Tag Archives: healthy

Product Review: Artisana Raw 100% Organic Coconut butter

My grandparents will be the first to attest that I despised coconut anything growing up. Any cakes or baked goods with the flaky shreds of coconut I’d proclaim, “taste like soap.” Clueless where I came up with that one? Thank goodness our taste buds mature and develop with us into our adulthood. Fast forward to my adulthood and I couldn’t even image not liking the taste of coconut. Missing out on coconut cake, coconut frosting, piña-coladas, coconut water, coconut milk, the list goes on and on.

How about you, do you like coconut or coconut flavor?

So I came across a product on Amazon for raw coconut butter and after reading the reviews of so many happy owners we decided we wanted to give it a whirl too! Artisana Raw 100% Organic Coconut Butter, have you tried it yet? (GET ON THIS!)

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(Photo taken with iPhone)

This is the moment I wish we had some smell-o-vision from my screen to yours. We opened the jar and immediately were reminded of a tropical island. No, not the super potent car air freshener that gives you a headache when you first open it and can taste it in your mouth. More like the coconut smell that transports me when I can close my eyes and almost feel a light sea breeze blowing while lounging on a tropical beach (it could just be our fan too). Regardless it’s certainly hard to fully describe in words how divine the smell is! Folks just trust us on this one.

When we first got our jar of coconut butter it was in solid form, however with the recent change in temperature it is a liquified butter that just like natural peanut butter can separate and just needs a good stir to eat.

So onto the taste…..drum roll please! We’d like to describe it to you as naturally sweet and packed full of incredible coconut flavor! We’re finding every excuse to slather or drizzle the stuff on our meals. Suchhhhh a delicious treat and it’s healthy too! Just like their product marketing states, no additives, only pure, unadulterated coconut!

This little butter babe has certainly jazzed up our breakfast routine and I don’t see us giving up on it anytime soon. Stay tuned for more featured debuts in our cooking and recipes.

Backpackbees

Click, Ship & treat yourself!

Angry Shrimp

Funny story….we thought these shrimp were really ANGRY after we cooked them one night last week. Yes, so much so we thought we had food poisoning from these bad little as$ suckers. No bueno! After a reallllyyyyy rough weekend we Bees are recovering slowly but surly.

I felt like Monday morning came way to fast and way to early today. I picked myself out of bed and went to work all responsible like, only to find out my co-worker came into the office incredibly ill and showing the same symptoms that we had over the weekend. AHH! Attack of the angry shrimp? Nope, he didn’t have any of our angry shrimp. Ohhhh noooo even worse, STOMACH VIRUS! Yep! Ew!

Well now that I’ve been living on toast, tea, slowly transitioning over to soup and graduating onto a grilled cheese sandwich, I think it’s time to share the angry shrimp recipe with all of you. Not to mention that it’s a little victory to even be able to fathom the very thought of anything food related after this weekend.

Pair with a nice cool simple cucumber salad and keep those hands washed!

Enjoy!

Angry Shrimp
Slightly altered from: Epicurious

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons pepitas
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup diced white onion
1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
4 teaspoons chopped garlic, divided
1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup Triple Sec liqueur
20 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 pounds medium-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
1 tablespoon orange zest
6 cups leafy spinach, chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice

Instructions:

In a small pan over high heat toast the pepitas until lightly brown, 1 to 2 minutes. In a food processor or chopper, puree raisins and 1/4 cup water 1 minute. In a large pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and cook about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in raisin puree, cherries, chipotle, 1 teaspoons garlic and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add in Triple Sec and cook, stirring, until alcohol is cooked out about 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. In a separate bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoons cold water. Slowly add in cornstarch mixture to broth mixture to thicken. Reduce heat and simmer mixture 10 minutes. Add in shrimp and cook about 5 minutes, or until pale white. Stir in fresh orange zest; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer shrimp to a covered bowl and set aside. Lastly, in a pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoons oil. Cook spinach and 3 teaspoons garlic, make sure to stir until spinach starts to wilt, this will be about 3 to 5 minutes. Strain all spinach juices and combine in with brown rice. Plate rice mixture and top with those angry shrimp.

Backpackbees

You Asked For It

Did you know that dopamine levels rise in your brain when you try new foods? All the more reason to broaden your inner foodie horizons, right?

Someone mentioned in passing that they missed out on seeing what we’ve been concocting in the Bees kitchen lately. Yes, I admit…there has been a teeny bit of neglect with blogging since getting back from Malaysia. To be fair, I blame summer and the evening walks we’re taking advantage of before monsoon season really settles in. Nevertheless I’ve been taking photos of the delicious foods and things we’ve been up to, just purely neglecting to go the extra mile to upload them and write a post. I know you’ll forgive.

Boy do we have a treat to share from one of our favorite blogs. So let’s get on with it and kick off the very middle of this week the right way!

www.greenkitchenstories.com. Check them out!

Warm Cauliflower ‘Couscous’ with Green Peas & Herbs
Recipe by: GKS
Ingredients:
1 head of raw cauliflower
2 handfuls mixed parsley and basil
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
A drizzle cold-pressed olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
2 cups frozen (thawed) or fresh peas
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Bring a saucepan with water to boil. Meanwhile coarsely chop the cauliflower and place the florets and stem in a food processor or blender and process until fine couscous- or rice-like texture. Do it in batches if you have a small food processor. Pour the cauliflower into the boiling water, lower the heat to simmer and cook for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile finely chop the herbs, toast the pumpkin seeds in a skillet on low-medium heat until golden. Drain the cauliflower ‘couscous’ in a sieve and place in a large serving bowl. Add herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and combine everything. Add peas, pumpkin seeds, crumbled feta cheese and toss until mixed. Garnish with sprouts or micro greens. Serve warm or chilled. Keeps for a couple of days in the fridge.

Eat the “couscous” on its own, or it makes a very nice paring to some homemade breaded cod. Just curious, what do you think? Do you think you will try the recipe? What do you think you will pair the dish with?

Stay tuned for some more delicious recipe ideas.

Backpackbees

What’s In The Box?

One of the best parts about our weekly CSA box is the excitement that surrounds opening it and not knowing quite what to expect. Each week the contents change slightly with whatever the harvest seasons is offering. We wonder what little surprises will there be? Are there going to be unrecognizable items that we need to do a little research on? Endless questions and anticipation answered every Tuesday afternoon when we make our way down to our gate guard building to pick the box up.

Take last week for example, we received mallow greens. What in the world? This was a green that was not familiar to us. I am curious, is it a green you are familiar with? The younger leaves and shoots of the green contain vitamins A, B1, B2, C and can be enjoyed raw like adding to salads or cooked. We ended up sautéing the greens with our organic garlic that also was included in the CSA box. Nice pairing slightly bitter and the taste reminding us of spinach.

This week we received crown daisy. Another new green to Mr. B and I. Are you familiar with this green? In doing research I was able to find that crown daisy, often called “ssukgat” in Korean, is an edible chrysanthemum. Who knew! I was really surprised to see how much power is packed in these little greens, it helps prevent insomnia, it’s rich in iron to prevent anemia, it may help reduce the risk of strokes, rich in carotenoid antioxidants and promotes digestion. Whew! I was pretty pumped so I continued researching to see what recipes we might be able to use the greens in. My ending results surrounds soups, Korean pancakes, stir fry and noodle dishes. I will keep you posted on the taste once we decide how we will use it.

I’ve included the rest of the contents in the box via photos below to share with you all. Doesn’t it all look so delicious?

These days I am really striving to live by the advice of Julia Child. Eventually I want to get my hands on her Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook. “This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” ― Julia Child, My Life in France

In other food news….

Costco dumping $2.6m of peanut butter in New Mexico landfill. Read more here.

“Hunger makes animals alert and irritable, which explains why couples always fight about where to eat dinner.” Now this explains a lot…. Read more here.

Is drinking Coca-Cola really worth it? You might want to read this before reaching for another cold on.

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them!

Backpackbees

Pan Seared Tuna Steaks

Well Helloooooo there dinner!

Doesn’t this tuna steak look incredible? Simply mouth-watering, juicy and tender! Yum!

The great thing about this meal is that it all happens quickly, in one pan! (As the party typically responsible for nightly dish duty, this rocked my socks off).

Think only a few minutes to prepare and cook then enjoy! Plus, it is such a healthy option and ideal for a light evening dinner.

Mr. B pan seared these steaks on the stove top in our cast iron pan in a little oil and sprinkled reasonably with blackened old bay seasoning. Turn with a spatula or tongs when the color change shows about 1/4th of the way up the steak, cook the same amount of time of the back side, about 15 minutes.

Don’t forget to pair with a perfect side like some bok choy too!

Have any good tuna steak recipes to share?

Backpackbees

Plunge

Besides the temperatures taking a plunge…

We took the plunge….and finally purchased a Vitamix!

EEK! A VITAMIX!

I’ve been lusting after this bad boy for almost a year and a half. Even after reviewing all the videos and blogger ratings over the past year, I was still blown away by how powerful and smooth anything you put into the Vitamix in person comes out. I’m talking reallyyyyy smooth! Superrrr smooth!

I’ve been craving hummus, perfect excuse to use the Vitamix, right? Right! The blender box included an entire book of various recipes you can use the Vitamix for. hummus was among them and I already had all of the ingredients. So blend away I did.

The Vitamix was so quick to use and just as quick to clean up afterwards. Seriously topping my favorite kitchen gadgets! I cannot wait to find more excuses to blend in this powerful guy. I’m open to suggestions and recipes please.

What’s your favorite kitchen gadget?
Do you blend frequently? If so share some recipes pretty please.

Backpackbees

Baked Almond Coconut Curry Crusted Tilapia

Poor tilapia. It’s often passed by in the store for its tasty sea cousins salmon or tuna. It’s never really the star of the show. Why? I have no idea… It’s such a wonderful little white fish. It’s so versatile, healthy, quick and easy to make, and best of all cheap, cheap, cheap!

Are you a fan of fish? Most people reply “yes, as long as it does not have the fishy taste to it.” Touché. Me, I could eat fish every day if I could. It never gets old! So many ways and unlimited possibilities to marinate, grill, bake, sear, broil, eat raw…. Yum, Yum, and YUM!

Tonight tilapia was the show stopper at our house for dinner. Plus, if you were one of those people that do not dig the fishy taste, or are new to eating fish, I have an excellent recipe below to share with you.

Baked Almond Coconut Curry Crusted Tilapia

Recipe slightly adapted from FamilyFreshCooking

Ingredients:

4 Thawed Tilapia filets
1 TSP Curry powder
1/4 Cup Unsalted Almonds
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flake
Ground fresh black Pepper to taste
Coconut oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. lightly coat pan with coconut oil. Pulse in food processor the almonds, coconut flake, curry, and pepper to taste. Coat tilapia with coconut oil then dredge fish in the curry powder, almonds, and coconut flake mixture, as you would with breadcrumbs.

Once in baking pan, sprinkle a few pinches of the unsweetened coconut and curry powder on top of the fish already coated with the above mixture.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Test tilapia to ensure cooked through & flakey.

Enjoy! Please feel free to let me know what you think.

Backpackbees