Getting some Coconut Oil inspiration

A couple of weeks ago for breakfast I made some Banana and Berry pancakes for a lazy Sunday breakfast - and they were lovely.  It was the first time I'd used Coconut Oil and to be honest I was a bit wary about it. I mean it smelt lovely and coconutty as I cooked - and reminded me of tropical holidays - but I was concerned there might be  a strong taste of coconut, but thankfully there wasn't.  

I knew that there was more you could do with coconut oil than using it for frying, but quite frankly I was stumped, so I thought I'd ask some other bloggers to give me some inspiration. Today I'm sharing that inspiration - and sorry, but I think you're going to be hungry by the end of this post.

1. Thai Chicken Traybake from Easy Peasy Foodie

I love Thai flavours and I don't think you can beat a traybake so this recipe is right up my street. MOH's not a big fan of aubergine, although he still eats them and sometimes even begrudgingly enjoys them, and I'd still include them here I think. It's almost become a bit of a personal goal to convert him!

Thanks Eb, this is definitely a recipe I'm going to try.

2. Coconut Scones from Charlotte's Lively Kitchen

Charlotte said she accidentally made vegan scones when she wondered what would happen if she substituted coconut oil for butter and then as she had some coconut milk in the fridge she used that too.  And while these look good enough for a fancy afternoon tea I think they'd also go well in my lunch box. 

I'm hoping they'll freeze like normal scones too, so I can take one out as I make my lunch in the morning.   

3. Coconut and Honey Omelette from Charlotte's Lively Kitchen

This recipe intrigued me. I thought I'd not had a sweet omelette and then I thought about crêpes and they're probably quite similar, so this is probably not as unusual as I first thought.  And let's be honest I've had at least one or two crêpes!

Recently when my parents were visiting I cooked them a boiled egg for breakfast and I was struck by how little time it took compared to the time I imagined it might take. I realised I could have eggs for breakfast during the week, but of course I haven't (yet) so this might be the recipe that changes that, especially with the fruit too as it'd be an almost virtuous breakfast, wouldn't it?  Thanks for both of these recipes Charlotte.

4. Coconut & Raspberry Mini Victoria Sponge from Snap Happy Bakes

As Hayley says in the post's introduction these will definitely make you ready for summer. Don't they look great? Hayley assures us it's easy to bake with by replacing butter in recipes with coconut oil. She's also used it in the icing, mixed with icing sugar and milk.

I have one of those mini victoria sponge tins, and I really should get it out of the cupboard and give these a go, shouldn't I? I can hear my dad nodding from here in answer to that (well, if you can hear a nod!). Thanks Hayley.

And fudge, brownies and cupcakes too...

Well you know how I like a cake, or two... It seems that coconut oil is ideal to use in the sweet stuff and you can substitute it for butter (thanks Hayley!)

Fudge

This fabulous recipe from Emmy's Mummy for Layered Chocolate and Coconut Fudge is one I'm banking, because Clare's right fudge does make great gifts.  It is something I find quite dangerous though. I mean one moment it's there and then the next it's gone! 

Please don't say it's just me.

Brownies

Well, I couldn't not include a chocolate brownie recipe when it was offered could I?  These Best Ever Paleo Chocolate Brownies that Renee from Mummy Tries shared look gorgeously squidgy - just as a brownie should be.  My usual go to recipe for Brownies is Nigella's Everyday Brownie recipe, partly because it's easy and partly because I love that she has an everyday recipe.

I think though that I'll be giving these a try because if they look that good, they must taste good too.

Cupcakes

Because cupcakes should be even more everyday than Brownies.  These Coconut Banana Cupcakes by Galina over at Chez Maximka just go to show that everyone needs a good cupcake recipe in their repertoire. There's banana in the cake - which must make it almost healthy - and these could be a good lunchbox addition for the days that I need something with icing on.

 

Thanks ladies, I'm definitely inspired and now itching to start getting more adventurous (for me) with this new-to-me ingredient. If you've a favourite recipe, I'm keen to hear about it - let me know in the comments - or let me know if you're planning to try one of these recipes yourself.

 

Thanks also to Vita Coco who sent me a jar of coconut oil to try, with these inspirational recipes I'm ready to be more adventurous.