Coconuts!

I've been reading a lot lately about coconuts and how nutritious they are. I used to only like coconut in the form of coconut LifeSavers. You know, the white ones that don't really taste very coconutty at all? It was a Christmas tradition to receive a box of 8 rolls of LifeSavers complete with a mini story book from Poppop, so there always seemed to be a roll laying around somewhere. I no longer really like LifeSavers, but I do like coconut! Part of the problem for me is the texture. People were always trying to ruin a perfectly good dessert by sprinkling it with coconut. Anyway, after all my reading, I've found that coconut is one of the top most nutritious foods and the oil is a very nutritious fat. It got a lot of bad publicity when all the vegetable oils started being manufactured, but don't let that fool you!

So I bought 2 jars and decided to start using it. It smells like coconut (yum!) but doesn't make the food taste like it. It's solid at room temperature which makes it tricky to substitute it for liquid oils in baked goods (although you can melt it in the microwave) but it works well for stir fries. And carmelized onions. Mmmmm... 

Cold-pressed oils are also more healthy for you, so if you go out to buy this, or any oil, buy cold-pressed. The nutrients in oil are lessened when it is heated and processed.

It seems like ever since I started learning about the health benefits of coconut it's showing up everywhere! I bought a bag of the unsweetened finely shredded organic variety and have been adding it to my oatmeal. It's a good way to trick my texture sensations because it's chewy and mixes into the oatmeal well so I don't get that stringy feeling.

This morning in my email box I got a blog update about making your own coconut milk. I may have to try it! 






I did add the coconut oil to my Doughnut Muffins yesterday with great results.

We've already eaten 2 each!