Coconut Almond Cups II

Servings: 16
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup softened Coconut Cream Concentrate, (well mixed)
• 2 tablespoons organic powdered sugar
• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil
• 16 raw almonds

Directions:

Gather all ingredients and equipment.

Line 16 cups in a mini muffin/cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, add the unsweetened coconut, Coconut Cream Concentrate, and powdered sugar. Mix well and set aside. If not moist enough, add a little more of the Coconut Cream Concentrate or coconut oil that has risen to the top of the jar. Set aside.

Add dark chocolate and coconut oil to a double boiler. Continue to stir often until fully melted.

Using a teaspoon, scoop out coconut mixture and roll into balls. You should yield 16 balls.

Place coconut balls on a Silpat or plastic cutting board and top with one almond. Slightly press down.

Once the chocolate has melted, use a teaspoon to scoop one teaspoon into each prepared mini muffin cup.

Next, add one ball of coconut mixture with almond to each muffin cup and slightly press down until the chocolate starts to come up around the sides of the coconut ball.

Top each with another teaspoon of melted chocolate so all of the coconut mixture is covered. Place tray in the freezer or refrigerator until firm.

Recipe and photo submitted by Jenny, Middletown, RI.

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Sweet Tea Fried Chicken Tenders with Coconut Oil

Servings: 5
Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds white meat chicken, cut into tenders
• 1 gallon sweet tea
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs*
• 2 tablespoons garlic salt
• 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 1 quart Virgin Coconut Oil

Directions:

Marinate the chicken tenders for at least 8 hours (I usually do 24 hours). Drain all sweet tea off of the tenders.

Mix the two eggs together well in one bowl for the egg wash. Mix panko, garlic salt, and Parmesan together in another bowl.

Dip each tender in the egg wash and let extra drip off, then dip each tender in the bread crumb mixture.

Fry about 5 tenders at a time in a skillet with the Virgin Coconut Oil for about 4 minutes on each side. Place chicken on a plate covered with paper towels to drain excess oil.

Serve with your favorite sides and dips for a delicious, healthy chicken dinner.

*If gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Recipe and photo submitted by Lanie, Temple, TX.

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Grain-Free Cranberry, Pecan Crackers

Servings: 8–10
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Dried Cranberries:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil, melted
• dash of sweetener (optional)

Crackers:

• 2 cups raw pecans
• homemade dried cranberries (recipe above)
• 1 pastured egg
• 1 tablespoon grass-fed butter, ghee or coconut oil, melted
• 1–2 teaspoons sugar
• couple dashes of sea salt*

Directions:

Cranberries:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Combine cranberries, coconut oil, and sweetener in a bowl. Pour onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 2–2 1/2 hours. Remove from heat once the majority of berries look dried and set aside to cool.

Crackers:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the pecans and cranberries in a food processor and combine until pecans look like coarse sand. Add the egg, butter/oil, sweetener, and salt to the mixture and pulse until combined and dough forms.

Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to about 1/8 of an inch thick.

Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut crackers into desired size.

Bake for 10–12 minutes or until lightly browned. Thinner crackers will cook faster, and you may need to remove outer edge crackers before you remove the inner crackers.

Let cool to crisp up and store in an airtight container. I love using glass jars for my snacks!

Quick notes:

*Use more for salty crackers. I sprinkled the top of rolled out dough will a tiny bit more salt.

I did not want to use store-bought dried cranberries. They have added sunflower oil and white sugar. You can certainly substitute store bought, but you will probably only need 1/2 cup or less and leave out the sweetener altogether. These crackers will definitely turn out to be a sweeter version!!

You can use a dehydrator to dry out the cranberries. I chose the oven method since many people do not have  dehydrators.

Recipe and photo submitted by Kate, Highlands Ranch, CO.

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