I Am Complete: Café Gratitude’s Coconut Ceviche
Makes 3–4 cups; serves 3 as a main course, 10 as an appetizer
Ingredients
- 2 Thai young coconuts
- 1 medium tomato
- 3 inches of cucumber
- ⅓ bunch cilantro
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- ½ red onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Crack open the coconuts and pour off water to drink or reserve for another use. Scrape out coconut meat and julienne into very fine ⅛-inch strips. Cut the strips into 1- to 1½-inch pieces. Place coconut into a 4-cup ceramic or glass bowl. Wash and dice the tomato and cucumber into ¼-inch pieces. Wash and finely chop the cilantro leaves and stems (use the stems only if not woody). Finely chop the jalapeño, onion, and garlic as well. Mix all remaining ingredients together and marinate for at least 1 hour. If serving as a main dish, place on top of a small bed of greens and serve with avocado or guacamole and I Am Releasing Flax Crackers.
I Am Releasing: Café Gratitude’s Flax Crackers
Makes about 24 crackers
Ingredients
- 2½ cups flax seeds, presoaked for at least 8 hours
- 1 cup carrot juice
- 1 cup carrot pulp
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix thoroughly with hands or use a KitchenAid, especially if you are doing a double or triple batch. Prepare three dehydrator trays with both the grid and Teflex sheets. Next, moisten hands with carrot juice or water. Now place one third of the mixture on top of the Teflex sheet. Moisten hands again and begin to spread the mixture out into a layer about ¼-inch thick, making sure there are no holes and the mixture is evenly spread. This should fit onto three sheets. With a butter knife, score into four squares. Then score again to make the squares into rectangles, the shape we use in the restaurant. Feel free to use your imagination and shape or score into any other configuration you desire. Dehydrate at 115°. When the tops of the crackers are dry to the touch, you can flip them out onto the grid sheet and peel away the Teflex sheet—this will allow them to dry faster.
You can also add your favorite herbs and spices. My favorite addition is smoked salt and shallot. The crackers will store at least one week in an airtight container.
Excerpted from I am Grateful by Terces Engelhart with Orchid.