February 2, 2012: Coconut Poached Cod Recipe

My husband and I love eating cod. Although neither of us are big fish eaters, we find the firm white flesh of cod or similar fish (such as halibut) delicious. Of course, my husband prefers it deep fried like he gets at the Fish Fry every Friday night at Torreon but now that I’ve lost 5 pounds, I’m not going backward by indulging in fried food. Instead, I came up with this recipe that turned out incredibly flavorful, tender and delicious. Try it and see what you think!

Coconut Poached Cod over a bed of couscous and served with Cremini Salad

Coconut Poached Cod

1 pound cod fillets, cut into four pieces of similar size

One half lime

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

½ cup coconut milk

1 ancho chile in adobo sauce, minced

Seeds of 1 cardamom pod

½ t. fennel seed

½ t. dried cilantro (or 1 T. fresh)

1 t. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Sprinkle both sides of cod fillets with juice from half lime and salt and pepper, to taste.

Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Add coconut milk and remaining ingredients; stir to combine. Place cod fillets on top. Cover pan with a piece of foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 – 25 minutes (depending on thickness of fillets) until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serves 4

January 22, 2012: Thai Style Green Beans Recipe

At my house we eat a lot of Asian food and I’m always looking for new and creative side dishes. Thai food, in particular, is a favorite of mine so when I across a recipe for a “Wing Bean Salad”, I took the items I had on hand to turn it into this side dish perfect to go with any type of Asian food main dish.

Thai Style Green Beans served with pork stir fry and brown rice cooked in chicken broth.

Thai Style Green Beans

1 cup fresh green beans

1 shallot, minced

½ cup coconut milk

1 T. lime juice

1 T. peanut butter

2 t. fish sauce

2 t. Asian chili sauce

Pinch of brown sugar

1 can water chestnuts, drained

Clean green beans and snap into 2 – 3 pieces each. Place the coconut milk in a saucepan and add green beans and shallots. Cook over medium low until beans are softened, about 15 – 20 minutes (or less time for crisper beans).

Meanwhile, combine lime juice, peanut butter, fish sacue, chile sauce and brown sugar. When beans are done to your preference, add the sauce and the water chestnuts. Heat through.

Serves 3 – 4

September 1, 2011: Coconut Rice

Welcome autumn!

Well, September is finally here and after one last summer hurrah in the form of the long Labor Day weekend, we can all say goodbye to summer and hello to school zones, football games, and shorter days. I’m already anxious to get my house decorated for fall and resurrect my homemade scarecrow, who changes clothes each year (I'll share a recipe for making him/her later this month). Do you do anything special to celebrate the changing of seasons?

For the first recipe of the month, I’m sharing a new side dish. Coconut milk adds such great flavor to dishes; I’m actually surprised that I didn’t think of adding it to my favorite Jasmine rice long before this! This recipe includes a delicate hint of ginger and garlic along with the fantastic flavor of curry, coconut and Jasmine rice. It makes an excellent side for fish, chicken satay, or any kind of Thai or Oriental main dish.

Coconut Jasmine rice served with halibut steaks and stir fried snow peas.

Coconut Jasmine Rice

1 cup Jasmine rice

1 ½ cups coconut milk

1 ½ cups water

2 t. minced ginger

2 t. garlic salt

1/2 t. curry powder

2 T. butter

Place all ingredients, except butter, in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the butter. Replace the lid and allow the butter to melt. Stir together just before serving.

June 17, 2011: Phyllis’ Coconut Cake Recipe

My dear friend Phyllis is the Cake Queen. When it comes to cakes for birthdays or holidays or any type of celebration, Phyllis is our go-to gal. She bakes up something truly scrumptious and awesomely pretty each and every time.

This is a cake she made for her daughter-in-law’s bridal shower. I have to tell you, it was hard to stop at just one slice – it’s that good. And since my niece absolutely adores coconut and her birthday is next month, I asked Phyllis to share her coconut cake recipe. Here it is!

Coconut Cake

Prepare two 9" cake pans by buttering, dusting with flour, and lining with parchment paper.


3 sticks of butter, softened
2 -2/3 c sugar

Beat together with hand mixer in large mixing bowl or bowl of stand mixer till light and fluffy, about four minutes; then add:

4 eggs plus 4 egg whites
1 T. vanilla

Beat till light and fluffy on low.

3 1/2 cups flour
1 T. plus 1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Mix together.

Add flour mixture alternately with 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk, beginning and ending with flour.

Divide batter between pans. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 - 35 min (depending on your oven). Place on rack and cool 30 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack and peel off parchment paper. Cool completely. With large, serrated knife split cakes to make four layers.

Frost with seven minute frosting or buttercream frosting.

Tip: Phyllis uses buttercream frosting and coats the top and sides of cakes with plain or untoasted coconut flakes.

March 24, 2011: Pad Thai with Peanut Sauce Recipe

I don’t know about you but I love Thai food. The ingredients taste so fresh (perfect for spring!) and the combination of slightly sweet, slightly hot, and always spicy is mouthwatering. Although I prefer Pad Thai noodles with chicken satay, I’ve also served this dish with roasted chicken, grilled skewers (as pictured here) and fish. For a main dish, add a protein, such as shrimp. And if you have leftover peanut sauce, it’s great as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets or as a salad dressing.

I first had Pad Thai made from a boxed mix I bought at the grocery. As I usually do, I thought it couldn’t be too hard to make them from scratch and it would surely be cheaper (that’s an understatement – the box costs about 60 percent more than the made-from-scratch version). I think the homemade version is way more flavorful, as well. Try this recipe and decide for yourself.

Pad Thai Noodles

1 package rice noodles
1 T. Sesame oil
1 ¼ cup bean sprouts (fresh or canned) – reserve a few for garnish
2 eggs
3 – 4 scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal – reserve a few for garnish
¼ cup chopped peanuts

Soak the noodles in hot water while you are slicing the vegetables and preparing the sauce, about 15 minutes.

Peanut Sauce:

1 cup coconut milk
1 T. red chili sauce
1 t. curry powder
1 t. Asian fish sauce
½ cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth, depending on preference)
1/3 cup chicken stock
¼ cup brown sugar
1 T. fresh lime juice (substitute lemon juice if necessary)
1 t. salt

Add all ingredients to a saucepan and simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until thickened.

To Make the Noodles:

Using a wok or large skillet, heat the sesame oil to 325 degrees. Add the bean sprouts and green onions and cook for about 1 minute. Add the drained noodles and stir together. Make a well in the middle of the wok by pushing the noodle mixture to the sides. Drop in the two eggs and scramble with a spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold the eggs into the noodles and add about ½ cup of the peanut sauce. The noodles should be sticky, but not overly saucy; add more sauce if necessary.

To serve, mound the noodles on a plate and sprinkle with the reserved bean sprouts, scallions, and chopped peanuts.