by Jen_F | Coconut, How To, Jen_F, Musings
If you ever buy coconut and wonder why it might have a pinkish tinge to it, we learned what that’s all about this week.
To set the stage, we were supposed to be going to visit our mother, but that got postponed. So, our main activity for the sister’s get together this month was MORE COCONUTS (oh and Deb hemming Ryan’s new pants for his first job)!
Shari purchased 12; Deb and I brought a total of 9. One of the 21 was bad, bad, bad, so we ended up with 20.
We did the regular process:
Extract the water from the coconut
Freeze over night
Crack the coconut
Extract the meat from the shell
Flake in the food processor
Dehydrate
During the dehydrate process, some of the flakes turned varying degrees of – from pink to rust red (looks brown in the picture, but that’s just the reaction to the flash on my camera). Some actually looked burned.
While we all guessed at what might be the cause, I finally did a bit of googling and found two sources that mention this strange phenomenon. We were fairly close in our guess(es) Here is what I got from Ask Dr. Coconut:
Occasionally you may purchase a coconut at the store and when you open it, you find the white meat or even the water has turned a red or pinkish color. At other times, this discoloration may develop after the coconut has been opened and has been sitting around for a time. This discoloration is more likely to happen the longer you keep the coconut and especially if it is not refrigerated.
At first thought you might think that it is mold or bacteria, but it is not. It is a natural chemical process caused by the oxidation of sugars in the coconut. When these sugars are exposed to oxygen they turn pink. Oxygen, temperature, duration of exposure, age, and sugar content of the coconut all play a part in this oxidation process. This is why some coconuts will turn color and others will not. Similar processes occur in other fruits as well. For example, when you slice an apple and leave it uncovered, the apple will turn brown. This is caused by oxidation.
If you put ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or lemon juice (which also contains vitamin C) on the apple it prevents it from turning brown. The same thing happens with coconut. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant blocking the oxidation process.
In apples, as well as coconuts, this oxidation process is not harmful. You can eat a “browned” slice of apple without harm. Likewise, you can eat pink coconut without harm. I’ve done it and I’m still alive to tell about it. I know others who have eaten it without harm as well. Like with apples, the color does not affect the taste. If you don’t like the idea of eating pink coconut, then don’t, but it won’t hurt you.
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.com/hwnl_5-2.htm
None of ours showed any hint of discoloration until we started the dehydrating process. However, Deb, in all her ‘data /researching GREEN-NESS” is going to do an experiment using Vitamin C and will let us know the results, to include:
Will rinsing or soaking in vitamin C prior to dehydration:
- Prevent the discoloration during dehydration
- Affect the flavor of creating milk
- Affect the flavor and/or texture of making Coconut Cream.
Stay tuned for the results…. in the meantime….. eat up… it does not affect the taste. 
Til the next time…
You’re never too young or too old … So ……
Live Every Moment,
Love Beyond Words,
Laugh Everyday,
~Jennifer
by Jen_F | Drinks, Jen_F, Musings, Recipes
I don’t know about you, but it’s been FOREVER since I bought chocolate syrup from the store… Just WAY TOO much bad sugary stuff in it for what it does and is.
Frankly, not being a BIG milk drinker, I’d had a container of Almond Milk in the fridge for quite some time and it was getting ready to reach its best “used by” date. I could not see myself downing that whole container within the next few days anymore than I was in the mood for milk of any sort…. BUT what about chocolate milk?
Well, chocolate milk would be WONDEFRFUL for someone who had chocolate syrup. Right?
I didn’t have any but also knew some wonderful person out there on the internet world would be able to tell me how to make some with the materials I might have in my cabinet.
Doing a quick google search, sure enough… I was able to find many different recipes. What surprised me was that so many people used SUGAR…. Yuk!
I did; however, find some recipes with Agave and Honey, so I picked one of those.
Now you may or not know I have a phobia about heating honey beyond 120 degrees. I mean, if you are taking honey for the benefit of the enzymes and heat it up over 122 degrees, you just cooked your enzymes right out, so why bother… just eat sugar because that’s all you have then. (ok, getting off the DON’T HEAT HONEY soapbox)
Here’s all I used: Nestles Cocoa, Rudy’s Raw Honey (from our local supplier) and HOT water (but NOT over 120 degrees)..
Here is the breakdown:
1/2 cup sifted cocoa
1/4 cup honey (original recipe called for 1/2 c honey- so start with 1/4 and work up if necessary)
1/4 cup hot water- (the hot water helps make the cocoa mix better)
Stir vigorously, Stir vigorously, Stir vigorously. Did I say Stir vigorously?
So once I got it mixed up (all the cocoa blended in) and tasted it — Yummm yummm, I realized I had omitted two ingredients that were in the recipe I thought I was following (I’m such a skim reader sometimes… LOL ) Since mine tasted great as it was, I’ll list these two items as options… to taste. I’m not going to mess with my recipe, but feel free.
1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla extract.
Only 2 teaspoons in a glass of milk will do the trick….
Anyone for a glass of great tasting Chocolate Milk?
Drink up…
Oh, and to my nephew, Michael, should you pass by again… please note… that’s a REAL ‘glass’ glass.
Some side notes before closing…. I froze some of the Almond milk, but after tasting my chocolate milk, changed my mind. The thawing of the Almond Milk is NOT looking so hot. I can’t recommend freezing for Almond Milk.
And on another note, if you’ll notice in the picture below, my honey is turned upside down. Why?
Dave over at Rudy’s honey told me if we turn the honey (upside down 3-4 days then right side up 3-4 days), it helps slow down the sugaring process.
I picked Wednesday and Sunday to turn mine…
Today’s Sunday, so TURN the honey, honey!
Then turn again this coming Wednesday because I may not be around here to remind you.
Til the next time…
You’re never too young or too old … So ……
Live Every Moment,
Love Beyond Words,
Laugh Everyday,
~Jennifer
by Shari | Desserts, Musings, Recipes, Shari_T
Today, March 12, 2013, Ryan reached another milestone into adulthood: it was his first day of his very first job! Ryan is the clerk at a bankruptcy law firm where I used to work, in what seems like another lifetime ago, and where his father is still employed. While being a clerk is not grand and glorious work, it’s a relatively cushy job for an 18-year-old who hasn’t even finished high school (don’t even start me on that one). It’s good to have parents with connections. 
For now, it is just 12-15 hours per week, while he tries to finish high school online. He and Daniel have been finishing high school online ever since I fell ill in 2010. We hope that as time goes by, he will be able to 1) finish school, and 2) turn this into a more permanent and full-time position while he decides what to do with his life.
I’m not sure he was excited about the job, but he was extremely happy with all the nicer new clothes. This is his favorite of the new outfits. When we came home from shopping Friday and he tried it on, he asked if he could just wear it the remainder of the day because it was so comfortable. Sure, why not? He’s really growing up: first a new, more mature hairdo, and now new, more mature clothing. It’s good to see progress!
To celebrate his new job, we had one of his favorite meals: turkey, cornbread dressing and giblet gravy. Not exactly on our healthier eating plan, but I did use coconut oil everywhere possible. Besides, I am trying to remember to live by the 80-20 rule: eat right 80% of the time, and don’t worry about the other 20%. We don’t live in a vacuum.
By the way, did you know that you can taste coconut oil in giblet gravy? LOL! Okay, so that wasn’t one of my better trade outs; back to butter next time for the roux for the gravy. Live and learn, live and learn.
And, as an extra special treat, we made homemade frozen yogurt!
So, even though I promised something other than another coconut recipe, I just can’t resist sharing this recipe I tried from making frozen yogurt, and none other than coconut frozen yogurt. I cannot give any one person, website, etc., a shout out on this one because it is everywhere on the internet. The recipe was so simple that I just remembered it, and don’t know exactly where I saw it first.
In making this coconut ice cream, I did notice that everyone was talking about using regular yogurt, then straining it for 6 or more hours to remove the liquid; or, as an alternative to use Greek yogurt. Now, to use the regular yogurt, you actually have to buy twice as much and lose the liquid.
One woman said she bought the regular yogurt because it was cheaper, but if I have to buy twice as much anyway, why would I do that? I can get 2 containers of regular yogurt (more hassle to prepare for freezing) for the same price as 1 Greek yogurt…hmmm…let me think…NOT!
My recipe assumes you will be using Greek yogurt.
3 Cups Plain Greek Yogurt (I used 0% fat Chobani)
3/4 Cups sugar or your choice of sweetener (I used Truvia blend)
1/2 Teaspoon Coconut Flavoring
1/4 Cup Coconut shreds or flakes
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Place in the refrigerator for one hour so the sugar will dissolve and blend into the mixture.
After an hour, place in your ice cream freezer and follow the manufacturers directions for freezing.
My freezer took 20 minutes to make a nice soft serve yogurt, and at 30 minutes it was quite stiff.
Doesn’t it look awesome? Well, it was! Sorry you weren’t here to share it.
I actually doubled the recipe so we could freeze the leftovers. I’m curious to see how hard it freezes in the freezer overnight.
So, perhaps next time I’ll actually share something that isn’t made with or from coconuts. But, don’t count on it.
Until next time, live loud, live strong!
Love,
Shari
by Shari | Coconut, Desserts, Musings, Recipes, Shari_T
It seems I have fallen behind on my postings, but things have been crazy around here. However, as Clay kindly pointed out, I say that as if it is somehow abnormal for life to be in a whirlwind in our house.
Okay, so I admit, life here is never exactly dull, but between injured possums in the garage, pushing vehicles down the street, preparing one of the twins for his first job (amazing how much there is to do to prepare for a job, and how much money it costs to go out and make money… lol), and the daily general wackiness of a house with twins (even if they are 18) and four dogs brings.
So, when I’ve not been running around like a mad woman, which is, admittedly, quite rare, I’ve found that I have become obsessed with all things coconut.
I’ve tried to move on, but I cannot: coconut pie, coconut cake, coconut candies, coconut oil, coconut cream, shredded coconut, coconut in my smoothies, coconut in my oatmeal, and the list goes on.
Which leads me to my first of several coconut confessions:
I’m a coconutaholic!
I’ve always loved coconut, but I was one of those poor souls who was raised to believe it was bad for you: full of fat and sugar. To some degree, this is true; the highly processed coconut sold in the baking isle of the grocery stores is full of fat and sugar, not to mention all the stuff I cannot pronounce.
But now, I’ve been introduced to numerous health benefits of pure, natural coconut, and have gone crazy trying to fit it into my daily life without creating a body as round as a coconut.
A great deal of my experimentation lately has been in learning to use purchased organic dehydrated coconut versus the fresh coconut we created last time Jen and Deb were here. The dehydrated shreds are a bit like straw, lacking the moistness you have with the fresh… Even the dehydrated fresh wasn’t as dry as the coconut you purchase.
When Deb and Jen were here, we found a wonderfully luscious recipe for healthy homemade Mounds candies at www.paleozing.blogspot.com. We used the fresh coconut that we had just processed at home, and there was a natural creaminess to the texture that I have been trying to recreate with the store bought organic coconut shreds.
For those who wish to use fresh coconut, here is the recipe as we made it:
- 1 Cup fresh shredded coconut
- 1/3 Cup coconut oil
- 3-4 medjool dates, pitted (or 6-8 regular dates)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 Cup dark chocolate chips (we used Special Dark)
- Honey to taste (optional, if you are using regular dates as they are not as sweet as medjool dates)
Directions:
Step 1: In a small saucepan, heat coconut oil and coconut over low heat until the coconut begins to puff up. (Honestly, neither Deb nor I could figure out what this was supposed to look like, so we finally took it off the heat.)
Step 2: Place the dates, vanilla and salt into a blender or food processor (we used my Magic Bullet) and process until smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Mix the coconut mixture and the date mixture; stir in local raw honey or agave syrup for added sweetness, if needed/desired.
Step 4: Line a bread pan with parchment paper and pat mixture evenly into a bread pan and place in the freezer for about an hour, or until set.
Step 5: Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each cycle, until fully melted.
Step 6: Cut the candy into pieces (we made 24 pieces from our pan).
Step 7: Dip each piece into the chocolate and return to the parchment paper. Once all candies have been coated in chocolate, return to the freezer for 20 minutes, or until chocolate has set. (I actually do this in a 2-step procedure. I flip the block of frozen candy over and use a spatula to coat the bottom with chocolate, and then cut it into bars. I place it back in the freezer for 10 minutes, then hand dip the individual candies for the side and top coverage.)
Step 7: “ENJOY!” And, try not to eat all of it in one sitting. 
Next time, I’ll share my recipe for making these using the purchased organic dehydrated coconut shreds.
In my quest to recreate the texture of this original batch, and in generally working with purchased coconut, I came to my most embarrassing confession: I’d actually be willing to crack, hammer, freeze, scrape, shave, process and dehydrate fresh coconut with Jen and Deb a bit more often than when Hell freezes over for some of that luscious coconut meat.
So, until next time: eat well, enjoy life and live every day as if it was the most important!
Love,
Shari
by Jen_F | Desserts, Jen_F, Recipes
I know for many it’s still cold and in some areas snowing…. YUK !
Here outside Houston it was 68 one day and threatened to get up to 78 the next day… That’s Ice Cream weather for me. Winking smile
Having all this desiccated (dried ) coconut in the freezer, it was time to pull it out, find a coconut milk ice cream recipe and make it.
One problem though…. no ice cream maker…
….. but I was not to be put off by that fact.
Don’t you just love google? From a chef in France, though I’m sure there are other sites, I learned the art of mixing every 20-30 minutes.
Let me explain…
You mix your liquids, put them in the freezer then mix it up every 20-30 minutes.
I can’t tell you exactly what the ingredients were because I used a little from this recipe and a little from that recipe…. but here’s the rough….
I started with 5 cups coconut and 5 cups water? in a pot, in NOT boiling water.
By the time I got the milk ready I had discovered some frozen pumpkin… So I decided the ice cream would by pumpkin.
About 1 1/2 cups pumpkin
1/4 cup ground Chia Seeds (to firm it up a little – and for the nutritional value)
1/4 cup powdered Stevia
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Clove
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie spice
1 Tablespoon fresh ground cinnamon
NOTE: I like my pumpkin on the ‘more spiced’ side… you may want to start out by omitting the Pumpkin Pie Spice and just using 1 teaspoon of cinnamon then season more to your own tastes.
Mix with the mixer.. then into the bowl… Start the timer….
I did 45 minutes the first few times… scrapping the bowl and mixing the frozen crystals off the sides.
Looked kind of yucky at this stage, but was tasting pretty good
Kept mixing it up about every 30-40 minutes after that?.
You can see over on the right that it’s getting more frozen.
After it was done, it filled a Quart container
And the final product… 
And at the end of the day…. My ice cream was ready… and the temperature was supposed to drop down to 38 last night and today, so far, it’s only 53 degrees…
Not exactly Ice Cream weather….
……………. but as they say around here… don’t like the weather ? Wait a few minutes…. 
Oh, and what about all that mush left over from making the milk?????? It’s in the dehydrator now… drying out… You wouldn’t expect me to throw it out, would you?
Til the next time…
You’re never too young or too old to have fun … So ……
Live….. Laugh… Love …..
~Jennifer
by Jen_F | How To, Jen_F, Recipes
Yesterday, Mar 05, was oldest sister, Pat’s birthday.
Happy Birthday, Pat
… and actually it wasn’t her birthday that made me realize time passes so quickly as much as it was that about two-three weeks ago Deb and I made more coconut concentrate and I never got that posted. LOL
We’d just gotten back from our week with Shari, stopped and picked up MORE coconuts (are we NUTS or WHAT?) and were determined to check out Deb’s new processor… I mean, really give it a work out.
We made the Sun Butter which I posted right away, then turned around and made up our concentrate the next day.
Just thought I would pass on the pictures of our process.
Here’s where we’ve started processing the coconut.
As you can see in
this second picture,
it’s beginning to look
like what it’s supposed
to look like.
Looking even better in
this pic on the right
And wha-la – The finished product
I’ve still yet to see the actual commercial version of coconut concentrate, so until I do, I’ll claim this to be the best batch yet.
Sorry for the delay in getting this posted…… and again
Happy Birthday, Pat
Til the next time…
You’re never too young or too old to have fun … So ……
Live….. Laugh… Love …..
~Jennifer
