The Mighty Coconut

Thank you, Lord, for coconut.  It's really cool to think about how much God has provided for us in his creation.  I just read in Genesis when God told Adam and Eve, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food" (Genesis 1:29)

There are so many different nutrients that our bodies need that are found in nature.  An example of this is the coconut. If you google "coconut health benefits" or "coconut oil health benefits", you will find a wealth of information on this popular, multipurpose plant.

Here are some coconut products I use weekly, if not daily, in my food:

1.  Coconut Milk Beverage - milk substitute that can be used for anything you would use regular milk for.  It's also great to cook with if you are making something with a creamy consistency.

2.  So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer - Coffee is one thing I don't know if I'll ever give up.  With all the diet changes I've been going through, it's nice that my morning cup of coffee can still be a constant in my life with this DELICIOUS creamer.  I mean....seriously...I LOVE this stuff.  If you drink coffee, and want a healthier option than the chemical-laden creamers at the supermarket, please try So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer.

3.  Coconut Bliss Coconut Milk Ice Cream - So good that even my husband, the ice cream lover, thinks its amazing. Check out these ingredients for my favorite flavor, Vanilla Island:

Organic coconut milk (organic coconut, water, guar gum), organic agave syrup, organic fair trade vanilla extract, organic fair trade vanilla beans.

It's vegan, gluten free, low glycemic, refined sugar free, and soy free.  and SO yummy.  enough said!

4. my newest favorite coconut product - COCONUT AMINOS!!!!  If you don't eat soy, this is a great substitute for soy sauce.  It's made from the sap of the coconut tree and has a slightly different taste than soy sauce, but it substitutes well in recipes.  And, it costs less than 3 dollars at our local food co-op (compared with other soy sauce substitutes, such as chickpea tamari, which can cost upwards of 8 dollars a bottle...yikes!).  The world of stir-fry has opened up to us again!!

5.  Coconut flour - A gluten free flour that I use to make homemade gluten free bagels, pie crust, and other baked goods. It has a slightly sweet flavor that is very tasty!

6.  Coconut Oil - I use this for a lot of different things - baking, in smoothies, to sautee with, etc....you can read about the benefits of coconut and coconut oil here.  Coconut oil also has many other health benefits in addition to cooking and baking.

Hopefully you will try and enjoy some of these delicious coconut products!!!

*Ashley*

A few of my favorite things....

Recently, two of my absolute favorite things to eat have been smoothies and vegan burger patties.

Now that it's warm outside, we've been making smoothies every morning for breakfast.  It's a great way to eat dark, leafy greens.  Here's the blueprint we use each morning:

GREEN SMOOTHIE BLUEPRINT:
1 frozen banana, or equivalent amount of mango or pineapple
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh or frozen berries
almond milk, water, or fresh squeezed orange juice (I just eyeball it to see how much I need)
2 to 4 large leaves of some type of green (I have been rotating between kale, collards, and spinach, usually 2 to 3 large leaves)
rice or hemp protein powder (whatever serving size is listen on the package)
1 to 2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds 

The trick is to make sure you have a good ratio of carbs, protein, and healthy fats.  This will sustain you for awhile (which is great if you don't have time for a mid-morning snack!)

Want to know more about chia seeds?  read this article from one of the blogs I follow, Lexie's Kitchen.  I've recently discovered the health benefits of good, healthy fats such as nuts and seeds, nut and seed butters, avocados, chia, etc....tasty AND healthful!!!

As for vegan burgers/patties, we've tried a few different onces recently, including this black bean burger recipe from Daily Garnish, and this recipe for sweet potato quinoa patties from the blog gluten free hope. My favorite one so far is This one for Walnut-Almond (or sunflower seed-pumpkin seed) vegan burgers from the Small Bites blog:

Vegan Walnut-Almond (or Sunflower seed - Pumpkin seed) burgers:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw almonds (use pumpkin seeds for nut-free version)
1/2 cup raw walnuts (use sunflower seeds for nut-free version)
2 Tablespoons hemp seeds OR ground flax OR sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of dried basil
3 Tablespoons water

Process all ingredients in food processor (I don't have a food processor, so I've been using my blender...it's a little bit more difficult, but it works!) until you achieve a “dough-like” texture. Form “burger dough” into four individual patties and cook to your liking - either pan-fry for a few minutes on each side or bake on a lighty oiled baking sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 7  minutes on each side.  I usually bake them. I've tried them both ways, using nuts and using seeds.  Both are delicious!! 

yumm....maybe I'll make these tonight......  :-)

ENJOY!!

*Ashley*