tropical summer smoothie

hello friends! i hope your summers have been off to a great start & that you are staying cool. as the heat waves of summer continue to strike in niagara, give me all the frozen smoothies! this tropical smoothie features banana, pineapple, mango & coconut. the perfect pool side treat that is good for you too. one sip & you will instantly feel transported to the beach! if i'm not drinking an iced coffee, you can bet i have a fresh fruit smoothie in hand.

this recipe features naked nutrition's collagen peptide packets which are loaded with health benefits. think radiant skin, strong hair + nails, boosted joint health & more. the perfectly portioned stick packs are great for on the go as they are highy soluble & tasteless. you can even add it to your hot morning coffee (ok, iced coffee) or bedtime tea! naked nutrition also has an amazing grass-fed whey protein powder that would be a great addition to this smoothie too if you are looking for a post workout protein kick. a splash of coconut rum would be good in it too, but i'll leave that part up to you.

cheers!

ingredients

• 1 naked nutrition collagen peptides packet (9.5 grams)
• 1 frozen banana, diced
• 1/2 cup diced frozen pineapple
• 1/2 cup diced frozen mango
• 1/2 cup coconut yogurt
• 1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• hemp hearts, to garnish
• coconut flakes, to garnish
• sliced lime, to garnish

directions

• place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. puree until smooth. if smoothie appears thick, add an extra splash of orange juice.
• transfer to a serving glass. garnish with hemp hearts, coconut & a wedge of lime. enjoy!

this post was created in partnership with naked nutrition!

rhubarb, apple + coconut crisp

rhubarb is one of my all time favourite ingredients to bake with. i love all things sour, so it only makes sense that i love rhubarb in my desserts. this recipe is a pleasent change from a strawberry & rhubarb based recipe. it combines fresh rhubarb & apple, with a coconut topped crisp. as always, the topping portion of this recipe yields a very generous amount, because i don't like to be skimpy on my fruit to crumble ratio. i want each bite of fruit to have an equal amount of sweet, buttery oats!

for this crisp i used bob's redmill unsweetened coconut flakes. i always stick to unsweetened coconut in my recipes, so i can control the amount of sweetness being added to a dish. i absolutely love working with the coconut flakes, as the texture of them is so light & (well) flaky! i like to snack on them too & use the large flakes in my granola or cereal. so good.

ingredients

for the fruit filling

• 4 cups fresh rhubarb, diced
• 3 cups apples, peeled & diced
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

for the topping

• 1 cup bob's red mill old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup bob's red mill all-purpose flour
• 1 cup bob's red mill unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed

directions

for the fruit filling

• preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• in a large mixing bowl toss together the rhubarb, apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla & lemon juice.
• transfer mixture to a 9 by 12 inch baking dish & set aside while you prepare your topping.

for the topping

• in a large mixing bowl whisk the oats, flour, flaked coconut, pecans, brown sugar & salt.
• add the cubed butter. using your hands workthe butter into the mixture until it resembles a pea sized crumb consistency.
• evenly disperse over the filling & bake for 50 to 50 minutes, until the fruit filling is bubbly.
• remove from oven & let cool slighty.
• serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

this post was created in partnership with bob's red mill! 

like what you see? get it here. baking dish | mixing bowl | tea towel | flatware

coconut + dark chocolate cake

this. cake. oh my god, this cake was good. i wanted to say my mom said it was the best cake i have ever made, but i am starting to think she says that every single time i have her taste test my newest recipes so maybe it is time to pick a new taste tester. what can i say though, mom's are always going to be our number one fans! she had a point though... this cake is FULL of coconut & turned out so moist. seriously, if you are a coconut lover you need to make this right now. it contains grace's coconut chips, shredded coconut, coconut oil, coconut milk in the cake itself & is topped with a creamy coconut glaze. not to mention some dark chocolate chunks to tie it all together. baking with coconut sugar is a healthier alternative to using regular white sugar. i often rotate between this & raw sugar in all my baking.

i think it makes for quite the presentation if you are bringing or serving a dessert at a holiday party! much less stressful then trying to frost a perfect layer cake & i love putting a fancy glaze over top. i used all of grace foods organic coconut products in this recipe, which you can easily find in the international section of your local grocer! they are my go to brand for when i buy coconut milk, it is high quality & affordable. my only real suggestion is to buy extra coconut chips for the topping because good luck not eating them while you bake. they are addicting & i couldn't stop. now get to it!

ingredients

for the cake

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup coconut sugar (i used grace's organic coconut sugar)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature (i used grace's organic coconut oil)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup full fat coconut milk (i used grace's organic coconut milk)
• 4 ounces 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped & divided into two equal parts
• 1/2 cup coconut chips (i used grace's coconut chips)

for the glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons full fat coconut milk (i used grace's organic coconut milk)

directions

for the cake

• preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• in a large mixing bowl sift flour, baking powder & sea salt.
• in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the sugar, butter & coconut oil until smooth.
• add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
• alternate between adding the coconut milk & flour mixture. beat until smooth.
• fold in the flaked coconut & half of the chocolate chunks.
• pour into a greased 8-inch round cake pan & top with remaining chocolate chunks & coconut chips.
• bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top centre bounces back to touch.
• let cool completely before removing from pan & glazing.

for the glaze

• mix ingredients in a bowl until the desired consistency is formed.
• if the glaze is to thin, add more powdered sugar. if the glaze is to thick, add more coconut milk.

this post was created in partnership with grace. they make just about every coconut product you can think of... sugar, oil, chips, milk & so on. i couldn't help but make the ultimate coconut cake using ALL of these delicious coconut ingredients! thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love.