coconut

rainy season: things I'm loving

August 26, 2011

local tropical summer fruit (clockwise from top): a yellow pitaya (dragon fruit), mamay (kind of tastes like baked sweet potato, and it's great pureed in muffins), limes from the yard, sapote from a tree on our street (tastes like a soft smokey caramel pear).

the coconuts from the yard: fresh coconut water, fresh coconut meat, fresh coconut milk, rustic bowls made from the shells. next to try: coconut popsicles

mirando las tormentas. watching storms come in. and checking to see what's heading our way - and loving when the big ones veer away from here

this simple and inspiring site

cuando alguien corrige mi español - when someone corrects my Spanish :)

(both photos from Crispin - gracias por compartir!)

What are you grateful for today?

Coconut Woman

June 15, 2010

Right now it's super hot here in Mexico (like +40C with humidity, and getting hotter) so baking has taken the back burner so to speak, but that's cool because I love making all kinds of food - hello jicama salads and no-bake amaranth squares! (Ok, I did just bake a sticky red banana pudding - yum...) Now that the rainy season has started, the plants are happy again and we have quite the selection of exciting produce available, from mangos to sapotes to pitayas. I've also been super-busy with my other blog, as well as design projects, not to mention the amazing adventure that is life - it surprises me how much of my time is taken up living!

All this to say my blog posts here will be very sporadic for the next little while, but I still have time to reply to your comments and emails (which I love) and if you need a fix of healthy baked goods, there are some fabulous healthy (as well as gluten-free and vegan) recipe links from folks all over the world on Baking is Hot. :)

And what about the picture? Well, that's me posing with the fresh coconuts my sweetheart bravely retrieved from 2 different coconut palms on the lovely property we're living on this summer.  I was so enamored by these 2 beauties that I said "Quick, take a picture, I feel like Coconut Woman!" (Thanks for indulging me C, heehee.) Right after this, he hacked them both open with a machete (another brave feat, swoon...) and we enjoyed one of our favourite drinks - fresh coconut water with some fine aged rum. ¡Qué riquísimo!

Classic & Toasted Coconut Granola

July 28, 2008

I'm a big fan of granola. There's something about sweet crunchy oats that's almost addictive... I generally find the store-bought stuff way too sweet (maybe that's why it's addictive), or too oily, or both - so after many experiments, I came up with this granola recipe that we love around here:

Recipe: Patty's Classic Granola & Delightful Variations
This is a lovely simple aromatic granola. You can make your own delightful variations from this basic recipe.

Variation: Toasted Coconut Granola
In my opinion, the most delightful variation of Patty's Classic Granola :-)

Health Notes: This recipe is vegan and gluten-free (if you use gluten-free oats). It has less fat and sugar than most store-bought granola (especially if you make the lower-sugar option) and is full of healthy fiber from oats and flax.

Lime in the Coconut

April 30, 2008

I'm back from the Bay Islands, and had an absolutely amazing time - many fantastic adventures... Rum was the drink of choice, so I enjoyed lots of delicious fruity cocktails made with Flor De Caña. Danny at West Peak Inn scored some fresh coconuts for us - a total treat. This was my favourite way to enjoy one of these:

  • have someone experienced with machetes and coconuts hack one of these open for you. A hole about the size of a quarter in one end is all you need.
  • drink about 1/3 of the milk with a straw
  • pour in 1-2 shots of white rum
  • fill the rest with fresh sweetened lime juice (or the juice of a lime and simple syrup or other sweetener)
  • enjoy :-)

Photo by Crispin