A While ago I was going through a coconut addiction… wow that sounds weird but true. I was craving anything with coconut not matter if it was super star toast modified to add coconut, coconut crusted salmon, the 90 second macaroons or of course these babies that I want to share with you today.

During my addiction, I had given these a try because I had always thought macaroons were difficult and time consuming to prepare.  They are not!  Joy from Joy of Baking inspired me to make these and I used her recipe to a “T” and they were AMAZING!

As you can see below, you can whip this up this afternoon after you read this and still have time to cut the grass before the weekend.

The tender sweetness of the coconut will have you eating more than one for sure.  I love when the top part of the coconut gets toasted and golden brown.  Sometimes I even melt a little dark chocolate and dip half of the macaroon.  Call me weird but I love to eat this cold right out of the fridge.  Some peeps love them warm from the oven or room temperature but I like them chilly.

Ingredients

• 4 Large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 Cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 Tsp. salt
• 1 Tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup cake flour, sifted
• 3 Cups sweetened shredded coconut

Method

1. In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt. When this mixture is warm to the touch, and nice and creamy, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, flour, and coconut.
2. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours, or until firm.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F  and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Place small mounds of the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart.
5. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.

Zesty Tip: Do not overcook these.  They will dry out and be disappointing.  Check at the 15 minute mark depending on your oven.

Side topic…. when do you normally cut the grass?  I always try to cut the grass on Thursday night or Friday so it is all done for the weekend and looks good.  Let me know your thoughts on the best day to grass cut.  OK so I am off to work now.  Have a super Friday to wrap up the work week and I will see you all on Monday from Virginia.

Take care

zesty

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I was craving coconut! When I am craving something it is kind of like a 3 year old wanting the toy in the very bottom of the toy box that nobody can see or find but the kid knows it is in there.  I pretty much need whatever I am craving or I get a little cranky… I know scary.  With that said, I wanted to re-visit a refined 90 second macaroon.  I made these a while ago and was impressed with the simplicity and they hit the spot.

Macaroons in 90 seconds was born. This recipe is sooooooooo easy.

Literally 4 ingredients, some parchment paper, a plate and a microwave is all you need to whip these babies up. Give it a try.

Ingredients

• 1 Egg White
• 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut
• 1 Tsp. Cocoa
• 1 Cup Icing Sugar

Method

1. Add egg white to a small bowl and beat until foamy on top.





2. In another bowl mix together icing sugar and cocoa; then add egg white mixture and stir thoroughly;









3. Add coconut and mix together.





4. Line a microwaveable plate with a piece of parchment paper and add 4 spoonfuls of the mixture to the plate



5. Microwave on high for 90 seconds.
6. Let cool and move to rack.
7. Repeat as this mixture should make 8.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Be very cautious of your microwave’s power.  I noticed in mine that the first batch I could have remove them around 75 seconds.  Just keep a close eye on them while in the microwave.

I hope you have a great Wednesday and I look forward to seeing you on Friday.  If you give these a try let me know how you make out.  My second time around I made them a little “bigger” to ensure they stayed oooey and gooey on the inside.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Monday to you!

Let’s call the past weekend a somewhat productive weekend around the house.  I was able to get the garage set up and cleaned.  It is looking better all the time and I even got to use the pressure washer on the floor which I love to do.  We finally inked the deal and got a second car.  That was exciting.  We bought a used Mazda Protege 5 and so far are loving it.  We were also successful in sourcing a Nintendo Wii and the Wii Fit plus.  My sides and arms are killing me as we speak from boxing just a little too much and perhaps a little to intensely.  But oh my it is FUN.

Let’s start this week off with a simple shrimp recipe that you can do all year round and really impress your taste buds.  Shrimp is really easy to cook, takes hardly anytime and are good for you.  I chose to flavor them today with really two simple flavors; coconut and lime.

Do note that I did eat a lot more shrimp than in the picture.  I was having problems getting a decent picture so I zoomed in on one lonely shrimp so you could see the grilling detail.  With the coconut milk they will get nice and charred if you are not careful.

The flavors compliment each other with the sweet of the coconut and the sharp burst flavor of the lime.  I paired these shrimp with just a simple green salad and fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 20 shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh garlic
• 1 Lime
• Salt
• Pepper
• Coconut Milk

Method

1. Place shrimp in a large seal-able baggie. Add the garlic, coconut milk, lime juice, salt and pepper to the bag.
2. Toss to coat shrimp evenly with marinade ingredients. Place bag in refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour.
3. Preheat grill to high heat 475°F – 500°F (245°C-260°C). Oil grill to prevent sticking.
4. Place shrimp directly on the grill and cook for 1 minute per side or until nicely charred and opaque.
5. Remove shrimp from the grill. Serve hot with a drizzle of fresh lime.
6. Serve over salad
7. ENJOY!
   

Zesty Tip: Be careful not to over cook the shrimp.  I have said this numerous times before but it really is the key to success.  Also for an extra kick you could use a little bit of jalapeno pepper to enhance the flavor and make it a bit spicy.

Zest’s To Do List

Today is a bit of a crazy day but I had a pretty good enough of sleep and are ready to go.  On top of normal everyday events that happen at the office I have a ton of blog stuff to get caught up on.

1. Meet with Open Sky about sourcing
2. Work on finishing up the makeover for Mardi at Eat Live  Travel Write.
3. Multiple Logo designs on the go for numerous foodies including FoodForLa, ANutritionisteats.com and BrainGutsHands just to name a few.
4. Complete the free Makeover for Adi at Oatonomy who was the lucky Giveaway winner.
5. Work on the face lift and relaunch of Caitlin’s Operation Beautiful

A Shot of the New Second Hand Car

So there you have it… pretty much a day in the life of zesty couple with a lot of eating, a lot of water and a whole lot of smiles.  I hope you have a great day and I will talk to you later.  The announcement I spoke about is official and I will be talking about it on Thursday.

Take care

zesty

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Welcome everyone and happy Tuesday! I am very excited to share a guest post with you by Tina from Carrots and Cake. If you have not done so already, I suggest you drop over and pay Tina a visit. Her blog is really informative and very upbeat. It really is a great find and definitely one to bookmark.

Follow along below and make your own Pumpkin Coconut Bars.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour*
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup of Splenda brown sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

*I used 1/2 cup of whole wheat and 1/2 cup of regular white flour for this recipe. The bars were tasty, but pretty dense. I recommend using 1 cup of white flour and nixing the whole wheat flour all together.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, and oil, then mix in flour (both kinds) and baking powder.
3. Stir in dates, coconut, and walnuts to mixture.
4. Coat 8X8 baking pan with cooking spray and spread mixture evenly in pan (photo below).
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees until batter is mostly firm.
6. Top with additional coconut shavings and cook for another 8-10 minutes on 450 degrees until coconut begins to brown.
7. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, and the cut into bars (mine were
   approximately 2″ X 2″).

Here’s the mixture before going into the oven…

… and here’s the final product, piping-hot with golden-brown shredded
coconut on top.

I hope everybody enjoyed the guest post from Tina.  Feel free to comment and tell us what you think of these yummy coconut pumpkin bars.  Have a great day!

Zesty

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Sitting in the office the other day I get an email with a bunch of Thai recipes from an office colleague. I decided to whip up this interesting soup that I scrolled through. I always have been a big fan of smooth soups so I am hoping this one will be just as good. The recipe is very simple and has some great flavors that I enjoy.

So I said what the heck, lets give it a whirl and see if it is worth serving to others. Follow below and let me hear what you think.

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 15 oz can coconut milk
• 2 cups mango nectar
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter; your preference
• 2 veggie bullion cubes
• 1/2 an inch fresh ginger, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 green chilies, minced
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 3-4 green onions, chopped

Method

1. Add the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, mango nectar, and water to a large pot and bring to a low boil.
2. Meanwhile, you can mince the ginger and green chilies (jalepenos are fine too) and add them to the pot.
3. Chop the cilantro and green onions, and reserve for a garnish.
4. Once the soup is hot, take out a small bowlful and stir in the peanut butter until it is completely incorporated. Add back to the pot.
5. Repeat with another bowlful and incorporate the bullion cubes.
6. Serve in bowls topped with the cilantro and green onions.

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Last night we had a real craving for salmon.  A few years back I was watching the food network and local chef Michael Smith as he created this coconut crusted salmon dish. 

As I watched it - I copied the recipe down on my notepad and tried it the very next day.  It was delicious! 

So every now and again when we are having a salmon craving I sometimes throw this recipe in the mix.  It is a great combination of sweetness with the salmon.  In my mind, the salsa really sets it apart and makes it a real show stopper and crowd pleaser. 

The presentation with the salsa on top of the carmelized coconut makes my mouth water.  Not too mention the salsa calls for ” juice of a lime” one of my favorite fruits. Hence the theme of my website and my name.   I hope you enjoy the recipe and feel free to try your own flavours in the salsa and let me know how you made out. 

Caribbean Coconut Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups of shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 4 x 6 oz salmon filets, skin removed
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put coconut into a freezer bag. Drop in the salmon filets one at a time and toss to coat. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with Caribbean Salsa ( recipe below )

Caribbean Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
• 1 x small red onion, diced
• 1 cup of fresh cilantro, minced
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• Several dashes of your favourite hot sauce

 Directions:

1. Put pineapple, red onion and cilantro into a medium-sized bowl. Add lime zest and juice, oil and hot sauce. Toss well and let flavours mingle for at least one half hour before serving.

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