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I was going to advertise these squares as “no-bake,” but then I realized that I toasted the coconut flakes — which is totally optional, of course, but brings out a nice nutty flavor. But regardless, these squares are a super-simple and very delicious sweet treat that combine 2 of my all time favorite ingredients: coconut and cashew. They are only one variation of the many bar or square like concoctions you can whip up in an instant with your trusty food processor.
This recipe will make enough to fill a standard 9 x 9 baking dish (even though you don’t bake them); but a half-sized recipe can be made using a standard bread loaf pan (which is what I do, because it’s dangerous to have too many of these around). Also, you can choose to make balls instead of squares, which only requires getting your hands a little sticky.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup agave nectar
- 10 Medjool dates
To Make:
- Soak the dates in a bowl of warm water for about ten minutes to soften. Remove the pits, if they have not been removed already. If you neglect to do this, you will be met with a rather ugly sound from your food processor (I learned this the hard way).
- If desired, toast the coconut in a dry skillet over medium high heat until it begins to brown, stirring often. But be careful, this doesn’t take long and coconut burns easily.
- Grind the cashews in the food processor until fine. Then add in the coconut, agave and dates and process until a big, sticky, consistent mass has formed.
- Scrape the mixture from the food processor and put it into the appropriate-sized pan. Press the mixture into the appropriate-sized pan evenly and stick it in the fridge or freezer for at least 20 minutes to cool and harden. Then, you can cut it into squares and serve. (Alternatively, as mentioned above, you can just roll the mixture into little balls and avoid pan altogether).
- Store in the fridge and don’t eat too many at at time. :)
Although making one’s own curry paste is an admirable undertaking, the satisfaction this dish provided as a tasty and easy-to-throw-together dinner demonstrates the value of keeping a small jar of store-bought curry paste in the fridge. (I used Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, which is a brand available in most grocery stores — and also Maple City Market, for you Goshenites). It also shows why it doesn’t hurt to maintain a small supply of organic frozen tropical fruits to brighten your dinner plate when tomorrow’s weather forecast is predicting the coldest temperatures of the last decade.
Cashews are a current obsession of mine. You might notice that they keep showing up in my posts. Always buy them raw (it’s much better to roast and salt them yourselves, if you want to eat them that way).
The following recipe will serve two.
Ingredients:
- about 7 oz. extra-firm tofu (a standard package is about 14 oz.)
- about 2-3 tsp store-bought curry paste (e.g., Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste), more or less to taste!
- 1 1/2 C fresh or frozen pineapple
- 1/2 C raw cashews
- 2-3 garlic gloves, minced
- 4 inch chunk of fresh ginger root (or more if you want to get crazy) minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1/2 C broccoli florets
- 1 C mushroom slices (I like shitakes)
- oil for sauteeing, such as peanut oil or canola oil
- 1 C vegetable stock, about 1-1 1/2 cups (can use water instead if you don’t have any)
- 1/4 C palm sugar or brown sugar (can use less if you’re concerned with sugar intake)
- soy sauce (amount adjustable), preferably low-sodium
- optional: 1 T cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit
- brown rice for serving
- fresh cilantro for topping
To make:
- Drain and press the tofu and cut it into triangles or bite-sized pieces.
- Heat about 1 T of oil and 1 T of soy sauce over medium high heat in a wok or pan (preferably cast iron); sautee the tofu, stirring frequently, untill all sides are brown and crispy. About one minute before you predict the tofu will be done, throw in the cashews and continue to stir frequently, until the cashews begin to turn golden. Remove tofu and cashews from the pan.
- Add the onion to the pan. You may wish to add a tiny bit more oil, too, just to coat it. Sautee for about 2 or 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion becomes soft. Add the red bell pepper and stir/sautee for another minute or two.
- Next, add about a half cup of vegetable stock, about 1/4 cup of soy sauce, sugar, curry paste, ginger, garlic, broccoli, pineapple and mushrooms, and stir until well combined. Alllow to sautee at medium heat, stirring frequently, for about five minutes, or until vegetables are cooked to desired tenderness. Add vegetable stock as needed to maintain a bit of saucy liquid.
- If using the cornstarch to thicken the sauce, mix it withou about 2 T of vegetable stock, and then stir it in with the tofu and cashews about a minute before the dish is done.
- Serve over brown rice with fresh cilantro.
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