Food of the Month

Selecting

• Fresh coconut is available year round, but October through December is its peak season.

• Inspect the shell of the coconut for any cracking or bruising.

• A good quality nut is one that is heavy for its size.

• When shaken, the liquid inside will slosh around. Do not choose one without liquid, as this indicates spoilage.

• One medium coconut will yield 3 to 4 cups of grated meat.

Storage

• Whole coconuts can be stored at room temperature for up to 6 months.

• Grated fresh coconut should be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to a week or in the freezer for 6 months.

• Packaged coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, shredded or flaked, dry or moist) can be found with baking ingredients in the store and needs to be refrigerated once opened.

• Coconut oil is perfectly suitable and stable for shelf or pantry storage for up to two years. Depending on the indoor temperature and the season, this could mean it is either a liquid or a solid, as it melts at 76 ºF. Be sure to choose organic, unrefined virgin coconut oil.

• Keep your coconut flour in the refrigerator or freezer in an air-tight container, since coconut flour absorbs moisture. This will help prolong the shelf life.

• Because coconut flour is high in good fats (really good fats), it tends to become rancid more quickly than other flours.

Serving Suggestions

• Use coconut oil on toast or popcorn instead of butter.
• Add coconut meat or oil to smoothies to give them a nutritional boost.
• Use coconut oil as a replacement for vegetable oil, shortening. or other type of oil. (350 ºF is the smoke point of coconut oil.)
• To get more coconut oil into your diet, you can add it to your tea or coffee in lieu of a sweetener.
• Melt the oil over your favorite veggie(s), baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, or on top of casseroles.
• Use the oil to sauté, grill, bake, stir fry, or fry foods.
• Add coconut flour to thicken sauces, gravies, and stocks as an alternative to flour.
• If you are frying or sautéing and need to dredge meats or vegetables, you can use coconut flour in an amount that is equivalent to wheat flour.
• Use coconut milk in place of milk or buttermilk in pancake or muffin recipes
• Make whipped cream out of coconut milk. Simply refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk overnight. Open the bottom side of the can and drain off the liquid (you can add this to a smoothie or simply drink it). Scoop out the thick cream and whip! (Add sugar and vanilla to taste.)
• Add coconut milk to smoothies, soups, curries, and stews.
• Add coconut meat to salads or combine it with granola and dried fruit to make a snack mix.
• Use coconut milk to make coconut rice. To make your own coconut rice, bring 2 cups of jasmine rice, 1-½ cups of water, and 1 cup of coconut milk to a boil. Stir and reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover the pot tightly with a lid. Cook for another 15 minutes. Once it’s done cooking, you can mix in a little coconut oil for a more intense coconut flavor.

Clean Eating Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk and Cilantro

Ingredients:

• 2 regular sized butternut squash – baked and removed from skin
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons dried cilantro
• 1 teaspoon dried, ground ginger
• Salt to taste
• Fresh cilantro for garnish

To Make:

1. Place your pre-cooked squash, chicken broth, coconut milk, dried cilantro, and ginger in a large soup pot and blend with a hand blender.
2. Turn on your stove and warm the ingredients in the pot.
3. Serve and garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro.

Clean Eating Chicken Masala

Clean Eating Chicken Masala

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond or light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons curry
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 (15 ounce) cans light coconut milk, unsweetened
• 5 large chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (no sugar added)
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste (no sugar added)
• Fresh cilantro for garnish

To Make:

1. Combine all ingredients (except the cilantro) in a 5-quart crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or until chicken is fully cooked. Stir occasionally during cooking process to be sure the chicken gets submerged in the liquids.
2. It will start out looking a bit thick and dry, but the liquids will release into the pot after about an hour or so of cooking. If this does not happen for some reason and you feel it will burn without more liquids, add 1/2 to 1 cup of clean, low-sodium chicken broth. But wait a full hour before doing so.

Better-Than-Candy Nut Crunchies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic pecans & almonds
• 1 cup (or more) Coconut Cream Concentrate
• 1 tablespoon (or as needed) coconut oil
• 1–2 tablespoons organic whole sugar (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/2 cup (or more) shredded coconut or coconut flakes

Note: all measurements are approximate and can be varied to suit your taste.

To Make:

1. Process sugar in a food processor until very fine.
2. Spread nuts in a cookie sheet and toast very lightly in a low heated oven.
3. Place Coconut Cream Concentrate jar in hot water to soften.
4. In a medium-sized bowl, beat desired amount of Coconut Cream, your choice of sweetener (see below), coconut oil, and salt with a mixer until creamy. Make sure the sugar and salt are mixed in well.
5. Fold the toasted nuts into the mixture and mix well with a large spoon until all nuts are well coated. Spread mixture evenly on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
6. Sprinkle the coconut shreds or flakes (toasted lightly if desired) over the Nut Crunchies and place cookie sheet in the refrigerator.
7. When cold, break apart the Nut Crunchies into bite-sized pieces and store in covered containers in the refrigerator.

Variations:

• Use any nuts you prefer, and/or use stevia instead of sugar to taste.
• Stir toasted coconut into the mixture before spreading out.
• Add flavoring such as a tablespoon or two of lemon juice and some lemon zest for Lemon Nut Crunchies.
• Melt some organic dark chocolate and spread over the mixture before or instead of sprinkling on the coconut and refrigerating.
• Stir bits of dried pineapple into the mixture for Pina Colada Nut Crunchies

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 overripe bananas
• 6 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

To Make:

1. Mash the bananas. Beat together with the butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
2. Add the salt.
3. Sieve the coconut flour into a separate bowl. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry until it forms a semi-runny batter.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into a greased 9in x 5in loaf tin
5. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan and slicing.