The Coconut Oil Miracle (28 page)
Read The Coconut Oil Miracle Online
Authors: Bruce Fife
I know this dietary change will work for you. I’ve seen it happen in others. For more information on oils and health, visit my website at www.coconutresearchcenter.org.
YOUR DAILY DOSE
You could get a daily dose of MCFAs by taking coconut oil the way you would any other liquid dietary supplement—by the spoonful or by mixing it in a beverage. The recommended daily dosage for adults is 3
1
⁄
2
tablespoons. Keep in mind that people have achieved good results from eating less oil per day. So if you only eat 1 or 2 tablespoons daily you will still benefit.
Oil, any oil, straight from the spoon is difficult for most people to take. Some people can handle it without a problem, but for most, the oily taste and texture are hard to stomach (figuratively speaking). Virgin coconut oil extracted from fresh coconut milk, however, produces a very delicate-flavored product that is so good it can easily be eaten by the
spoonful. It is so good it is almost like eating coconut cream. But if eating spoonfuls of oil isn’t for you, there are other ways to get the daily dose without having to consume it by the spoonful.
Chapter 9
contains a variety of recipes to show how you can get the recommended dose in more palatable ways.
RECIPES FOR NUTRITION AND BEAUTYThe recipes in this chapter
are useful for people who don’t ordinarily use much oil in cooking or food preparation and want to incorporate coconut oil into their diets. Keep in mind that it isn’t necessary to take 3 or 4 tablespoons of oil in one single meal; in fact, it’s better to spread it out over the entire day. Use these recipes as they are or as examples to create your own and adjust the oil content to suit your needs.
Sweetened Coconut Milk
Often coconut milk straight from the can is very thick and creamy and not very sweet, which makes it great for use in soups and sauces. Straight from the can it’s more like a thick, unsweetened cream and too rich to drink by the glass. With just a little preparation, however, you can make an excellent substitute for cow’s milk.
This recipe shows you how to turn a can of coconut milk into a creamy coconut beverage that is good enough to drink by the glass, pour over hot or cold cereal, or combine with freshly cut fruit such as peaches or strawberries in a bowl. Diluting the milk slightly and adding a little honey gives it a mild, pleasant sweetness that will have you wanting to drink it by the glass.
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
7 ounces water (one-half can)
2 tablespoons honey (or sweetener of your choice)
Pinch of salt
Empty coconut milk into a quart-size container. Add water, honey, and salt. Mix thoroughly, chill, and serve.
Note:
The honey will dissolve in the mixture easily if the liquid is at room temperature or warmer. For sweeter milk add more honey. For less creamy milk add more water.
The recipe makes a little more than 2
1
⁄
2
cups milk. Each
1
⁄
2
-cup serving of this milk contains approximately 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.
A 12-ounce glass (1
1
⁄
2
cups) will supply you with approximately 3 tablespoons of oil, and 1
3
⁄
4
cups supplies 3
1
⁄
2
tablespoons.
MAKES FIVE
1
⁄
2
-CUP SERVINGS
Flavored Coconut Milk
Vanilla and almond extract give the milk a wonderful added taste. Other extracts may also be added for variety.
2
1
⁄
2
cups Sweetened Coconut Milk (above)
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
Add extract to milk, stir, and serve.
MAKES FIVE
1
⁄
2
-CUP SERVINGS
Hash Browns
Fried potatoes absorb a lot of fat when they are cooked. Coconut oil is an excellent frying fat because of its stability under heat.
1 medium potato
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Salt and pepper
Grate potato and set it aside. Heat coconut oil in a frying pan to 300 degrees F. (I use an electric frying pan so I know the exact temperature.) Add grated potato to hot pan, spread it out evenly over the bottom of the pan, then push it down with a spatula so potato pieces form
a mat. (You want the potato to be in contact with the bottom of the pan and the oil.) Cover the pan and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the cover. The potatoes are completely cooked. You do not need to turn the hash browns over and cook the other side. Serve by flipping the potatoes onto a plate, toasted side up. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Contains about 2 tablespoons coconut oil per large serving or about 1 tablespoon per small serving.
MAKES 1 LARGE SERVING OR 2 SMALLER SERVINGS
Coconut Milk Smoothie
1 ripe banana
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup orange juice
Chill all ingredients before using. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. To thicken the smoothie, put it in the freezer for an hour before serving. Contains 2 tablespoons coconut oil per smoothie.
MAKES 1 SMOOTHIE
Piña Colada Smoothie
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup orange juice
1
⁄
2
cup fresh chopped pineapple
Chill all ingredients before using. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. To thicken the smoothie, put it into the freezer for
45 minutes before serving. Contains 2 tablespoons coconut oil per serving.
MAKES 1 SMOOTHIE
Fruit Smoothie
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup fresh strawberries or blueberries
1
⁄
2
ripe banana
Honey (optional)
Chill all ingredients before using (fruit can be frozen). Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. To thicken the smoothie, put it into
the freezer for 45 minutes before serving. For a sweeter smoothie, add a little honey or other sweetener. Contains 2 tablespoons coconut oil per smoothie.
MAKES 1 SMOOTHIE
Fruit Smoothie Blend
1 cup strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup orange juice
Honey (optional)
Chill all ingredients before using (fruit can be frozen). Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. To thicken the smoothie, put it into the freezer for 45 minutes before serving. For a sweeter smoothie, add a little honey or other sweetener. Contains 1 tablespoon coconut oil per smoothie.
MAKES 2 SMOOTHIES
Yogurt Smoothie
You don’t always have to use coconut milk to add coconut oil to a smoothie. Here is a recipe that uses coconut oil. The secret to adding coconut oil to a smoothie is to put it in last while the blender is turned on. This way the oil is more evenly dispersed in the drink. If you add coconut oil while mixing the fruit, it tends to harden and form little beads or chunks that some people prefer not to have in a smoothie.
Chill all ingredients except coconut oil before using (fruit can be frozen). Blend yogurt, juice, and fruit in a blender until smooth. Just before turning off the blender, slowly pour in melted coconut oil. Continue to blend for about 30 seconds. Contains 1 tablespoon coconut oil per smoothie.
MAKES 2 SMOOTHIES
Whole-Wheat Muffins
3
⁄
4
cup lukewarm water
1 egg
1
⁄
3
cup honey
1
⁄
2
cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1
3
⁄
4
cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a standard muffin tin. Combine water, egg, honey, applesauce, vanilla, and melted coconut oil (not hot) in a bowl and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Pour into greased muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes. Contains
1
⁄
4
tablespoon oil per muffin. If you increase the coconut oil in the batter to 6 tablespoons, each muffin will contain
1
⁄
2
tablespoon oil.
MAKES 12 MUFFINS
Blueberry Muffins
This recipe makes delicious whole-wheat blueberry muffins.
1
⁄
2
cup lukewarm water
1 egg
1
⁄
2
cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1
1
⁄
2
cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a standard muffin tin. Combine water, egg, honey, vanilla, and melted coconut oil (not hot) in a bowl and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Pour into greased muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes. Contains about
1
⁄
4
tablespoon oil per muffin. As a variation to this recipe you can substitute another fruit, such as raspberries or cherries, for the blueberries. You can create a variety of delicious muffins using different types of fruits.
MAKES 12 MUFFINS
Coconut Bran Muffins
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1
⁄
3
cup honey
1 egg
1
⁄
4
cup wheat bran
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1
⁄
4
cup grated unsweetened coconut
2 teaspoons baking powder
1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1
⁄
2
teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1
⁄
2
cup walnuts or pecans
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine water, vanilla, honey, egg, and bran in a bowl and let sit for about 10 minutes. (The bran will absorb some of the moisture as it sits, which will improve the texture of the final product.) In another bowl mix together flour, coconut, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add melted coconut oil (not hot) and walnuts or pecans to the liquid ingredients and mix together. Combine the wet and dry ingredients in one bowl and mix just until moist. Do not overmix or the muffins will not rise as well. Pour into greased muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes. Contains
1
⁄
4
tablespoon coconut oil per muffin. If you increase the coconut oil in the recipe to 6 tablespoons, each muffin will contain
1
⁄
2
tablespoon oil.
MAKES 12 MUFFINS
Baking-Powder Biscuits
2 cups whole-wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons coconut oil, hardened
3
⁄
4
cup coconut milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cut coconut oil into flour to form coarse crumbs. Add coconut milk and stir quickly with fork just until dough follows fork around bowl. Knead on lightly floured surface about 10 times. Roll or pat dough to
1
⁄
2
-inch thickness. Dip biscuit cutter in flour and cut dough. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Contains
1
⁄
2
tablespoon coconut oil per biscuit.
MAKES 10 BISCUITS
Whole-Wheat Pancakes
1
⁄
4
cup coconut oil
1
1
⁄
2
cups whole-wheat flour
1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
3
⁄
4
cup lukewarm water
1
⁄
2
cup applesauce
Heat coconut oil in skillet over low heat until just melted. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat egg, water, applesauce, and melted coconut oil (not hot) together. Leave coconut oil residue in the skillet and increase temperature to moderate heat, about 300 degrees F. As skillet is heating, combine liquid and dry ingredients and mix together only until well dampened. Do not overmix, as this will make pancakes heavier. Use about 3 tablespoons batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form over surface, turn gently, and brown the other side. Serve hot with honey, maple syrup, fruit, or other
topping. Contains
1
⁄
3
tablespoon oil per pancake. Three pancakes supply 1 tablespoon oil and six pancakes 2 tablespoons. You can adjust the amount of oil you use. Reducing the amount of coconut oil in the batter to 2 tablespoons would give you 1 tablespoon for every 6 pancakes.
MAKES 12 PANCAKES