Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Caramel Sauce

Summer dessert doesn't get any better than this grilled pineapple in a simple coconut caramel sauce. Just throw it on the grill alongside some fish or jerk chicken and then commence lounging on the patio in complete bliss. I snuck one of these glazed pineapple pieces straight from the grill, and wasn't ready for the magic that happened. I love pineapple and something seriously amazing happens when you throw it on the grill. The natural sugars are brought out by the flames and the pineapple juices become a smokey caramel flavor.


And just to make things even better we drizzled the hot pieces of grilled fruit with a coconut caramel reduction. Thick, gooey and hot coconut caramel paired with grilled pineapple is a match made in dessert heaven. We had this alongside our grilled fish tacos and not a peep was uttered during dinner on the patio that night except for Mmmmmmmmmm's and the occasional Oh yeeaaahhh!

Instead of spending time in the kitchen baking dessert this summer try throwing different fruits on the grill for a super simple after dinner treat. My other favorite fruit to grill are nectarines, the flavor brought out from grilling them is out of this world!

recipe from Sunset Magazine


TIME     20 MINUTES          SERVES     6

1 large pineapple

1/2 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup coconut milk (the kind in the can)

handful of shredded, sweetened coconut

Pre heat outdoor grill to medium high. 

In a small saucepan over medium high heat bring water and sugar to a steady, low boil stirring just to combine.  Continue to boil rolling the pan to swirl liquid occasionally. Do not stir. This will take about 15-20 minutes before the liquid reduces and turns into a caramel color and consistency. Continue to boil gently swirling pan until you have a thick caramel reduction.  

Meanwhile trim the top and end off of the pineapple. Trim of the outer skin and discard. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise then cut each half lengthwise again so you have four long pieces. Cut the core from each piece and save for use in a green smoothie the next day.  Cut pieces in half again lengthwise if they are too thick, then cut them in half to make smaller pieces.  

Remove pan from heat and carefully pour in coconut milk while whisking to combine. The caramel sauce will bubble and splatter so be careful. Pour some of the caramel sauce into a small serving bowl reserving the rest to brush over the pineapple.  

Place pineapple pieces in a large serving tray or plate. Brush with the coconut caramel sauce to coat them. Using tongs, place them on the hot grill. Let them sit for 2-3 minutes then turn them over and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from grill and serve immediately!  

Drizzle with more caramel and enjoy!

What are your favorite summer desserts?

Mini Tarts with Cherry-Fig Compote

“I received free samples of Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax and Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic from Dare Foods Incorporated mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Dare Foods Incorporated and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

What do you bring to a last minute dinner party when you have zero desire to go to the store, mostly because it will interrupt your already planned day of being lazy, maybe doing some Pilate's and getting in at least an hour of afternoon pool time. I know, I have it rough. Well, I know we will be having wine during and after dinner so I thought some cute mini tarts filled with a fig-cherry compote would be a fantastic idea. Maybe I'll stop and pick up a bottle of port to go with them.

note to self: don't eat all of the tarts before dinner even though your house smells heavenly.

I can do this.







I've remade these from an older recipe of mine for fig bars using mostly oats and flax for the crust. This time I tried using Breton's Gluten Free Crackers with Flax for half of the mixture and they turned out great. Don't look at me like that, I had to try one.... o.k. two you know, just to make sure they were blog and dinner party worthy. The things I do for you people!

Compote (French for "mixture") is a dessert originating from 17th-century France made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder, cloves, ground almonds, grated coconut, candied fruit, or raisins.  

The French invented compote believing that fruit cooked in sugar syrup balanced the effects of humidity on the body. The name is derived from the French word compote, meaning mixture. Compote was originally served as an afternoon snack with sour cream and biscuits. During the Renaissance, it was served chilled at the end of dinner. 

Pulse the oats and Breton Gluten Free Flax crackers into a flour.

Snip the little stems off of the figs.

Coat a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Using a small spoon, scoop a small amount of the dough into the muffin tin pressing down with your fingers to form a hole in the center, leaving some dough on the bottom and up around the edges of each cup.

Mini Tarts with Cherry-Fig Compote

Mini Tarts with Cherry-Fig Compote

TIME     30 MINUTES       YIELDS    12 MINI TARTS

Filling:


6 ounces dried Figs (preferably Organic)

4 ounces dried Apricots OR dried Cherries (preferably Organic)

2 tbsp. chopped almonds

2 drops anise extract (optional)

1 tbsp  local, Organic honey (local honey help with outdoor allergies!) 

2 tbsp. water

2 tbsp. orange juice OR lemon juice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger


Snip off the figs' stems, and put them, the apricots, almonds, water, honey and spices into the food processor. Pulse to a coarse paste. Spoon out of food processor and set aside in a small bowl.

Crust:

1 cup regular or quick oats 

1/2 cup whole oats

12 Breton's Gluten Free Crackers with Flax

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces unsweetened apple sauce

1 tablespoon local, Organic honey

1/3 cup water

Directions: 

 Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir in the wet ingredients, mixing well to a thick consistency.

Place 1 cup of  oats and the crackers into your food processor or blender. Pulse until you have a flour.  

Coat a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Using a small spoon, scoop a small amount of the dough into the muffin tin pressing down with your fingers to form a hole in the center, leaving some dough on the bottom and up around the edges of each cup.
Spoon the fig mixture into each cup. 

Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes until crust is golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack before removing tarts. Serve warm or at room temperature with afternoon tea or with wine for dessert. 

Now, off to quickly fold some laundry, if that's possible with the amount of laundry we have in this joint. Second thought, forget the laundry. Off to do 45 minutes of Pilate's which brings me to my happy place and then go sit by the pool.


Have a great weekend my friends!






   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower Poppers

“I received free samples of Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax and Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic from Dare Foods Incorporated mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Dare Foods Incorporated and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

I'm a "To Do" list kind of person, which falls under the category of "Make it Happen people!"
But not to be confused with "Extremely focused and Organized" sort of gal. So why then does it seem like procrastination gets the best of me every so often and sabotages my very un organized to do list?  For all of my worrying and stressing about any given thing, I typically put off most chores and projects until the last minute when my "Get off your ass and snap to it" personality surfaces. She's a bitch sometimes.


Soooooo, when my latest blog project was to come up with a gluten free recipe using Breton crackers I in true form mulled the choices over and over and over  for weeks (tell me that's not a bad thing) until yesterday when I decided to double check the deadline and oh crap, 5 days! No problem right? Wrong. Wordpress decided to "block me due to suspicious activity" just because I forgot my password..... three times..... in a row. All because of a major hacker sittuation involving Word Press. Hackers suck. Big time.

So now I'm sitting here with 2 killer recipe ideas and a major deadline (I like how that makes me sound very important, kindof Mad Men like) and no way to access my WP account. Wait, I don't even use WP as a blogging platform! That's the kicker! 


Deadline or not, I'm bound and determined to share these cheesey poppers with a punch with you. You have to have something fun and original to bring to your next potluck right? I'm planning a small back yard get together with our friends soon and can't wait to see the expressions on their faces when they pop these seemingly innocent tots into their mouths. 

I rolled the poppers in Breton's Gluten Free Herb and Garlic Crackers which I pulsed to a crumb in my handy little food processor for the extra crunch factor and flavor. Simple as that!

Best of all, no one has to know they're totally healthy! Instead of bread crumbs I used Breton's Gluten Free Crackers  in the poppers. No gluten to bloat your tummies and they are low fat and low on the glycemic index.  Cauliflower was used instead of starchy potatoes as the base for these cheesey poppers. Warning, they are a tad spicy and very addictive so have an ice cold beverage near you to wash down all 30 poppers you devour. Or is that just me?

Of course while you're putting these poppers together you will want to snack on a few crackers with cheese. This is my new favorite cheese lately and will be buying these Breton crackers often in the future, yum!  The cheddar is so buttery and soft and the flavor is amazing! It's not overly spicy but has an after 'kick' of chipotle peppers. It melted perfectly in these poppers and didn't ooze out of them onto the pan.

Simply steam your cauliflower florets for 5-6 minutes (don't overcook or you'll have mashed cauliflower). Then throw 4-5 florets in your mini food processor and pulse a few times until it becomes a rice consistency. I love my little hand operated food processor because it allows me to chop my food to exactly the right consistency which is imperative in this recipe.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and place your poppers 1/2" apart. I love my stone baking pan which always turns out perfectly browned veggies, poppers, cookies and beyond.

TIME     30 MINUTES        YIELDS     30 POPPERS

Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Poppers GF using Breton's Crackers

Ingredients

1 small head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

4 egg whites

1/2 cup shallots, minced

2 tablespoons dried parsley (or fresh)

1 cup Chipotle Cheddar Cheese, grated (or cheese of choice)

1/2 cup (about 8 crackers) Breton Gluten Free Original Crackers with Flax

1/2 cup (about 8 crackers) Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic Crackers

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large stock pot steam cauliflower florets for 5-7 minutes. Do not over cook! Drain water and place florets in a bowl and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for at least 1 hour (this will help with shaping them into balls).

Remove chilled cauliflower from freezer and place in a food processor. I use this small hand operated chopper  which allows you to control how course or finely chopped your food will be. Chop until cauliflower is the consistency of couscous or rice. Do not over process or you will have mush. Remove any remaining chunks of cauliflower and discard. Scoop cauliflower into a large bowl.

Add cheese, shallots, parsley and Breton's Original GF Crackers with flax, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

In a separate bowl or mixer, beat egg whites until just frothy. Fold the egg whites into the cauliflower mixture till just combined. Fold egg whites into cauliflower mixture.

Preheat oven to 400F.

In your food processor, pulse Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic Crackers until they are a fine crumb. Place them in a large shallow plate. Using your hands, shape the cauliflower mixture into golfball size balls. Gently roll the balls in the cracker crumbs to lightly coat. Place on a stone baking sheet lined with parchment paper 1/2" apart.

Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and balls are deep golden brown and crispy.

Serve warm! These make a great appetizer to any dinner party or picnic.

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Un-Fried Green Tomatoes, Seedless Watermelon, In Shell Pistachios and a Bold Bloody Mary to Sip on

This is Southern comfort food with zero guilt. No oil, nothing fried yet plenty of spices and tart, sweet juices from green tomatoes and watermelon to get you going. Salty, earthy and light pistachios round out this pre-dinner treat and a very bold and amazing Bloody Mary to sip while you snack.  

“I received free pistachio samples from the Pistachio Health Institute mentioned in this post. By posting this pairing I am entering a contest sponsored by Pistachio Health Institute and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”






This is going to be a quicky. Nothing wrong with that right? We have ribs on the BBQ and hungry tummies growling. I have to say, this was a really fun and unusually treat to snack on this afternoon while looking forward to dinner and writing this post. I was a bit skeptical about a healthy version of fried green tomatoes and was relieved when they turned out pretty damn amazing. I never did care for deep fried anything however so I don't have that to miss.

Cornmeal is a bit dry on it's own as a coating but these triple dipped tomatoes held up beautifully and were juicy with the right amount of crunch. Dunking them first in almond flour with plenty of salt then in Greek Yogurt and once again lightly in cornmeal spiked with plenty of Old Bay seasoning made them plump, juicy and perfectly crisp.

 Oh, did I mention totally healthy?!

Choose green tomatoes that are firm to the touch and use immediately. 

As part of the Recipe Redux Team we were asked to come up with a pairing of foods that went well and complimented Pistachios, In shell specifically. So many possibilities, I love pistachios for their taste and for their health benefits. I'll bet you don't know just how good they are for you! Check out all of the   ways pistachios can help you lead a healthy lifestyle at The Pistachio Health Institute now.

The {Healthy} Pairing: Southern Style

Un-Fried Green Tomatoes

In Shell Salted Pistachios

Seedless Watermelon

Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary Garnished with a Celery Stick

Do you like Pistachios? Do you eat them by themselves or with other healthy treats? I always have some on hand, in my car and in my locker at work! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Greek Yogurt and Goat Cheese Tzaziki Roasted Red Pepper Zucchini Rolls with Pesto Dip A.K.A. Extremely Creative and Interesting Snacks for an Unbearably Boring Mom.

Let's talk about creative energy, or rather the lack there of. For instance, I'm pretty sure that I had something rather interesting to say 15 minutes ago but since then 1 million and 1 other extremely important things have happened. Such is the life of a mom of 4. Any mom actually, but I speak for myself (disclaimer numero uno).

Case and point. In the last 15 minutes I have:

Tried to console a very distraught 4 year old little girl about a broken crayon which her 8 year old very artistic brother absolutely had to have because it was  "Imperial Blue" and the exact shade he needed to finish his bird drawing and "NO!" another shade of blue from the enormous bucket of crayons wouldn't do and excuse me please but it in fact is not a crayon but a pastel! ..............................

Stopped 3 times to put on baby doll clothes. On the same baby doll.

Tried to reason with a dramatic 6 year old over why it's not the end of the world when someone touches him, looks at him, breathes on him.

Prepared myself for yet another night of over reactive drama and whining about how grosssssss dinner is before they even know what it is.

Tried to take a picture or two of for mentioned dinner when the house we moved into several months ago does not have ONE SINGLE north facing window, or any decent window for food photography for that matter.  (note to self, look for new house immediately. post note, be in complete denial that the housing market is yet again rising faster than my strategic abilities allow.)

Exaggerating? Who me? NO. Not this time my friends, not this time. Life as a mom, end of story. 

Again, I'm pretty sure I had something very creative or mildly interesting to say in regards to this post 15 minutes ago but alas, you will forgive me as my creativity has been sucked away over the years and replaced with the cutest of cute, adorable, little, needy monsters. 

What's the opposite of boring? These super cute snack containers from Planet Box. I. heart. their lunch boxes and so when they offered to send me one of their brand new sectioned snack boxes, 

"The Shuttle" with a perfect little dipping container I was waiting by the window for the UPS guy.  

This little snack container was much roomier than I imagined and perfect for my portioned, 5 a day small meals. As you can see it held my 'second' lunch quite nicely and I won't even mention the fact that my dear husband swiped it from me the  next morning. I did get a nice text message around lunch time about how fantastic my zucchini rolls were. Cudos.

I love Planet Boxes sleek and convenient  design and that the magnets were interchangeable. My boys loved this alien one and when mommy wants to take it to work I simply take the magnets off or I can switch them out for one of their other cute magnets. These cute space guys ended up on our fridge. 

Several different sizes to choose form with eco-conscience design and cute carriers. I love it!

Back to School Time Already! Time to get a sturdy lunch box that will last through the year! 

Planet Box sent me these items, all opinions are my own.