Tag Archives: giveaway

Pumpkin-Date Blondies {+ Coconut Flour Giveaway}

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A little bit pumpkin pie, a little bit cookie bar, Pumpkin-Date Blondies are a perfect autumn treat.

Sweetened with dates, these blondies are refined sugar-free. Enjoy them for a healthy breakfast, dessert, or any-time snack.

Just make sure you stock up on cans of pureed pumpkin before pumpkin is all gone until next fall. I had the worst craving for a pumpkin treat in August when pumpkin was nowhere to be found on grocery store shelves!

Luckily, coconut flour is easy to find year-round. It’s one of my favorite gluten-free flours to bake with. Coconut flour is high in protein and fiber. A simple way to use it is to replace 1/4 of your usual flour with coconut flour. Or try one of the many delicious coconut flour recipes on the Tropical Traditions website (scroll down to find recipes).

If you’re inclined to experiment in the kitchen like me, then you’ll be pleased to know that you can add lots of flavorful liquids. Coconut flour will soak them all up. Moist and delicious!

Whether you like to follow recipes to the letter or prefer to improvise as you go, scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out how you can enter to win a 2.2 pound bag of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flour to try for yourself.

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Pumpkin-Date Blondies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seed meal
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil
  • 1 cup pureed cooked pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
  • 1 and 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons coconut milk (the cooking kind, not the beverage kind) divided into 1/2 cup, 1 cup, and 2 tablespoons portions

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch nonstick baking pan with coconut oil.
  2. In a medium bowl combine coconut flour, flax seed meal, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and sea salt.
  3. Place pecans on a baking sheet in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Stir the toasted pecans into the dry mixture and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, combine applesauce, coconut oil, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  5. Place the dates and 1/2 cup of the coconut milk into a saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer gently for 1 minute. Turn heat off, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes.
  6. Place warm coconut milk-date mixture into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. If needed add some of the 1 cup coconut milk to help blend dates.
  7. Add the blended coconut milk-date mixture and the rest of the 1 cup coconut milk to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. (Reserve the 2 tablespoons coconut milk for use later.) Stir to combine.
  8. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Batter will be the consistency of mashed potatoes.
  9. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Spread remaining 2 tablespoons coconut milk evenly onto top of the batter with a spatula. Spread the coconut milk around until it picks up a little color from the batter underneath. Sprinkle a little cinnamon lightly on top of the smoothed coconut milk. (photo below)
  10. Bake about 35 minutes or until the edges start to brown and/or pull away from the sides of the pan.
  11. Let cool/refrigerate before slicing and serving. Blondies will set as they cool. Top with creamy coconut-cashew topping if desired.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2011/pumpkin-date-blondies/

(This recipe was shared at: Gluten-Free Monday, Whole Foods Friday, Fit & Fabulous Friday, Wellness Weekend, Pumpkin Potluck Party)

Enter to win a 2.2 pound bag of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flour! (a $15.00 value) There are 6 ways to enter:
1. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions’ Email Newsletter for special sales and free recipes.
2. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter
3. Like Tropical Traditions on Facebook.
4. Visit the coconut flour recipes webpage and leave a comment below telling which coconut flour recipe you’d like to try.
5. Follow me, GrainFreeFab on Twitter.
6. Tweet this post/giveaway on Twitter and put a link to your tweet in a comment below. (Click on the timestamp underneath the tweet to get a link to an individual tweet.) You can tweet the giveaway as many times as you’d like, but only the first tweet will count as a giveaway entry.

Leave a me a separate comment with your name and email address after completing each item. Each comment will count as an entry. The giveaway starts today, Wednesday, November 23, 2011 and ends Tuesday, December 6, 2011. A winner will be picked at random via Random.org on Wednesday, December 7, 2011. Open to residents of U.S. & Canada.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Italy Meets Southeast Asia … {+ coconut oil giveaway}

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Tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and basil. Simple, yet divine.

Before the last of summer’s tomatoes are gone, I’d like to introduce you to a fresh twist on this Italian classic:

Tomatoes, garlic, coconut oil, and Thai basil. Italy meets Southeast Asia.

Tomatoes and garlic are familiar enough. Ever use coconut oil or Thai basil?

Tropical Traditions sent me a jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to try in my recipes, and I’ve used (and loved) it in everything from curries, stir-fry dishes, and roasted veggies to cakes, muffins, granola, and more.

One lucky reader will also receive a 32-ounce jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. (Enter to win at the end of this post.)

One of the best things about unrefined coconut oil is the fresh coconut scent and taste that it gives to your food. Take advantage of this flavor boost in your cooking. The Southeast Asian-Inspired Spaghetti recipe, below, has a light coconut taste from unrefined coconut oil.

For a bold coconut flavor, such as in a curry, start out by sauteing the ingredients in unrefined coconut oil and then later thickening with coconut cream or milk.

If the taste of coconut won’t go well with the ingredients in a particular recipe, you’re better off using a different oil that time and saving your unrefined coconut oil for the recipes where it can really shine.

A hint of coconut flavor from unrefined coconut oil is almost always welcome in baking. Coconut complements fruits of all kinds, chocolate, and nuts. The melting point of coconut oil is about 76° F. When the temperature is above 76°, coconut oil is liquid. Below 76°, it is solid. This makes it very versatile for baked goods. Unrefined coconut oil is easily melted if you need a liquid oil. If you need a solid oil, like butter or shortening, just chill it in the refrigerator. Unrefined coconut oil makes a flaky vegan pie crust with ease.

For research on the health benefits of coconut oil, visit CoconutOil.com. For even more recipes using coconut oil, visit FreeCoconutRecipes.com.

The final ingredient in our southeast Asian foursome is Thai basil. Thai basil is easy to grow and is quickly becoming more common to find in nurseries. Or simply pick up a package of fresh leaves on your next trip to an Asian grocery store. Thai basil is sweet and has a distinctive anise flavor. It will lend an authentic touch to your Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Try Thai basil in curries, with stir-fried ginger eggplant, or fresh in salads.

Print
Southeast Asian Spaghetti

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces uncooked brown rice spaghetti
  • 2 cups baby broccoli, cut into 1-1/2" to 2" lengths
  • 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup Thai basil, julienned
  • 3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Instructions

  1. Bring water to boil in a large pasta pot with insert. Blanch the chopped baby broccoli for 1 minute in the boiling water. Remove the insert and set the baby broccoli aside. Do not discard the water. Separate stems and florets when cool.
  2. If you prefer your tomatoes peeled, you can dip them in the boiling water before cooking the spaghetti. Then peel and chop the tomatoes while the pasta cooks.
  3. Add 1 teaspoon of the sea salt and the brown rice spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook according to package directions. Be careful not to overcook. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Drain excess water and set cooked spaghetti aside.
  4. Melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Cook 2 minutes, stirring often.
  5. Add the baby broccoli stems and cook 2 more minutes, stirring often.
  6. Reduce heat slightly to medium-low and add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil and the cooked spaghetti. Stir gently to coat the noodles with oil.
  7. Add the chopped tomatoes and julienned Thai basil and stir gently to combine. Check the seasoning and add more sea salt if desired. Cook until spaghetti and vegetables are heated through.
  8. Enjoy! This dish is also good chilled as a pasta salad.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2011/italy-meets-southeast-asia/

(This recipe was shared at: Gluten Free Friday)

Enter to win a 32 ounce jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil! (a $29.50 value) There are 3 ways to win:

  1. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions’ Email Newsletter for special sales and free recipes.

  2. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter

  3. Like Tropical Traditions on Facebook.

Leave a me a separate comment below with your name and email address after completing each item. Each comment will count as an entry. The giveaway starts today, Sunday, September 18, 2011 and ends Wednesday, September 28, 2011. A winner will be picked at random via Random.org on Thursday, September 29, 2011. Open to residents of U.S. & Canada.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

32-oz. – Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil – 1 quart