Coco Loco: Fabulous Coconut

Coconut is enjoying significant attention as the new hot thing in kitchens across America, for good reason. It’s not a grain and therefore does not lead to inflammation as grains do; its sugar content is relatively low, and while high in satisfying healthy saturated fat (YES! I said “healthy saturated fat”), it has less fat than tree nuts. Technically, it’s a drupe, which is a fruit, a nut. (For the record, peanuts are not nuts either – they’re legumes and they contain antinutrients.)

Coconut can be found in many forms, most of which are minimally processed. You can find most of these at Sprouts, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe’s, except for coconut flour, which you can buy online.

Coconut water has a bit of fat and naturally occurring sugar, and while drinking water is your best option, coconut water is a good post-workout beverage if you want something a little stronger. Disregard the baseless hype about how it hydrates you better; if you like the taste, it goes down easily and is a nice change from plain old H2O. Just don’t overdo it.

Coconut milk is thicker and is great in smoothies, Thai food, and plenty of other places as a milk substitute. It comes in cans or half gallons. Be sure to read the label; many coconut milks contain preservatives and sugar. “Lite” coconut milk has water added, and full-fat coconut milk is great for making frozen treats and custard. It can even be whipped like cream – just put a can in the fridge, and then remove and whip the solid part, which is mostly fat. Coconut cream is the concentrated fat, and it whips very well.

Coconut flour is processed and often defatted, so it sucks up a lot more liquid than wheat flour. Despite the processing, it’s a good alternative for baking, and has a mild (but detectable) flavor. The internet is crawling with recipes that use coconut flour – just search on “coconut flour chocolate chip cookies” and you will see what I mean. You can buy it in 1lb bags, packs of bags, or even in bulk – I recently bought a 10lb bag! Check the DNA Store for coconut flour.

Shredded coconut comes next, and is available in fine, medium, and coarse grinds. Be careful to read the label; the standard store brands are loaded with corn starch and sugar, but you can easily find bare coconut. Coconut can be toasted and sprinkled on just about anything, and works well in pseudo-cookies and bars.

Of course, you can just get a coconut and eat it.

I’ve previously provided recipes for pancakes and zucchini banana bread. Here’s one for pizza crust, which gives you two options – you can use cauliflower or coconut flour!

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (full fat)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
3. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper and spread the cheese mixture on the paper as thinly as possible, using the back of a spoon or fork.
4. Reduce heat to 400 and bake on the top rack for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is starting to look golden in places. Remove from the oven and add desired toppings – tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, veggies of any kind, etc. just as you would a normal pizza.
5. Bake for a few minutes, just to melt cheese on top.