This Tropical Smoothie is fresh, fruity, and packed with the best tropical flavors! It’s made with banana, mango, pineapple, Greek yogurt, and your choice of coconut milk or pineapple juice!

Do you ever just want to drop everything and hop on a flight to the nearest tropical destination?

Unfortunately, sometimes that just isn’t in the cards. And that’s when I reach for this Tropical Smoothie!

It’s not quite the beach vacation we’re all dreaming about, but it sure tastes like one!

This smoothie is loaded with frozen tropical fruit, coconut milk or pineapple juice, and Greek yogurt. It’s refreshing, creamy, and if you close your eyes while you drink it, you’re basically soaking up some sun on the beach.

If you like this one, you’ll also enjoy this Mango Smoothie, this Pineapple Smoothie, and this Easy Homemade Pink Lemonade!

Ingredients Needed:

• Greek Yogurt: you can use plain or vanilla yogurt. Whichever you prefer! Vanilla will add more sweetness to the smoothie.
• Liquid: use either coconut milk or pineapple juice—or a mix of both! Coconut milk will make a thicker, creamier smoothie.
• Frozen Fruit: I use a blend of banana, pineapple, and mango which creates the perfect blend of tropical flavors.

How to Make a Tropical Smoothie

This Tropical Smoothie recipe makes the perfect easy and healthy snack. It’s ready in a quick 5 minutes!

1. Combine: Add all of your ingredients to the blender.
2. Blend: Blend until smooth, stirring as necessary.

Smoothie FAQs

Tips and Notes

• Use frozen fruit! Frozen fruit is the key to a thick, creamy smoothie.
• Add to the blender in the order listed. For the best texture, add the ingredients to the blender starting with the yogurt and milk, then ending with the banana, pineapple and mango.
• Serve right away. Smoothies are best fresh!

Tropical Smoothie Variations

While this Tropical Smoothie is great as-is, smoothies are also incredibly customizable. Make it your own!

• Use another liquid. I love the flavor of both coconut milk and pineapple juice, but feel free to play around with the liquid you use. Other great tropical options would be coconut water, mango nectar, orange juice, etc.
• Add other fruit. The banana, pineapple, and mango combination is insanely good, but other fruit combinations work great too. Try adding or subbing in frozen strawberries, peaches, kiwi, raspberries, you name it.
• Boost the nutrition. Give the smoothie an extra kick of nutrition with a scoop of old fashioned oats, a sprinkle of flax or chia seeds, or a handful of raw cashews.
• Make it green. Feel free to toss in a handful of fresh spinach or kale to turn this into a tropical green smoothie. You won’t even taste it!

More Smoothie Recipes

Breakfast

Easy Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

Drinks

Mango Smoothie

Breakfast

Pineapple Smoothie

Breakfast

Cranberry Raspberry Smoothie

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Tropical Smoothie recipe

This Tropical Smoothie is fresh, fruity, and packed with the best tropical flavors! It's made with banana, mango, pineapple, Greek yogurt, and your choice of coconut milk or pineapple juice!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 168cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• ½ cup Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
• ¾ cup coconut milk or pineapple juice
• 1 frozen banana (broken in chunks – about 100 grams)
• ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks
• ½ cup frozen mango chunks

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to the blender in the order listed.
• Blend until smooth, stopping and stirring and adding more liquid as necessary.

Notes

Tips:

• Use frozen fruit! Frozen fruit is the key to a thick, creamy smoothie.
• Add to the blender in the order listed. For the best texture, add the ingredients to the blender starting with the yogurt and milk, then ending with the banana, pineapple and mango.
• Serve right away. Smoothies are best fresh!

Nutrition

Calories: 168cal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 425mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 516IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Tropical Smoothie appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

I know we’ve been here before, but I’m saying it again: I love coconut.

This Coconut Cream Pie is one of my favorite Easter desserts (or any time in the Spring!), because coconut just feels so tropical and fresh after being stuck in a polar vortex for 4 or 5 months.

Easter is one of my favorite times of the year because the weather is warming up (hopefully!) and we’re busting out all of the light and fresh spring eats.

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’m kind of all over the place when it comes to pie.

A traditional fruit pie? Meh.

If it’s my only dessert option, sure I’ll take it, but I will go for anything else before I go for the slice of pie.

Cream pies, on the other hand — I’m there.

Some of my favorites around here? This Lemon Meringue Pie, Grasshopper Pie, Banana Cream Pie, and Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie.

So this easy Coconut Cream Pie is joining the family just in time for your Easter celebrations!

How to make easy Coconut Cream Pie:

1. Start with the crust. This is an easy pie dough that takes no time to whip together, but feel free to swap out a refrigerated pie crust or even a graham cracker crust if you’re in a pinch! Be sure to poke it all over with a fork or blind bake with pie weights so that it doesn’t puff up when baking.
2. Make the coconut filling: I like to take the easy way out, and I haven’t had any one complain about the results! First, we whisk everything together in a medium saucepan, then we cook gently over medium or medium-low heat until it begins to bubble and thicken. If you notice any lumps, you can press through a sieve but I’ve never had anything but perfectly smooth filling! (Just be sure that you whisk continuously while it cooks!).
3. Let it cool completely, then top and serve. Because I prefer to skip the shredded coconut in the pie (just my texture preferences — you feel free to add some in if you like!), I toast some up to sprinkle over the whipped cream so people know what’s inside.
4. Make sure you chill well before slicing! This is a great pie to make the day before serving so it is nice and set when you need to slice.

What makes this Coconut Cream Pie even easier?

Most custard recipes will call for tempering the eggs, or heating some liquid, then whisking some hot liquid into the eggs, then whisking the eggs back into the hot mixture. It is a bit of a process and can be nerve-racking if you are trying to keep up with all the steps.

Because I’m a bit of a rebel, I like to whisk all of my custard ingredients together cold, then gently heat and whisk until thickened.

I haven’t experiences any catastrophes when I’ve done this, and I’ve done this a lot, so this is the way I continue to do it.

We’re all about easy and delicious over here!

How to store Coconut Cream Pie:

Coconut Cream Pie cannot be frozen or made too far in advance, as custard does not freeze particularly well and will make the pastry soggy if stored for too long.

However, this is a great pie to make the day before a special occasion so it has a nice long time to chill. I recommend placing some parchment or wax paper directly on the surface of the custard to chill in the refrigerator, up to 24 hours.

Then remove the parchment, top with whipped cream and toasted coconut and serve.

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Coconut Cream Pie

This easy Coconut Cream Pie recipe is completely made from scratch, right down to the easy pie crust and coconut custard filling! It’s the perfect Easter dessert or anytime dessert!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 372cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

Pie crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (156g)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter cut into cubes
• 3-4 tablespoons cold water

Filling:

• 2 cups coconut milk * (higher fat, canned milk will give the best flavor and texture)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Pie crust:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt.
• Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or fork until you see pea-sized chunks of butter remaining.
• Gradually add in cold water, stirring each time until you can press it together.
• Form it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or freeze for 30 minutes until chilled.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Roll out to fit a 9″ pie plate.
• Press into the pie plate and up the sides. Try to get as high up the sides as you can as the pie crust may shrink when it bakes. Trim the edges and crimp or leave as desired. Poke the bottom and the sides with a fork all over to help prevent puffing (or use pie weights if you have them).
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.

Filling:

• Combine coconut milk, sugar, eggs, and corn starch in a large saucepan. Whisk thoroughly until combined. Whisk in extracts.
• Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until very thick. This can take up to 10 or 15 minutes — be patient! You don’t want to increase the heat too much and risk a lumpy filling.
• Pour into cooled pie crust and press a piece of parchment paper on to the top. Refrigerate until well chilled, or overnight.
• Garnish with whipped cream and toasted coconut as desired and serve.

Notes

*You can absolutely use regular milk and increase the coconut extract to  teaspoons.

Nutrition

Calories: 372cal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 167mg | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 3.1mg

The post Easy Coconut Cream Pie recipe appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

This Pineapple Coconut Cake is light, fresh and fruity, and covered in cream cheese whipped cream! It’s the perfect Easter dessert or anytime treat! With step by step VIDEO.

Easter has got to be one of the best times of the year.

The sun is (hopefully) shining, Spring is in the air and it smells fresh.

Or like mud.

But either way, after coming out of a winter like we have just had (super, totally miserable and more so than usual for chilly Manitoba), I am ready for all the things that remind me of the warmth on the horizon.

Two of those things?

Pineapple and coconut.

Together they have such a fresh, tropical vibe that seems to be so welcome on the Easter dessert table. And in cake form with a slather of cream cheese frosting?

Ain’t nobody complaining.

Except all of the coconut haters, and then do we even care? If they don’t want their slice I’ll gladly eat it!

How to make Pineapple Coconut Cake:

1. Start with the cake. This is a homemade pineapple cake made with crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, coconut milk and coconut extract for big tropical flavor.
2. Bake your cakes and make sure they are completely cool before filling and frosting (they can even be frozen solid!).
3. Make your filling: the filling here is a simple crushed pineapple and instant vanilla pudding mixture. We made the cake from scratch and I don’t feel bad about using a pudding mix to speed things up here!
4. Make your frosting: this is a coconut cream cheese frosting. It’s quite sweet and it stands up to being piped and on the sides of a tall cake. If you want something lighter, I recommend the cream cheese whipped cream from my Funfetti Cake recipe.

How to make Cream Cheese Frosting:

This cream cheese frosting is my frosting of choice these days (when it’s not whipped cream or Swiss meringue buttercream!). It’s simple to make, and has a bit of tang that I find cuts through a bit of sweetness.

It is still quite sweet, so feel free to add the sugar gradually so you can adjust to your tastes (keep in mind though that the sugar is what makes it firm, so if you reduce too much it won’t be as thick and sturdy).

The important things to remember are:

• room temperature cream cheese and butter (this prevents lumps)
• add the sugar gradually, and don’t forget the salt. A bit of salt helps to balance out that super sweet taste

How to make this Pineapple Coconut Cake ahead:

This Pineapple Coconut Cake is easy to make ahead!

I find that cake is easier to slice if it has been chilled for 8-24 hours, so I actually prefer to make it the day before or in the morning if we’re having it after dinner.

The cake layers themselves can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months (see below for details).

The assembled cake and pineapple filling can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days before assembling.

The cream cheese whipped cream is best made the day of or day before serving as whipped cream doesn’t hold long term.

The assembled Pineapple Coconut Cake can be stored up to 24 hours before serving.

How to freeze this Pineapple Coconut Cake:

• Remove each layer from the pan and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in a ziploc freezer bag.
• Freeze on a flat surface where it will retain its shape.
• Keep frozen up to 3 months before frosting and serving.
• To thaw, let sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours before frosting and assembling.

More Easter dessert recipes:

• Pineapple Lush Angel Food Cake Roll Recipe
• Hot Milk Cake with Broiled Coconut Frosting
• Easy No-Churn Coconut Cream Pie Ice Cream
• Pineapple Crisp
• Mom’s (Almost) No Bake Pineapple Squares

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Pineapple Coconut Cake

This Pineapple Coconut Cake is light, fresh and fruity, and covered in cream cheese whipped cream! It’s the perfect Easter dessert or anytime treat! With step by step VIDEO. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories 739cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

Pineapple Coconut Cake

• 1/2 cup oil (110g)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (135g)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (295g) fluffed and levelled
• 1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
• 3/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Pineapple Filling

• 1 1/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 package vanilla instant pudding mix (102g)

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 cup cream cheese room temperature (250g/8oz)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar (480g)
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

Pineapple Coconut Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour 3 8″ round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sour cream and sugar.
• Add eggs, vanilla, coconut extract and coconut milk and whisk until combined. 
• Whisk in baking powder, baking soda and salt until completely combined.
• Stir in flour until just incorporated. Slowly stir in pineapple and coconut.
• Divide between prepared pans and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
• Let cakes cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Assemble or wrap and refrigerate or freeze.

Pineapple Filling

• Stir together crushed pineapple with juice, milk and pudding mix until smooth.
• Set aside until thickened.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the butter and beat on high until smooth.
• Add the vanilla, coconut extract and salt and beat until combined.
• Add the powdered sugar in 3 or 4 batches, beating well after each addition and tasting near the end to ensure the frosting reaches your desired level of sweetness. Add a touch more salt or coconut extract if desired.

Assembly

• Plate on cake layer on a cake plate and spread with half of the pineapple filling, being sure to leave a border around the edge.
• Place another cake layer on top and spread with remaining pineapple filling.
• Top with last cake layer and frost as desired, decorating with remaining frosting and toasted coconut as desired.
• You can serve immediately, but I recommend refrigerating 4-6 hours as it will be easier to slice.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 739cal | Carbohydrates: 111g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 347mg | Potassium: 331mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 89g | Vitamin A: 680IU | Vitamin C: 10.1mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 2.2mg

The post Pineapple Coconut Cake + step by step VIDEO appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

This Coconut Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze is so moist and flavorful — it’s perfect for an Easter brunch or a snack or dessert for any night of the week!

I don’t know about you, but here we love coconut.

I mean, there aren’t very many dessert or brunch categories that we’ll pass up, but coconut (especially toasted coconut!) is one of our favorites.

At my favorite ice cream joint, they serve a toasted coconut cone dip that I can absolutely never resist because it is so.dang.good.

If there are people out there who don’t love toasted coconut — I will never understand!

For some reason, although I have some favorite coconut desserts, I don’t have a lot of coconut breads or muffins. This Coconut Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze is changing the game today!

It’s perfect without the glaze for an anytime snack or breakfast, or fully dressed with cream cheese glaze and toasted coconut (snag a bag of the toasted coconut chips if you can find them and then put them on everything) for a special Easter brunch or even dessert.

I love the light and fresh, almost tropical vibe that coconut gives baking.

As a full-fledged banana bread fanatic, this bread is a nice change. It’s soft and sweet and moist but not too overpowering!

How to make Coconut Bread:

All of my basic quick breads here use the one bowl method, which means that we:

1. mix the wet ingredients first with a whisk so they are well combined
2. Add the dry ingredients and stir slowly with the whisk, just until moistened
3. Pour it into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake!

How to make the Cream Cheese Glaze:

This cream cheese glaze is simple to make and goes on just about any quick bread or sweet roll (it would be amazing on these Cinnamon Buns if you wanted something thinner than the cream cheese frosting).

Start with room temperature cream cheese (it will mix the easiest and yield the smoothest glaze!), then use a whisk (and some muscle!) or a handheld electric mixer to beat in the other ingredients.

How to freeze Coconut Bread:

Coconut bread, like most quick breads, freeze beautifully, which means they’re perfect for making ahead and saving for a day when you have surprise guests or need something for a potluck.

Simply wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an air tight container for up to 3 months before thawing.

To thaw, leave out at room temperature for 3-4 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

More coconut desserts:

• Hot Milk Cake with Broiled Coconut Frosting
• Homemade Coconut Cream Poke Cake
• Easy No-Churn Coconut Cream Pie Ice Cream
• Gluten-Free Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

More Easter brunch ideas:

• Easy Ham Quiche Recipe
• Easy Mini Quiche Recipe with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers
• Crockpot French Toast Recipe
• Cream Cheese-Filled Blueberry Lemon Bread
• Glazed Lemon Monkey Bread

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Coconut Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze

This Coconut Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze is so moist and flavorful — it’s perfect for an Easter brunch or a snack or dessert for any night of the week!

Course Bread and Baked Goods

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12 servings

Calories 246cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
• 3/4 cup canned light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 188g
• 3/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Glaze

• 1/4 cup cream cheese (light or regular, 2 oz)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8×4″ loaf pan (a 9″ will work fine, you will just have a lower loaf and need to reduce the bake time by about 10 minutes)
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, coconut milk, yogurt, oil, eggs, coconut and vanilla extracts.
• Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until combined.
• Add the flour and coconut and stir just until moistened. 
• Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cover with tin foil for the last 15 minutes of bake time if you want to prevent additional browning.
• Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Glaze

• Place cream cheese in a medium bowl and microwave for 10 seconds on high to warm slightly. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
• Add milk and powdered sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. 
• Drizzle over cooled loaf, slice and serve.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 246cal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 101mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Coconut Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze + VIDEO appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

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Recipe and photos updated from June 2014

Lately, I have a bit of a thing for food that is sweet and sour and spicy all at once. Like this Honey Balsamic Pulled Pork. Or pretty much anything with an “Asian” flair.

And I say “Asian” because I don’t pretend to know much about what real Asian food is.

I don’t pretend to know much about which foods can really define another culture — I know that everywhere you go, and every community has a different take on their cultural dishes, and I think that’s what’s so fun about travelling — you get to experience all of that firsthand.

The coconut milk marinade is so creamy and just slightly sweet. If you didn’t know it was marinated in coconut milk, you probably wouldn’t get a lot of coconut flavour from it. So if you’re worried about not liking the taste of it, don’t worry.

The sauce smells pretty potent when you’re cooking it, I’m not gonna lie. You might get a little bit worried that it’s not going to taste good. When you taste it by itself from the pan, it’s going to be pretty strong. But it pairs so incredibly well with the chicken. Realize, as you’re tasting it, that it’s a glaze, and not a thick sauce that you will eat like one would eat spaghetti sauce. If you want a little less tang, simply swap half of the vinegar for chicken or vegetable broth as stated in the notes section.

It’s tangy, sweet and spicy. The glaze reduces to this beautifully thick, syrupy consistency that doesn’t simply run off of the chicken.

Tips and Tricks to Make this Sweet and Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken:

• This glaze really packs a punch — if you aren’t sure that’s for you, I recommend using ¾ cup vinegar and ¾ cup chicken broth to mellow out the flavor.
• The sauce on this chicken is very thin, so don’t be surprised if it doesn’t get thick. If you’re looking for a thicker sauce, feel free to combine equal parts corn starch and water and gradually stir into the sauce until you reach your desired thickness (again, just remember — it’s going to pack a punch!)
• Be sure not to overcook your chicken or it will be dry! I recommend using a meat thermometer so you know exactly when it’s ready.

Watch the recipe video and see how easy it is to make!

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Sweet & Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken

Sweet, sour, sticky and a bit spicy — this chicken has everything you want. So delicious off the grill with the glaze brushed over top!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 358cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 3-4 large chicken breasts mine were massive, and I sliced them into 7 average portions. You can always use more smaller breasts

For the marinade:

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

For the sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar optional: sub in some broth — see note above
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes*
• 2 tbsp apricot jam

Instructions

• In a large ziploc bag, combine chicken breasts, coconut milk, ginger and ½ tsp red pepper flakes. Seal bag and use your hands to combine ingredients. Marinade in the fridge at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Over medium heat, grill chicken for about 10 minutes per side (**Note: cooking time will vary greatly depending on thickness of your chicken. Use your own discretion here.)
• While chicken is cooking, combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, pepper flakes and jam in a medium pan on the stove. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook about 20 minutes or until reduced and slightly thickened. Watch closely and whisk constantly as the glaze starts to get close to being done — it can burn quickly because of the high sugar content. Glaze will thicken considerably after it starts to cool down.
• Spoon glaze over cooked chicken and serve with rice or noodles.

Notes

*The amount you use will depend on your tastes. If don’t like too much spice, go with the lesser amount.

Nutrition

Calories: 358cal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 1087mg | Potassium: 387mg | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2.8mg

The post Sweet & Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken + VIDEO appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

I’m just gonna come out and say it: I think this is the best chicken I’ve ever made in the slow cooker.

I’m going to avoid saying it is the best ever, but I don’t think I’ve ever had chicken breasts come out of the slow cooker this moist before. They are just totally, unbelievably juicy and delicious. The trick? Thai Kitchen coconut milk.

Maybe you think that’s weird and you’d never cook chicken in coconut milk, but I’m telling you that you should. I’ve seen a couple recipes for Chicken in Milk before, where you cook a whole chicken in milk and some other seasonings, and it is apparently they best way to cook a whole chicken.

So I had a pretty good feeling that these were going to be phenomenal. I was not wrong.

I love stocking up my pantry with coconut milk, sauces, and spice mixes to make everyday cooking interesting and flavorful. Normally, I use coconut milk in desserts or whipping it to top cupcakes, but this time I wanted to try using it as a cooking liquid for chicken and I am so glad I did! The fact that the chicken cooks in the slow cooker makes me even happier — I use my slow cooker at least 2-3 times per week these days!

This Coconut Chicken is actually based off of this Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken, because it’s one of my favorite recipes and it didn’t seem right to only enjoy it in the summer (partly because here in Manitoba summer is like 3 months of the year).

You could take the chicken out of the slow cooker, skip the sweet and spicy sauce and put the chicken in or on pretty much anything and it’d be awesome. The coconut flavor is really mild, and the chicken has just a bit of spice. I like to serve this chicken over rice, but you could serve it with noodles, in tacos, on pizza, etc. — the options are endless!

*Notes:

I am a working mom (on maternity leave) and I know how annoying it can be to be looking for a slow cooker recipe to cook while you’re at work and when you check the cook time it’s only a few hours on low. Here are some tips on how you can adjust the cook time without changing the recipe:

• You want it to cook longer and not be dry: start with frozen chicken breasts. Put them in the slow cooker straight out of the freezer and cover with the coconut milk and spices. Let it cook up to 8 hours on low.
• You want it cook quick more quickly: make sure the chicken is thawed and cut into smaller 1″ pieces, then cook on low for 2-3 hours, or high for 1-2 hours.

*This post is sponsored by McCormick Canada. I received compensation for my time in creating the recipe but, as always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that make The Recipe Rebel possible!

Find more great everyday recipes on Flavour.ca!

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Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Coconut Chicken

This Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Coconut Chicken is an easy weeknight dinner with big flavour!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 238cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 can Thai Kitchen coconut milk I used full fat
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Sweet and Spicy Sauce

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon Simply Asia Sweet Ginger Garlic seasoning
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam or jelly
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

• Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker. Pour coconut milk over top, add ginger and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and stir until chicken is coated and spices are mixed in. Cook on low for 5 hours (*see post above for altering cook times).
• minutes before the chicken will be done, make the sauce. In a medium pot, combine sugar, vinegar, chicken broth, soy sauce, pinch of red pepper flakes, Ginger Garlic seasoning, and apricot jam. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until slightly reduced. Combine corn starch and water and stir into sauce to thicken, whisking until combined and thickened.
• Remove chicken from the slow cooker and discard the cooking juices. Slice or shred chicken and toss with sauce. (*Optional: place back in the slow cooker to keep warm. )
• Serve over rice or noodles — or in a taco!

Nutrition

Calories: 238cal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 1232mg | Potassium: 268mg | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1.1mg

The post Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Coconut Chicken appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

Sometimes I think about writing the recipe out as it was actually made in my own kitchen, including all of the mishaps, messes and redos. By the time the recipe makes it here, it’s been through a lot! And so has my sanity…

Today was no exception.

I love involving my almost-3-year-old (just another month or so and I can drop the almost!) in the kitchen. But there are days… I almost can’t handle it.

She is usually pretty good about listening and we have some pretty basic rules when it comes to her helping me.

She’s not to touch any cutting boards or anything on them, unless I ask her too.

She doesn’t touch knives.

She’s never to put a chair or stool in front of the stove to stand on.

She’s not to put anything in her mouth without asking.

She’s pretty good about most of these things, except maybe that last one. She’s a food addict like myself, and it’s not always easy!

As we were making the lime curd today and I was painstakingly juicing the limes into a measuring cup, she was whisking the eggs and sugar together. I always tell her, “keep the whisk in the bowl”, but all of a sudden there was liquid egg all over the counter and in my hurry to clean it up I knocked over my cup and lost about half of my lime juice.

And so I think I’ll stick to “what you should do in your own kitchen while making the recipe” instead of “what actually happens in my own kitchen while making the recipe”.

I would love to hear some of your stories about cooking with your kids! You know, so I know I’m not the only one.

I love citrus, and I love coconut.

I was testing out a gluten-free coconut and almond based tart shell to make these in, but it was a total fail and so I used some bought tart shells I had stashed in the freezer for months.

Don’t judge me. One can only handle so many disasters on a single Monday!

I was searching for a great lime curd recipe as a base for my filling, and I decided to try out this lime curd recipe from Dorothy at Crazy for Crust – I just love how simple and quick it is! I folded in some whipped coconut cream for some extra creaminess, and I added a drop of green food coloring (I know, don’t judge me. It’s still Monday) only because I wanted them to look like lime tarts. This is totally, completely optional.

Finish with some whipped coconut cream or even regular whipped cream, some toasted coconut and lime zest, and you’re good to go! An awesome Spring treat

These Coconut Lime Tarts would be so perfect for Cinco de Mayo, or a Spring party, baby shower or birthday!

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Coconut Lime Tarts

Coconut Lime Tarts: a light, creamy and refreshing lime filling topped with fluffy coconut cream! Easily dairy free. Perfect for Spring or Cinco de Mayo! www.thereciperebel.com

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 tarts

Calories 321cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 12 premade tart shells baked according to directions and cooled

Lime curd cream filling:

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice or sub bottled
• Zest of 1 or 2 limes I used 1.5 tbsp lime zest
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
• 3/4 cup whipped coconut cream**

Garnish:

• 1/4 cup toasted coconut
• Grated lime zest
• 1 1/2 cup whipped coconut cream**

Instructions

• Make the lime curd cream filling: In a small pot, whisk together the eggs, sugar, juice and zest until smooth. Place over medium heat* and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• When the curd has cooled to room temperature, stir in whipped coconut cream slowly.
• Spoon warm filling into the cooled tart shells and place in the fridge to set completely.
• Divide remaining coconut cream between tarts and garnish with toasted coconut and lime zest. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

**Whipped Coconut Cream recipe: https://www.thereciperebel.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-almond-joy-cupcakes/

Nutrition

Calories: 321cal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 4.3mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2.6mg

The post Coconut Lime Tarts appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.