Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip

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Boy do I have something tasty for you today!

With an abundance of summer fruits we tend to eat more than our fair share.  I can say without a doubt that MGG could eat a whole personal watermelon by himself in one sitting!  That being said I am buying fruit by the bushels weekly to keep up with his insatiable appetite.

In addition to being good for you fruit is a great item to serve when entertaining.  We always set out a huge fruit bowl or platter at our parties or even for casual dinners with friends.  Over the 4th of July holiday we did just that.  I made a large platter of fruit and served it with a creamy 3-ingredient fruit dip that was to die for!  

Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip

With only 3 ingredients you can have a delicious creamy coconuty fruit dip that pairs with any fruit!  What better way to enjoy fruit than to dip it in something cool and creamy.  This dip brings a little taste of the tropics to your table and makes the fruit really fun to eat.  Just watch this dip disappear! 

All you need to make this dip are a few staples such as cream cheese and cool whip.  Then add in some cream of coconut (from the alcohol aisle, not coconut milk) and you are good to go.  This dip whips up literally in minutes.  It will last for a good week in the refrigerator so it is a good make ahead item as well.

This summer I've been keeping a serving tray filled with cut fruit in the refrigerator at all times.  I usually pick 1 or two melons, grapes, cherries, pineapple, and berries to have on hand for quick snacking.  The tray allows anyone in the family to grab a snack that's healthy instead of reaching for chips or other "not so healthy snacks"!  It's worked like a charm all summer long.  I bring this same tray out for casual dinner parties as well and we just use it like we would an appetizer platter.

Enjoy all your summer parties, get together, as well as family dinners with some fresh cut fruit and a Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip!







Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip
Yield 1 cup : 10 servings

1/2 (8oz) pkg Neufchatel cheese
1 cup cream of coconut from a 15 oz can found in the alcohol section (used to make pina coladas)
1/2 (8oz) tub Cool Whip

In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese with the cream of coconut until all lumps are gone.

Add the whipped topping and mix again.

Serve with fruit or graham crackers. Keep refrigerated.

adapted from: Dessert Now Dinner Later

Easy Chocolate Coconut Tart

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This five ingredient Chocolate Coconut Tart couldn’t be easier or more seductive! A chocolate cookie crust contains a chocolate coconut ganache that’s sprinkled with coconut and chocolate curls.

Can you believe it's only about 2 weeks until Valentine's Day?  Didn't we just celebrate New Years?  I can't believe how time flies.  Valentine's Day is a good reason to make a decadent dessert.  Can anyone say chocolate?  There nothing better than a dark chocolate sauce.  Add in some coconut and you have the dessert of your dreams in the form of a tart that reminds you of an Almond Joy bar!

CHOCOLATE COCONUT TART

This decadent dessert only needs five ingredients.  How easy is that?  A chocolate cookie crust holds a pool of chocolate coconut ganache that’s then sprinkled with chocolate curls and shredded coconut.  HEAVEN!

The chocolate coconut ganache flavor is definitely the star of this tart and is easy to make!  Heavy cream, dark chocolate chips and Smucker's Simple Delight Chocolate Coconut Flavored Topping are whisked together to make this decadent sauce.  The crust is a simple chocolate wafer cookie crushed and combined with some melted butter.  Couldn't be easier, really.

I hope you make this seductive tart for your Valentine this year, it totally sets the mood!

Enjoy!

Easy Chocolate Coconut Tart

serves 8-10

32 chocolate wafer cookies (I used Nabisco Famous Wafers)
6 Tbls butter, melted
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup Smucker's Simple Delight Chocolate Coconut Flavored Topping
Garnish:  chocolate bar curls and shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, add cookies and pulse until you have fine crumbs.  Add the melted butter and pulse until just combined.  

To a tart pan add cookie crumbs and press along the bottom and up the sides.  I use the bottom of a measuring cup to even it out and compact it down.  Place on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven.  Bake 20 minutes or until set in the middle.  Remove and place on a wire rack.  Cool completely. 

Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, add heavy cream, chocolate chips and chocolate coconut sauce. Microwave on high 1 minute and stir together until melted.  Pour the sauce into the cooled tart shell.  Refrigerate about 1-2 hours until set.  Garnish with chocolate curls and shredded coconut and serve.

Tropical Coconut Lime Waffles

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Memories of my mom making weekend breakfasts for me revolve around homemade Biscuits or Muffins.  Waffles were usually made only once in a while, and I can recall always wanting to order them when we went on trips.

To this day, a nice waffle is a treat for me when we go out to breakfast (which is rare) or we stop in a great restaurant on a road trip or vacation.  The last time I had waffles MGG and I were sitting in a quaint mariner style restaurant on the water in San Diego.  Sitting outside with a slight breeze blowing and a nice stack of steaming hot waffles arrive covered with berries.  Oh boy!  As I dig in the tenderness of the waffles melt in my mouth along with a burst of tart berries sprinkled with a little dusting of powdered sugar.  Heaven!

Lately, I've had wanderlust.  I've been dreaming of a tropical vacation with warm ocean breezes and the smell of flowers and suntan lotion in the air.  This constant dreaming inspired me to dig out my trusty waffle iron over the weekend and make some island inspired, Tropical Coconut Lime Waffles, until I can get to my dream destination. 

Waffles are really easy to make.  The mix up quickly with items that you usually have on hand.  To make this more tropical I added coconut milk, unsweetened coconut flakes, lime zest, and juice to my usual waffle recipe.  Just as I was finishing up MGG woke up and shuffled in from the bedroom to a plate of waffles and the smell of the tropics.  The waffles were so light and citrusy that you will be tempted to put them in your weekend breakfast rotation.

These are the perfect tender and fluffy waffles with a taste of the tropics folded in.  To make these more decadent sprinkle some shredded coconut on the outside and dust with powdered sugar, or some warm maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Tropical Coconut Lime Waffles

serves 4

2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 Tbls sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups coconut milk (from a can)
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tbls lime juice

1 Tbls lime zest
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Garnishes: shredded coconut, powdered sugar, maple syrup

Preheat waffle maker according to manufacturer's directions.

In a large bowl add flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, coconut milk, eggs, shredded coconut, lime zest and juice.  Stir together until combined. 

Coat waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray.  Add batter to the waffle iron and close the lid.  Cook until the escaping steam stops and the waffles are golden brown.  Remove from the waffle iron and keep warm.  Continue with the remaining portions until done. 

Serve warm.  You may sprinkle some shredded coconut over the top of the waffles and serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or warm maple syrup.  

Tropical Crescent Ring

During the summer I love to sit outside in the morning on the weekends and enjoy a nice cup of hot tea and something delicious for breakfast.  A great way to start the day off, in the quiet...before the world gets busy and hectic.  

So this morning that's exactly what MGG and I did.  Spend a few quite moments talking and eating breakfast outside...before the day gets started..and around here, before the scorching heat is upon us.  It's been humid, oh sooo humid, and around 100 degrees all week.  This weekend promises the same.

I do have a confession to make though, before telling you about this dish.  I tend to read a lot of recipes, blogs, cookbooks etc...Then I go out an buy ingredients to make that special something, and a week goes by and I read some more, and I forget what that special something was!  So then I have some great ingredients lying around and don't know what I intended them for...C'est la vie!  It's a bad habit of mine.  

The reason I'm telling you this it this ties to my creation of this mornings breakfast.  I wanted to make something like a pastry.  I knew, looking around I found some dried pineapple and some macadamia nuts but to be honest I don't remember what they were for...possibly oatmeal granola bars?  Anyway they gave me the idea to make a this Tropical Crescent Ring.  Now to find some shredded coconut, which I located in the freezer, and some type of dough (not wanting to make this from scratch today) so I found a can of Crescent Rolls in the frig.  Voila, I had my inspiration.  (Think I'm picking up the French language from a book I'm reading right now...but I digress)

This is a wonderful pastry to make.  Easy to put together, and similar to cinnamon rolls.  It takes about 35-40 min from start to finish, and the smell when it's baking...heaven!  Nothing too complicate here but oh so tasty!  It's really a semi-homemade version you can whip up easily and everyone will enjoy.

Kitchen Tip:  when working with this crescent dough, try to work quickly so the dough doesn't heat up.  If it does it makes the dough too pliable and it will be hard to roll and keep roll nice and intact.  (Not that I know this from experience of anything!)

So make this wonderful breakfast for you and your family...enjoy the moment, and the day ahead!

Tropical Crescent Ring
serves 4-6
time: 40 min

1 8 oz can crescent dinner rolls 
2 T butter softened or melted
2 T brown sugar 
1/4 c chopped dried pineapple
2 T sweetened shredded coconut
1/3 c chopped macadamia nuts

Glaze:
1/3 c powdered sugar
2 t milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a piece of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet.  Unroll dough on the parchment paper in a rectangle and press all seams together.  

In a bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, pineapple, and coconut. Spread mixture over dough to within 1/2 inch from the edges.  Sprinkle nuts over the top. 

Starting with long side of rectangle, roll up the pastry into a long roll.  Pinch the the seam into the dough to seal when you've finished rolling.  Using a knife, cut the dough into 12 equal slices. Arrange the slices on the parchment paper almost cut side up, overlapping the pieces slightly so they touch, in a circle.  

Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan to a cooling rack and cool completely.  If desired, make a glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl, making sure you add enough milk for a thin drizzle.  Drizzle over crescent ring and serve.