companion blog to the e-book the 24/7 Low Carb Diner

Companion blog to the e-book
Available at http://www.247lowcarbdiner.com

Friday, August 27, 2010

A Return to Coconut Flour


I admit that my coconut flour has been languishing in the recesses of my fridge. I have been using my oven as a mere storage site for skillets. My little kitchen has been too hot to use the oven for any other purpose. We have had a reprieve from the heat wave this week, so out it came. The former "Carby Boy" is no longer eating bread, so I thought he (and his tummy) might do well with some coconut flour bread. So far so good. I baked mine as mini loaves, and he ate one for breakfast today.


This is a really simple recipe. I put it all together in my Ninja since coconut flour often leaves clumps, and I hate to sift. I think it whipped the eggs well too, so I am planning to make it like this more often. Remember, coconut flour tends to vary from batch to batch, brand to brand, so you may need to play around with your batter if necessary. It is the kind of thing that a little experience under your belt does wonders. The batter will be much drier than a normal muffin batter, but less dense than a cookie dough and less elastic than a bread dough. It is unique, I guess.

The boy ate his this morning with butter and honey--he can have that. We had some for dinner with just butter. Everyone can have that. So yummy. Now no one is ever going to mistake this for wheat bread, but it does have a goodness all its own. There are tons of recipes out there, though most trace their origin back to the Bruce Fife book, Cooking with Coconut Flour. I don't own it personally, as so many recipes need to adjust to low carb sweeteners. It is a good resource, though. You can download more recipes here.

Coconut Bread

6 eggs
1 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups coconut flour

Melt butter. Break eggs into blender. Blend about 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and blend until everything is well incorporated. Spoon into a greased loaf pan. Use greased fingers to smooth the tops of the loaf or peaks will burn. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or less time if making mini loaves or muffins.


You may notice there is no baking soda or powder in the recipe. Some coconut flour recipes use leavening, some don't. The eggs should do the trick on their own. If you want it a bit fluffier, by all means add half a teaspoon. My son's diet omits baking powders, so I left it out with no problems. You make the call.

While I had the oven hot, I decided to bake some chicken thighs. John really loves fried chicken. I HATE the work. This was a compromise dish. I used a blend of poultry seasoning and coconut flour to "shake and bake" the chicken. The coating was really crisp and flavorful. I am not sure if it would work with skinless chicken, but the system worked great with the skin on the thighs. I made extra so we can get another easy meal out of the chicken too. Hubby loves it cold as leftovers. Me? Not so much.

We are celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary this weekend. I am trying to decide where to dine. Any suggestions for good low carb meals at any of the big chain restaurants? We don't eat out too often, and it is usually a salad bar when we do. I would love to hear some of your ideas.

3 comments:

Tracey said...

This bread looks great! Looks nice and easy without too much mess, too.

As for the chain restaurants, I can recommend a few things I enjoy:

-The Stuffed Chicken Marsala at Olive Garden (substitute the mashed potatoes for broccoli or other veggies) - I'm pretty sure they throw a little bit of flour into the stuffing, but it's mostly cheese, and the sauce is low carb and delicious

-At TGI Fridays I get the Sizzling Chicken and Cheese with no mashed potatoes.

-Cheesecake Factory's low carb cheesecake is really good. They have lots of salads and protein plus vegetable options, too. I even think they have omelets. Just ask them not to even bring out the free bread in case that tempts you.

-Any burger at Red Robin made "protein style" - they wrap your burger in lettuce and serve it with a salad instead of fries. I especially love the burger that comes with bacon and guacamole on it!

-The Chicken Bella at Ruby Tuesday is only 9 carbs and delicious.

-Just about every "American" place has a fajita dish with your choice of chicken or steak. I often order this without the rice/tortillas and get a garden salad and put the fajitas on top. Yum!

-You can also never go wrong with a steakhouse. Steak with butter and a salad.

Lisa Marshall said...

We ended up at Logan's Road House. I had the steak salad with blue cheese dressing, and John had a steak with grilled veggie skewers and a salad. Oh, and we ate a few peanuts too.

Anonymous said...

PF Chang's - Chicken Wraps (gluten free low carb)

Melting Pot - Low Carb Cheese Fondue with Vegetables and for a splurge they have gluten free breads/brownies etc.