Monday, February 25, 2013

Coconut Panna Cotta


Panna cotta of any type is one of my favs for desserts for a couple of reasons. One is that the return-on-investment of time has a huge payoff when it comes  to taste and eye appeal. Remember that people eat with their eyes first. The other is that panna cotta is very versatile. The possibilities are endless.

The one draw back is, like most desserts, panna cotta is sweet, thus usually fairly high in calories. If you don't believe me, just check on my other two that are posted on this blog. For example, my Mocha Panna Cotta (click for recipe) has over 700 calories per serving and my Panna Cotta with Candies Orange Slices (click here for recipe) has over 400 calories per serving. But, they are to die for.

In my efforts to develop a low cal, allergy friendly version, I came up with this one. Not only does this beauty have less than 150 calories person serving, it is also casein free, corn free, peanut free and soy free in addition to being gluten free plus vegetarian and vegan to boot. Unless someone is specifically allergic to coconut, this recipe lacks tree nuts.


The only problem I have with this recipe is that it also nutrition free, thus the addition in the picture above of a fruit skewer. In our zeal to eat healthy, ridding our diets of highly processed, refined sugars and all other things associated with allergens, we need to keep in mind that nutritional balance is the ultimate goal when eating any type of restricted, not just lowering the caloric count. 

Here is my recipe:
3 tablespoons water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
14 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons toasted flaked coconut

Here is how I put this recipe together:

1. Place water in a small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over the water. Set aside.

2. Place coconut milk and sugar in a small heavy sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved, about 8 to 10 minutes. DO NOT allow mixture to come to a boil, Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture; stir until gelatin is completed dissolved. (Note: To avoid gelatin clumping, thoroughly mix gelatin into the water prior to adding to the milk mixture.) Add coconut flavoring and vanilla extract.


3. Pour mixture into 5 4-ounce custard cups r compotes. Place in refrigerator for 4 hours or until completely set.


4. To serve, sprinkle with toasted coconut and enjoy!


Servings: 5


Author's Note: Recipe can be made much richer by substituting cream of coconut for coconut milk. Tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple make great toppings for this dessert.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 19 minutes

Calories Per Serving:  142.77
Calories From Fat (0%) 0

% Daily Value

Total Fat 0 g 0%
Saturated Fat 0 g 0%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 79.71 mg 3%
Potassium 1.99 mg <1 nbsp="">
Total Carbohydrates 35.41 g 12%
Fiber 0 g 0%
Sugar 34.61 g 
Protein 1.33 g 3%
Copper 0.02 mg 1%
Energy 597.36
Glucose 0 g 
Iron 0.03 mg <1 nbsp="">
Lactose 0 g 
Lysine 0.06 g 
Magnesium 0.45 mg <1 nbsp="">
Manganese 0 mg 0%
Net Carbohydrates 35.41 g 
Phosphorus 23.98 mg 2%
Riboflavin 0.01 mg <1 nbsp="">
Selenium 1.26 mcg 2%
Thiamin 0 mg 0%
Vitamin A 0 IU 0%
Vitamin B12 0 mcg 0%
Vitamin B6 0 mg 0%
Vitamin C 0 mg 0%
Vitamin D 0 IU 0%
Vitamin E 0 mg 0%
Vitamin K 0 mcg 0%
Zinc 0 mg 0%

Author: Dr. Jacquelyn P. Horne

Copyright: 2013

1 comment:

  1. Oh, I LOVE coconut! We have some awesome recipes this week!! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :)

    Thanks for linking back to the Gluten Free Fridays post!


    Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

    ReplyDelete

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