is almost always curry, Saturday we eat out or have take-away, pizza, Chinese or Indian, whatever, and of course Sunday we always have a traditional Sunday Roast and a pudding for desert. This means we often have cold roast meat with Monday's fried potatoes. I have used this pattern for years and the family never seemed to notice.

The reason my recipes are so detailed is that I also use a website called 'Spoonfed Suppers' which sends you a supper recipe for every day and a shopping list once a week. It is great for healthy food and tasty and unusual meals. I use it when it fits in with whatever I have in stock. We are very foodie here.....When I get Christmas and Birthday presents, they are almost always food....hampers or wine.....

.....Which is why I am currently dieting!! LOL

http://www.spoonfedsuppers.com/

Kevin wrote:There is a coconut treat I like that is popular here. I can't recall what exactly all the ingredients are (there aren't many) but basically it cocunut shavings bonded together by some sort of syrupy agent (corn syrup I'm guessing) and it makes for a nice afternoon snack. It's colored red, white, and green to resemble the mexican flag.

That sounds really good!

Ingredients For Coconut Ice:


340g desiccated coconut
340g icing sugar
400g tin of condensed milk
Optional food colouring


Cooking Directions For Coconut Ice:


1. Place the condensed milk into a bowl and add the icing sugar. Beat well then mix in the desiccated coconut. The mixture will get firm and difficult to stir but persevere until everything is all combined.


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2. Divide the mixture into two (add optional food colourings to each) and spread into an 8inch square tin giving two coloured layers and allow to set overnight (time for a wee dram!)


Warning - This goes straight to the hips!!

[quote="Penelope"]Ingredients For Coconut Ice:


340g desiccated coconut
340g icing sugar
400g tin of condensed milk
Optional food colouring


/quote]


Oh my gosh, this sounds good! Here is a recipe that I got from my aunt.

Moist and Creamy Coconut Cake

1 package yellow cake mix or pudding included cake mix
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flaked coconut
3 1/2 cups or one 8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
Prepare cake mix as directed in 9 X 13 pan. Cool 15 min. Then poke holes down through cake with utility fork. Meanwhile, combine milk, sugar and 1/2 cup coconut in saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Carefully spoon over warm cake, allowing liquid to soak down through holes. Cool Completely. Fold 1/2 cup coconut into whipped topping and spread over cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Chill overnight. Store leftover cake in the refrigerator.



This is really good. I use coconut milk in place of regular milk. And, I am trying to figure out a substitution for the Cool Whip that is non dairy. I don't really like the soy whip stuff. I'm thinking that maybe just a nice, moist frosting would work just as well, but haven't tried it yet.