Uses for Madagascar vanilla?

[Emily T]

A colleague of mine just traveled to Madagascar and brought me back seven whole vanilla beans! I am extremely excited to use these, but I need a couple ideas of what is something whole30 compliant (or close to compliant) that uses vanilla beans.

 

Please feel free to suggest things to eat and things I can give as gifts for the holidays!

[Roz Griffiths]

I've made coconut butter with the innards of a vanilla pod mixed in, it's nice. Probably not a good idea if it's a "no brakes" food for you though

[Emily T]

Oooooooh......that sounds good. What do you put coconut butter on? Its hard for me to know how to use butter without toast  

 

I'm thinking vanilla coconut whipped cream for Thanksgiving pie (yes I know its not compliant). 

[Roz Griffiths]

I usually just eat the coconut butter with a spoon... I should point out that it's kind of the texture of concrete & i get quite a workout chiselling it out of the jar & it's therefore impossible to overeat I don't think i blended it long enough! I use it as a "hmm, i really AM kind of peckish & i'd just like a little fat to keep the pangs at bay" food - an occasional spoon or three at bedtime, that kind of thing. I'd never heard of it before whole30 so i can't imagine it on toast... The closest thing we have to it in the UK is creamed coconut (not coconut cream, we get that too), which comes in little blocks & you crumble it into a curry like a concentrated coconut milk.

[pjena]

I love coconut butter on a sweet potato.  That is my favorite breakfast along with eggs and kale.  Yum!  Blend it way longer than you think you should and then instead of pouring it into a jar, pour it onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Let it harden and then break it up like brittle.  Keep the pieces in a tupperware in the fridge so you don't have to chisel out a spoonful when you want some.   The think pieces melt easily when put on a hot sweet potato.

 

You could make homemade vanilla extract to give as gifts.  You'd be the hit of the holiday season.

[sjosey77]

You can actually make your own non-alcohol vanilla flavoring.  It takes weeks I think to make it, but just an idea. 

http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com/homemade-sugar-free-alcohol-free-vanilla-extract/

[praxisproject]

Whatever else you do with the pods, don't throw them out when you've used them, many things will take on vanilla flavour if you store it with a used pod (eg. cane sugar makes vanilla sugar). If you wet them during use, just dry them out and you can use them again.

 

You can boil or steep them in liquid, store them with dry items like coconut flour (if they're too wet this could possibly cause mould) and even in an airtight container with some fresh eggs (for sweeter eggs) as they absorb flavours through their shells.

[drtracyb]

Save them til you're done with your Whole30, then use them for a healthy Paleo snack once you've graduated to Paleo.

[Emily T]

I added some of the vanilla to my grain free pumpkin pancake recipe, and plan on making vanilla applesauce today! Love it! 

[GFChris]

I added some of the vanilla to my grain free pumpkin pancake recipe, and plan on making vanilla applesauce today! Love it! 

Pancakes would be a post-Whole30 option only.

[Vian]

For post whole30, you can chop up the beans and put them in a bottle of vodka (or rum for a really different flavor) and let them sit in a dark place for 2-3 months and make your own vanilla extract. 5-8 beans per cup of alcohol. You can leave the beans in the bottle and just top off with more alcohol as you use it to have a continuous supply.

 

If you leave them in the vodka or rum for just a few days, you get vanilla-flavored vodka or rum.

 

You can also bury a bean or two into a jar of sugar to infuse the sugar with vanilla flavor.

 

Fun fact about vanilla: It is actually the seed pod of the orchid Vanilla planifolia, which grows as a vine on the sides of trees. The flowers only open for one day and must be polinated by hand between 11am and 12pm. Once the pod has developed, they are harvested by hand and aged.

[Emily T]

Pancakes would be a post-Whole30 option only.

I should have mentioned I am not on a whole30! Doing a post-whole30 with modifications. SWYPO and dairy are OK. But still trying to make things as close to compliant as possible.