What can I say about my love affair with coconut? Well, let's just say, if it weren't for coconuts, I might just starve. As a sugar free vegan, I eat some form of coconut each and every day – coconut water in my green smoothie, coconut oil for roasting vegetables and making chocolate, coconut flakes in salads and sprinkled on desserts – I even use it as eye make-up remover, body butter and lip gloss!
What's even more incredible are the myriad health benefits of this tropical superfood. Now, there are claims that it speeds up metabolism and so on, but I'll stick to the things I know for sure. Since introducing coconut into my diet, I can say with certainty that it improves digestion, provides a quick energy boost, is antibacterial and supports immune function. Honestly, my skin and hair, and my tummy, have never been happier.
If that's not enough, one taste of this heavenly home-made coconut butter, and you'll be a believer. Of all the sugar free vegan recipes I've tried so far, this one, the easiest of all, is the one I've loved the most. Eat it by the spoonful, if you wish, or spread it on toast or rice cakes. Melt and pour it over pancakes or popcorn or into little chocolate papers to make truffles. I've even eaten it as a dip with blue corn chips – the combination of sweet and salty is to die for! Oh my gosh, I'm going to have some right now...
Macadamia & Toasted Coconut Butter
2½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup macadamia nuts
½ tsp vanilla, scraped straight from the pod
a good pinch of crystal salt
method
Apparently, a high powered blender will do the trick in about 2 minutes, but for me, a little patience and a humble mini food processor are all that you need. If you haven't bought one yet, I reckon its time you spoiled yourself to this miracle kitchen gadget. You can pick one up for about $15 at Kmart, and once you do, you'll never look back. Sauces, pestos, dips, mousses, purees; all of these take but seconds to make. Unlike most kitchen gadgets I've thought I absolutely needed (read: dehydrator), I use my mini food processor at least once every other day. But let's back to the coconut butter, shall we?
Firstly, toast one cup of the shredded coconut in a non-stick frying pan until golden. Set aside to cool. Then, process all of the ingredients for about 15 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, until a runny butter forms. Like I said, it does take a little patience, and sometimes you might need to let the machine cool down for a spell (my poor little motor starts to overheat) but don’t give up before it turns to butter. When all of the oils are released and the texture is smooth but still a little grainy, your coconut butter is ready.
Scoop the butter out of the bowl and into a glass jar or butter dish. Store either at room temperature, or in the fridge, depending on your climate – if you store it in the fridge, it will solidify, and you'll need to slice off a chunk and soften before serving.
Strawberry & Vanilla Bean Coconut Butter
2½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup macadamia nuts
½ tsp vanilla, scraped straight from the pod
1 tsp rice malt syrup
4-6 fresh strawberries
Firstly, use a sharp knife to slice the strawberries in half, before removing the white cores , leaving only the sweet, red strawberry flesh. Roughly chop and set aside.
As with the Macadamia and Toasted Coconut Butter recipe above, process all of the ingredients, except for the strawberries, in a food processor or high powered blender, scraping the
sides of the bowl as necessary, until a runny butter forms. When all of the
oils are released and the texture is smooth but still a little grainy, add the strawberries and pulse. I wasn't 100% happy with the consistency of my butter, as I
had run out of macadamias, which give it that extra smoothness, but please wait until it turns to butter before adding the strawberries, and you'll have perfect butter.
This is just a taste of the wickedly sweet coco-nutty recipes you'll find in The Sexy Sugar Free Vegan Project eBook, which is available now – just hit this button...
Guess what? The Sexy Sugar Free Vegan Project
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The eBook includes:
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* sugar free + vegan ice cream, cakes and muffins
* vegan cheese, pizza and pasta recipes
* delicious raw food recipes
