Nuts about Coconut.

I cannot believe I forgot about the most important part of last week's post.

(Quick refresher if you forgot the post was about: burrito bowls).

I forgot about adding the salsa. So I painstakingly made another bowl just to take another picture. But really I made it because it is what I ate for dinner at least 5 times last week.

So good.

Today, we shall switch gears and talk about another of my favorite foods: coconut.

This was my first time using a real coconut. It was quite an adventure.

First, breaking it...

Then grating it...

(Luckily I was able to get my hands on this coconut grater; otherwise, I probably would have just used a knife).

I ended up freezing most of the shredded coconut, but did use a small amount in the following recipe:

Mixed Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

• vegetables of choice (I used 1 small potato, frozen carrots, broccoli, peas, spinach, and green beans)
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• salt
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or vegetable oil) 
• 1 green chili
• 1-2 tomatoes

Blend together the coconut, cilantro, turmeric, green chili, and salt. If the mixture does not blend, add a few spoonfuls of water to facilitate the blending. Set aside.

Pre-cook the potato by rinsing it, piercing a few holes in it with a fork, and microwaving it for 3-5 minutes. Then, in a large pot, heat the coconut oil and add the frozen (or fresh) vegetables, and add the cooked potato last. 

Add the blended coconut mixture.

Mix well and continue cooking until everything has incorporated.

Add more salt/spice if necessary.

Serve with brown rice or quinoa.

Coconutty goodness! But not too overwhelmingly coconutty, for those of you who are not coconut fans. 

So, I completely forgot to mention last week that Trader Joe's finally opened here last weekend, and of course, I went 2 days after the grand opening. And of course, I consumed most of the items I purchased before I could even take my camera out. (Typical). But I did get a few notable items: crispy snap peas (awesome snack!), bags of greens (spinach, romaine, arugula), a 4oz box of basil (for a very reasonable price), and much more. I really did go a bit crazy there, but then again, everyone else was too. The lines were into the aisles! Next time I'm hoping the "smashing s'mores" aren't all gone!