Coconut Oil
I have been touting the benefits of coconut oil and coconut milk for a while now, but I have had a lot of questions about it recently so I will revisit my obsession with coconut oil. First off we will start off with some of the science. Virgin coconut oil contains lauric acid, which increases HDL, and is composed
mainly of medium-chain triglycerides. What does all that mean you ask? Well it may help in weight loss and reduce
food intake not to mention its very tasty! Different research I have done says to take a tablespoon before each meal up to four times a day. A lot of people will say that is a lot of saturated fat (which it is) but coconut gets used right away as energy getting burned off almost like a carbohydrate. Everyone is different though and my advice would be to start with a tablespoon and go from there. I cook with almost all coconut oil and also take about 1-2 tablespoons daily. Now just taking a tablespoon of coconut oil may not sound appetizing but I have a great recipe to get your coconut oil in. I found a recipe from www.elanaspantry.com for peppermint patties made with coconut oil. It tastes just like the store bought candies but with all of the benefit! Here is the recipe:
Peppermint Patties
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup agave nectar
- ½ teaspoon peppermint oil (I used organic)
- ½ to 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- In a small bowl, combine coconut oil, agave and peppermint oil, mixing with a spoon
- Smash clumps of coconut oil against side of bowl until mixture is smooth
- Freeze mixture for a few minutes until it starts to harden, then remove from freezer
- Use a 1.5 teaspoon ice cream scoop
to measure out little balls onto a parchment paper
lined plate
- Place plate in freezer to firm up mint balls; when firm, remove from freezer
- Squish balls down into flat little patties on parchment paper
- Melt chocolate over very low heat; allow to cool slightly
- Dip patties into melted chocolate (use spoon to drop patty into melted chocolate, dip and remove)
- Place patties on parchment paper to harden (takes 10 minutes though on a summer day you may need to refreeze)
Makes about 12 patties
Not only do you get the benefits of the coconut oil but you get the antioxidants found in dark chocolate as well. Just make sure you store them in the freezer. Coconut melts at a pretty low temperature and with summer coming you don't want them to turn to mush. Also make sure you don't eat the batch! Will power is essential because these are sooooo yummy!
