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