Coconut Donut Holes

Servings: 1 dozen donut holes
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Coconut Donut Holes

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/4 cup organic butter
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, shredded coconut or cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a glass baking dish.
In a medium bowl, cream sugar, salt, butter and vanilla extract together with an electric hand mixer. Add egg and mix thoroughly.
Sift in coconut flour and stir to combine. Let dough sit for one minute. Shape dough into 12 1-inch balls. Place evenly on baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.
Let cool and roll in powdered sugar, shredded coconut or cocoa powder.
 

Pan de Coco ( Coconut Bread )

Pan de Coco

• 1/2 Cup Flaked Coconut Unsweetened
• 1 Tbsp. Sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp. Active Dry Yeast (1 packet)
• 1/2 Cup Warm Water (~110 degrees)
• 3 1/2 Cups Flour, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 tsp. Himalayan Salt
• 1 Cup Coconut Milk
• 3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted

Add coconut, sugar, yeast and water into the bowl of an electric mixer and stir briefly.  Let sit until bubbly, about 15 minutes.
Mix together flour and salt in another bowl.  When yeast mixture is ready, add coconut milk and butter.  Attach the dough hook to the mixer and slowly add the flour/salt mixture.
Knead for about 3 minutes, until soft and elastic.  Form the dough into a ball and dust generously with flour.  Place the dough ball back into the bowl and cover with a cloth.  Set aside in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball.  Arrange each ball on a greased baking sheet about 3 inches apart.  Set aside and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.  Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe

If you're doing your body good by avoiding pasteurized dairy products but you miss eating cheesecake, give this delicious dairy-free, all-raw, blueberry cheesecake recipe a try.
The "cheese" in this cheesecake is made with raw, organic cashews, and the crust is made with a combination of macadamia nuts, dates, and dried coconut. The recipe requires some work, but it's definitely worth the effort!

Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups raw macadamia nuts
1/2 cup dates, pitted
1/4 cup dried coconut

Cheese:
3 cups raw, organic cashews, soaked for 1-2 hours
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup Virgin Coconut Oil
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blueberry sauce:
One-pound bag frozen blueberries
1/2 cup dates, pitted

Directions:
1. To make the crust for this raw blueberry cheesecake, blend macadamia nuts and dates together in a food processor. Spread dried coconut over the bottom of a pie plate. Press macadamia and date crust onto the coconut; the coconut adds flavor to the crust and prevents it from sticking.
2. To make the cheese, blend cashews lemon juice, honey, liquid coconut oil, sea salt, and about a 1/2 cup of water until all ingredients come together into a smooth, cheese-like consistency.
3. With the help of a spatula, pour cheese mixture into the pie plate, onto the crust. After the entire cheese mixture is in the pie plate, give the plate a few gentle taps on the kitchen counter to remove air bubbles.
4. Place the pie in the freezer until it is frozen. Remove the cheesecake (including the crust) while it's frozen, and transfer it to a serving plate. Allow it to defrost in the refrigerator.
5. To make the blueberry sauce, process thawed blueberries and dates (along with blueberry juice from the package) in a food processor until well blended. Pour the blueberry sauce over the cheesecake right before serving.
Enjoy this decadent, all-raw blueberry cheesecake.

Please note: Because this blueberry cheesecake is rich in macadamia and cashew nuts, I recommend eating only a single serving per day. Eating too many nuts on a regular basis can be stressful to your digestive organs.

History of Coconut Oil

This Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil is a truly unrefined coconut oil. This coconut oil is made on Mt. Banahaw from organic coconuts. Coconuts are used fresh (within 24 hours of harvest) from small family farms on Mt. Banahaw and other rural places in Quezon Province, the coconut capital of the Philippines. The volcanic soil of Mt. Banahaw makes these organic coconuts some of the most nutritionally rich coconuts in the world! Testing done in independent laboratories reveals a 50% - 57% content of lauric acid, and higher levels of phenolic antioxidants than most other coconut oils. The fresh coconut meat is shredded (wet milled), and then cold-pressed to make coconut milk. The milk is then fermented for 24-36 hours, and the oil is then separated and filtered from the curds. No chemical or high-heat treatment is used, and this oil contains no trans fatty acids. We do NOT mass produce this oil. It is made by families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods that have been used here for hundreds of years. Our coconut trees and family producers are certified organic according to strict USDA standards. The families who produce the oil are also trained according to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards and re-certified each year. This high-grade Virgin Coconut Oil has a long shelf life due to the high anti-oxidant properties.

Tropical Traditions Canada

Virgin Coconut Oil (Unrefined)

Virgin Coconut Oil can only be achieved by using fresh coconut meat or what is called non-copra. Chemicals and high heating are not used in further refining, since the natural, pure coconut oil is very stable with a shelf life of several years. There are currently two main processes of manufacturing Virgin Coconut Oil:

1. Quick drying of fresh coconut meat which is then used to press out the oil. Using this method, the coconut meat is quick dried, and the oil is then pressed out via mechanical means. 2. Wet-milling. With this method the oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat without drying first. "Coconut milk" is expressed first by pressing. The oil is then further separated from the water. Methods which can be used to separate the oil from the water include boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, enzymes and mechanical centrifuge. The method used by Mt. Banahaw Health Products Corp. in the Philippines is the traditional fermentation method. The coconut milk expressed from the freshly harvested coconuts is fermented for 24-36 hours. During this time, the water separates from the oil. The oil is then slightly heated (less than boiling temperatures) for a short time (10-15 minutes) to remove moisture, and then filtered. The result is a clear coconut oil that retains the distinct scent and taste of coconuts. This is a traditional method of coconut oil extraction that has been used in the Philippines for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Laboratory tests show that this is a very high quality coconut oil, with the lauric acid content being 50 to 57%. This oil is not mass produced, but made by hand just as it has been done for hundreds of years. Our coconuts are certified organic according to strict USDA standards. In addition, all of our coconuts are hand-picked within 24-48 hours of harvest. Only those nuts that produce the highest quality coconut oil are chosen, while the rest of the crop is sold to copra dealers. Because of our extremely selective procedure for selecting the coconuts, we pay a higher price to the farmer. Almost all other virgin coconut oils on the market are mass-produced and do not take this kind of attention to detail that begins with choosing the right nuts. Also, the coconuts used to make our Virgin Coconut Oil are grown in very rural areas, generally far away from metropolitan areas. Since coconut trees grow just about everywhere in the Philippines, most coconut oils on the market are harvested from trees in metropolitan areas, because there is less cost to transport them to the place of manufacture. Many of our producers are in areas so remote, that if they did not use their coconuts to produce Virgin Coconut oil for us, no one would buy their coconuts because it would cost too much to transport them to manufacturing plants.

What is Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil?

Tropical Traditions Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil is a high quality refined coconut oil. This oil is processed the "old" way by what is called "physical refining." The modern way of processing coconut oil is by chemical extraction, using solvent extracts, which produces higher yields and is quicker and less expensive. Tropical Traditions Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil DOES NOT use solvent extracts. It is made the "old" way by expeller-pressed mechanical extraction. This oil is also NOT hydrogenated, and contains NO trans fatty acids. It is a very good quality food-grade coconut oil. Tropical Traditions Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil is made from certified organic coconuts that have NOT been treated with chemicals or fertilizers. It is certified organic according to European and USDA standards. Our Expeller-Pressed coconut oil is high in the medium chain fatty acids, such as Lauric acid. This is the "common" type oil that billions of people in Asia consume on a daily basis. Expeller Pressed Coconut oil is less expensive than Virgin Coconut Oil, and because it goes through a steam deodorizing process the taste is very bland, unlike Virgin Coconut Oil which retains the odor and taste of fresh coconuts. Some people prefer a bland, tasteless oil. This coconut oil is solid below 76 degrees F. and liquid above that.

Coconut Cream Concentrate

Does one get the same benefits with Coconut Cream Concentrate^TM as Coconut Oil?

Since Coconut Cream Concetrate (CCC) contains about 70% fat which is pure coconut oil, there are a lot of the same benefits. But one must realize that there is more to the CCC than the pure coconut oil. It is the whole coconut. Therefore, for example, it has sugar (natural), fiber, and protein. So it depends on the needs of the individual and what they expect. CCC will obviously have more carbs than VCNO, since pure coconut oil has no carbs and no sugar. But CCC has LESS carbs than coconut milk, because it contains all the fiber. CCC has more fiber per gram than grains do, so it is a great way for people to get fiber into their diet, especially if they don't want to eat grains. CCC is definitely a low-carb food because of the fiber. One complaint of many people on a low-carb diet is that they have occasional intestinal and digestive problems because of the lack of fiber in their diet. So CCC is a great product for them. Please note that CCC is a food, not a cooking oil. 
 

2. Can you get the same benefits by eating fresh (or dried) whole coconut?

While whole coconut does contain coconut oil, you would have to eat more by weight to get the equivalent amount of pure coconut oil. Whole coconut contains more than just oil. It would include things like fiber, protein and sugar (natural sugar). Some people could be allergic to whole coconut, and not be allergic to coconut oil, for example, because coconut oil does not contain protein. If you are trying to restrict sugar from your diet, you do have to account for the added sugar in whole coconut as well. As to fresh coconuts, most coconuts you find in U.S. grocery stores are transported many miles and are no longer fresh. A freshly harvested coconut does not have a long shelf life, especially if the outer husk is removed down to the brown shell. Hence, many coconuts in U.S. stores may already be moldy. This is especially true for "young" immature coconuts. The best place to eat fresh, raw coconuts is in tropical climates where they grow, and right after they are harvested. Those outside the tropics might be better off eating dried coconut.

3. What are the differences between coconut milk/cream and Coconut Cream Concentrate?^TM

Commercial coconut milks and creams are generally sold in cans, or sometimes boxes and tetra packs. The main ingredient in these products is water. If the fat content is 17%, it is called "coconut milk." If the fat content is 24%, it is called "coconut cream." But most of what you are purchasing is water. Coconut Cream Concentrate, on the other hand, has NO water, and is pure coconut. Unlike the commercial varieties, it also contains ALL the fiber of the coconut. Pure, dried coconut contains more fiber per gram than even oat bran. This fiber has been stripped out of commercial coconut milks and coconut creams. Also, almost all commercial coconut milks and creams have additives to prevent the water from separating from the coconut oil, and also have sulfites added to keep it white longer. Sometimes these additives are so small, that the FDA does not require them to list them on their labels as ingredients. Coconut Cream Concentrate, however, contains NO additives and NO preservatives at all: it is 100% certified organic natural coconut, made from organic Philippine coconuts grown without pesticides or fertilizers.