Monday, March, 25th, 2013

Good morning!  As has been my usual Sunday evening routine, I made some soup for my lunch for the week last night & a little something to go with it. 

For lunch I made my tomato, bulgur, & chickpea soup that I made last week.  It's just SO good and SO easy and SO cheap.  Diced tomatoes, an onion, a few garlic cloves, a can of chickpeas, and bulgur (which is like $3 for a big box - and this is NYC).  I probably feed myself lunch on about a dollar a day because sometimes it stretches for dinner, too.  I also made this great thing pictured above. 

I'm really a big fan of "breads" that have sugar in them and go well with coffee.  Although I will say, I restrained myself from having this for breakfast with my coffee today (but am taking some for a mid-morning coffee break snack).  During last summer I made so much zucchini bread/zucchini muffins etc...that it was ridiculous.  I probably made like 10 batches over the summer...not kidding. 

This is coconut bread.  I love all things coconut.  I put some dried coconut flakes on my chocolate gelato last evening.  I put it in my oatmeal sometimes.  The possibilities are endless.  I like to use the unsweetened dry flake because  I like the taste and texture better.  Crunchier than the sweetened crap that comes in a bag. 

So this isn't healthy, nor am I counting it as a "vegetarian" recipe but here goes:
Coconut-Lime Bread
2 large eggs @ room temperature
1 1/4 cup milk (I used skim) @ room temperature
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups flaked, dry, unsweetened coconut
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted or melted & browned
butter for coating pan
zest of 1 lime

 In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt.  Then add the coconut & cinnamon and mix just enough to combine everything. 
Melt your butter & brown (if you like) in a small saucepan.   Whisk together with eggs, milk, and lime zest.  The reason you want your eggs & milk @ room temperature is because they will re-solidify your melted butter if they're too cold...it was annoying.  Combine with dry ingredients until just mixed (don't over-mix...bad things happen...what...I'm not sure). 

Butter your pan (loaf or cake) and then dust it with flour.  

Bake at 350 degrees for...honestly I have no idea...enough time that it's becoming goldeny brown on the edges and a tester stick comes out clean. The reason I have no idea is because I don't keep track and our oven is so hot that I take 50 degrees off any temperature that a recipe gives me.  That's what happens when your oven is from 1985.

Peace,

J