My Whole 30 Journey - Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Soup

I am one of those people who can eat soup any time of year for pretty much any occasion  I know there are people who don't eat soup in the hot weather of summer, but that's not me. So, when I found a lovely butternut squash at the store I knew I wanted to make some soup despite the 90 degree heat.. 

The sweet and nutty flavors of butternut squash taste so lovely with the spicy flavors of curry and the creaminess of coconut milk. Even J, who is 23 months, loved this soup. 

This recipe produces a pretty spicy soup. If you aren't into the spicy thing than just reduce the spices by half and taste it, if you want more spice you can always add it in later.

Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Soup

(loosely adapted from The Novice Chef)

Recipe Note: some brands of coconut milk solidifies in the can. Before opening, warm the coconut milk by submerging the can in hot water for 5 minutes. See my post on Coconut Milk Reviews for more information.

ingredients:

2.5 lb Butternut Squash (basically one large squash), deseeded, peeled and cut into 1” cubes

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

¼ yellow onion, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon curry

1 teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon cumin

ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup coconut milk, full-fat

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

cilantro, optional - for garnish

directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the squash with 3 tablespoons olive oil and spices and spread out on the baking sheet in a single layer. Roast the squash for 45-55 minutes, until tender when poked with a fork.

Heat up 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot. Add onion and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the roasted squash and stir together.

Add stock and coconut milk and stir to combine. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to blend up the soup until smooth.

Serve hot with a little extra drizzle of coconut milk and cilantro.

If preparing ahead, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Then reheat in a non-stick pan on the stove.

My Whole 30 Journey - Coconut Milk Review

As it turns out not all coconut milk is created equal.

I have yet to encounter a can of coconut milk that I didn't like. Its thick and creamy and has a slight hint of coconut flavor. Its great in coffee and on fruit and in baked goods or curries.

However, different brands of coconut milk are better for different purposes. I am going to let you in on the coconut milk secrets that I have learned while on this Whole 30 Journey. I should say that I haven't tried every brand out there, but of the ones that I have tried these are my favorite.

Make sure to read your labels! This is one of the most important things to do while on the Whole 30. Manufactures love to sneak sugar and other yucky ingredients into their products. Most of the coconut milk that is sold in boxes or in the dairy section has either sugar, soy, carrageenan, or other non-Whole-30 friendly ingredients. I have found a few brands that I like and I and sticking to them.

Best in Coffee (and other drinks)

I love 365 Everyday Value Light Coconut Milk. Its organic, score! And it tastes great. The thing with putting coconut milk in your coffee is that it is very thick and gets thicker when chilled. As a result it can clump up in iced coffee. Not an issue when you are drinking hot coffee because the heat from the coffee melts the fats in the coconut milk, but in iced coffee it presents a bit of an unpleasant drinking experience. This is why I use LIGHT coconut milk in my iced coffee. Its thinner than regular coconut milk without being watery and doesn't do the weird clumpy thing that full fat milk does. This brand also made CookingLight's Our Favorite Store-Brand Products list.

You can buy 365 Everyday Value Light Coconut Milk at Whole Foods Markets.

Best on Fruit and Cooked into Recipes (for baking and other dishes)

When I was a kid one of our favorite summertime deserts was fresh fruit and cold cream. We would toss some fresh berries or chopped peaches in a bowl and pour on the half and half. No sugar needed! It was an awesome treat. To this day that is one of my favorite flavors, and coconut milk just takes it to the next level. Thick, creamy and slightly sweet, coconut milk is the perfect topping for fresh fruit. Sprinkle on some toasted coconut shreds and you have a desert fit for Mount Olympus!

Again I love me some 365 Everyday Value Coconut Milk. The reason I love this particular brand of full-fat coconut milk is because it doesn't separate and solidify in cold temperatures. Most full-fat coconut milks will separate, the fatty part will rise to the top and the denser liquid will settle at the bottom. This is a good thing when you are trying to make whipped cream, but not so good when you want to just use the milk to bake with. I like that I can pop open a can of this brand of coconut milk and I don't have to use the whole thing. I can just stick it in the fridge and come back for more at any point without having to remix the water and fats.

You can buy 365 Everyday Value Coconut Milk at Whole Foods Markets.

Best Whipped Cream

Whipped coconut cream is to die for. I mean seriously. Its creamy, light, slightly sweet and slightly coconutty (that is so a word). All you have to do to make coconut whipped cream is take a can of full-fat coconut milk and stick it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Then when you are ready to make your whipped cream, remove the can from the fridge without shaking or jostling it too much. Open the can and scoop out the thick white coconut fat and cream that has risen to the top. Make sure you don't get the clear liquid that is sitting at the bottom of the can. Now just whip up the white stuff until it is the consistency you are looking for. There you go! Coconut whipped cream. Dairy free, vegan, and healthy! Use it on fruit, baked goods, or one of those awesome looking watermelon "cakes."

I really like Chaokoh brand full-fat coconut milk for whipped cream. Truth is, sometimes I don't even whipped it at all. Its so thick and wonderful that I have been known to just scoop it onto some fruit (try grilled peaches!) and go to town. 

You can find Chaokoh brand coconut milk in the Asian section of your grocery store.

What do you use coconut milk for? 

Do you have a favorite brand?

Leave a comment and let me know!

XOXO,

Coco

My Whole 30 Journey - Week 2

This week I want to share some of my frustrations. This is not easy. Its not particularly hard, but its not easy. Its not eat whatever you want and feel awesome. Its eat really great and good for you food and feel awesome.

Excuse the  lack of makeup, I have a newborn.

I MISS CHEESE! And bread. No, but seriously, cheese.

I knew when I started my Whole 30 Journey that cheese and yogurt would be the hardest things to give up. I love cheese. One of the reasons for doing my 30 days in July was so that, when the county fair opened in August, I could eat a grilled cheese sandwich.

Side note: If you are ever in the DC Metro area in mid-August you have got to come out the the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair and go to the Big Cheese. They seriously have the BEST grilled cheese sandwich you will ever eat. EVER!

I have had so many craving this week. Chocolate (brownies, cookies, cake, bars, etc...), bread, cheese, yogurt, milk and cereal, chips, cream and sugar in my coffee, fried mozzarella sticks, rice, wine, pasta, Dr. Pepper, etc... Pretty much anything and everything not allowed on the Whole 30.

It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig

I miss baking. As anyone who knows me will tell you, I love to bake. I will come up with any excuse to bake. Its Sunday afternoon, need to bake something! There is a birthday at work, need to bake something! Husband is coming home from work, need to bake something! 

Its been really hard to cut back on my baking adventures. One of the ideas of the Whole 30 is to break your bad food habits. They suggest not simply replacing regular pancakes with paleo pancakes because this isn't teaching your body good habits, its just perpetuating the old ones. Now, I will admit, I have made pancakes. I have also made muffins. They have followed the rules of the Whole 30 ingredients wise, but haven't exactly followed the rules.

One of the justifications I have given myself for baking muffins and pancakes is that I really don't like eggs and what else am I supposed to eat for breakfast? I have never liked eggs. When I was little I couldn't even be in the kitchen when someone was cooking them because I would puke. I know its gross, but that's the truth. Unless they are baked into a cake or cookies or frozen in custard, I am not interested. And don't try to change my mind, I have tried them in many different forms and flavor combinations. I don't like eggs.

While we are talking about foods that I don't like lets touch on seafood. Its gross. So is lamb, and pork (bacon and some sausages excluded) and veal, and goat and duck. Its interesting because I wouldn't say I'm a picky eater, because I love trying new flavors and ethnic dishes, and love experimenting with recipes. But maybe I am. Anyway, these dislikes have always limited my diet and even more so now that I can't supplement with grains and dairy.

One of my greatest frustrations is that I haven't been experiencing the results that I was hoping for. I am still really tired, although that could admittedly be from a lack of sleep due to the fact that I have a three week old baby. I am hungry all the time and can't seem to get enough food in my belly, again, could be from breastfeeding. My skin hasn't cleared up at all. I haven't seemed to lose any weight. I haven't weighed myself, but I haven't noticed a difference. My husband who isn't even doing the Whole 30 other than when he eats at home is losing weight. Ugh, men! 

My sister keeps saying to push through the first two weeks and it gets much much easier by the third week. Here's hoping she is right! On the bright side, its summer and the produce is wonderful! 

Leave a comment and let me know how your Whole 30 is going!

XOXO,

Coco

My Whole 30 Journey - Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash Recipe

This dish was a hodge podge of what I had left in my fridge. Leftovers make the best meals!

A few days ago I made some really wonderful sweet potato hashbrowns. The recipe was really simple and easy. Just shred two sweet potatoes with a cheese grater or a food processor, put the shreds in a sack of cheese cloth and squeeze out as much of the juice as possible. Then add some salt and pepper and whatever other spices you like, cinnamon and nutmeg or chili powder and cumin or whatever. Form the shreds into patties and pan fry with a little coconut oil. Using a nonstick skillet is a good idea, but I don't own one of those, so mine came out a little less than beautiful. Thank goodness they tasted great! Crispy and salty sweet, just what I was hoping for.

Turns out that while my hubs and I can eat two whole sweet potatoes on their own, when made into hashbrowns these babies fill you up! We only consumed about 1/3 of the batch that I had made. So, I pretty quickly came up with a way to use up the leftovers. I am sure you could use just shredded sweet potatoes that have been drained of as much juice as possible, it doesn't have to be leftover hashbrowns.

I also had some leftover fried apples. To make these just chunk up (technical term) some Granny Smith apples and toss them in a skillet with some coconut oil and cinnamon and cook until tender. These are an awesome side dish, breakfast or desert! And it's Whole 30 and paleo approved!

Even if you aren't using leftovers, this is still a one pot meal. You will need a bowl or two, but it's not much clean up. It's easy to put together and is good for any meal of the day. My bet is for those of you who like eggs (I don't so I haven't tried it), this would be good with an over easy egg.

Okay, here's the recipe for my Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash.

Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash

1-2 Granny Smith apples, cut into bite-sized chunks

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 lb. breakfast sausage without casing (make sure there is no added sugar)

2 sweet potatoes, peeled

1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Shred the sweet potatoes using a cheese grater or a food processor. Transfer the shredded sweet potatoes to a wire mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth and squeeze as much of the juice out as possible. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil to melt. Toss the apples with the cinnamon and transfer to the hot skillet. Cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes, be careful not to over cook. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Add sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the sweet potatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add the apples and cranberries and cook to heat. Remove from heat. 

Serve hot with toasted pecans.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

What's your favorite leftover, toss everything into a skillet meal?

XOXO,

Coco