Eat Fat, Lose Fat (34 page)

If red bananas are unavailable, use regular yellow ones. Peel bananas just before you are ready to cook. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 pieces crosswise. Heat coconut milk in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add sugar, salt, and mali essence, if using. When mixture is hot and smooth, add bananas and simmer about 5 minutes, or until bananas are cooked but still in whole pieces. Serve warm.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut pears in half lengthwise, peel, core, and brush with lemon juice. Arrange in a buttered baking dish just large enough to hold pears. Pour coconut milk over pears and bake about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool to room temperature, then place in refrigerator to chill. Meanwhile, warm butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add chopped nuts, coconut, and sweetener and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. To serve, place 2 pear halves in a bowl, spoon coconut milk over pears, and sprinkle with nut-coconut mixture.

Another recipe adapted from
It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking
by Kasma Loha-Unchit.

Heat coconut cream and sugar in a medium saucepan just long enough to dissolve sugar and blend with cream into a smooth mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature. While cream is cooling, preheat oven to 350°F. Beat eggs well and mix in with cooled sweetened coconut cream. Stir in vanilla. Divide mixture among 4 buttered custard cups. Set cups in a pan of hot water and bake for about 30 minutes, or until custard sets and a toothpick comes out clean. Chill well before serving. This dish is delicious served with tropical fruits.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg yolks until pale in color, about 5 minutes. Whisk in rum, coconut milk, and cream. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately or store in the freezer.

Stir together coconut milk and dried coconut in a bowl and refrigerate overnight. The pudding will be ready in the morning. Added sugar is not necessary in this recipe because of the natural sweetness of the freeze-dried coconut.

Place ricotta in a food processor and process until very smooth. Gradually add other ingredients (except Coconut Sprinkles or freeze-dried coconut), processing until smooth. Divide among 6 bowls or parfait glasses and top with Coconut Sprinkles or freeze-dried coconut.

No sugar is needed in this recipe because of the natural sweetness of the freeze-dried coconut. This is a good way to use up egg whites left over from recipes calling for egg yolks.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with buttered parchment paper. Beat egg whites with salt in a bowl until they form stiff peaks. Fold in enough coconut so mixture forms balls, but not so much that mixture is crumbly. Place balls on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F and bake another hour or so until macaroons are chewy. (If you like your macaroons crisper, bake several hours more.) Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from parchment paper. Store in an airtight container.

Coconut cream will whip just like dairy cream, but it takes longer.

Place cream in a large bowl and whip with an electric mixer at highest speed for several minutes until cream thickens. Add sweetener and vanilla and whip a minute more.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place almonds in a food processor and process to a fine powder. Add butter,
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cup of arrowroot, 1 teaspoon vanilla, sweetener, and a pinch of salt and process until smooth. Press into a well-oiled 9-by-9-or 7-by-11-inch Pyrex pan. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Increase oven temperature to 325°F.

In a large bowl, beat egg with cream, maple syrup, 1 tablespoon vanilla, lemon rind, remaining 2 tablespoons arrowroot, and pinch of salt. Stir in Coconut Sprinkles and spread over almond pastry. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until filling is set. Let cool slightly before cutting into bars. Let cool completely before removing bars from the pan.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix coconut, sweetener, and butter together in a small bowl. Transfer to a buttered and floured 9-inch pie pan and press firmly and evenly against the bottom and sides. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is a dark golden color. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Place egg yolks and sweetener in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for several minutes until a pale ribbon forms. Blend in vanilla, rum, cream, and melted gelatin. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with salt until stiff. Fold egg yolk mixture and coconut into egg white mixture. Pour into pie shell and chill well.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place eggs and sweetener in a large bowl and beat until well blended. Beat in coconut milk, vanilla, coconut rum, and nutmeg. Pour into pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool. Spread whipped cream over pie and chill well.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 10-inch French-style tart pan with removable bottom with Flaky Pie Crust dough. Process nuts in a food processor to a fine powder. Add remaining ingredients except Coconut Sprinkles to processor and process until smooth. Add Coconut Sprinkles and pulse a few times until mixed in. Pour into tart shell and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Thanks to Katherine Czapp of the Weston A. Price Foundation’s Ann Arbor chapter for this delicious recipe.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform cake pan and dust with arrowroot. Sift together arrowroot, cocoa, and cinnamon. In a very clean glass or stainless-steel bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until frothy. Gradually add
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cup sweetener. Whip whites until glossy and smooth. Set aside.