Desserts Sweets Archives | Page 11 of 15

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Candied Walnuts

July 12, 2010

Let’s give a round of applause to the first person who decided to add vegetables to desserts, breads and muffins. There is the carrot cake, sweet potato pie, beets in cakes, and of course, zucchini bread. Perhaps vegetables surrounded by sugar aren’t always the best way to go, but it is certainly nice to throw a veggie dessert in the rotation every now and then.

Summer squash doesn’t always stand out as a nutritional superstar, but it definitely has some appealing characteristics. It is rich manganese which activates enzymes that play a role in energy metabolism. It also plays a role in the formation of healthy cartilage and bone. Zucchini also offers vitamin C, vitamin A and dietary fiber in addition to several other vitamins and minerals.

I showed you our zucchini in my last post. We have three plants bearing right now which means we have at least one or two zucchini every day.

We have eaten plenty of sautéed summer squash around here topped with fresh herbs and olive oil. So about two weeks ago I was ready for some zucchini bread. At least bread is what I started with. Then I started thinking about cake.

After adapting the zucchini bread recipe from the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Joy of Cooking by adding my favorite sugars and flour along with some additional spice. I had the cake recipe set. With the chocolate chips and the walnuts this definitely falls in the dessert category, but just between you and me we did have some for breakfast.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Candied Walnuts
Cake adapted from Joy of Cooking, Sweet Zucchini Bread

1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
¾ cup demerara sugar
2 eggs
½ cup butter, melted
½ tsp vanilla
2 cups fresh zucchini, shredded
½ cup dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp butter melted
1/8 cup mascavo sugar
½ cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch brownie pan.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, whisk together the demerara sugar and eggs. Slowly whisk in the ½ cup cooled, melted butter. Whisk well to dissolve the sugar as much as possible. Stir in the vanilla.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Add in the zucchini and the chocolate chips and stir just until incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.

In a small dish, stir together the butter, mascavo sugar and walnuts until the walnuts are coated. Sprinkle the walnuts over the batter and press in gently.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 9 servings.

Nutritional Resources
WHFoods: Summer Squash (my favorite resource on the web for nutritional info)
Oregon State University: Manganese

Foodbuzz 24×24: Around the World with Grilled Pizza — A World Cup Celebration!

June 27, 2010

What is one event that brings the world together?

The World Cup!

What is one food that you can find in some form in almost every country of the world?

Pizza!

How do you give pizza summer twist?

Well that is where this comes in.

Yesterday my husband and I hosted our first party in our new house since moving back to the US. Given our adventures the past few years, what better way to celebrate than with an international theme intended to bring friends together through food.

I guess Foodbuzz thought it was a pretty good idea too as we were chosen for the Foodbuzz 24 x 24 event this month!

Around the World with Grilled Pizza: A World Cup Celebration was a hands-on event for our guests. My husband and I brainstormed six different pizza combinations each representing a country in the World Cup. We prepped the dough for the attendees and then let them create their pizzas based on our menu suggestions and their own preferences.

The preparations began on Thursday with many batches of whole wheat pizza dough (a modification of the Spelt Pizza Dough from fellow food blogger, Off Her Cork). These then became 104 mini-pizza crusts. We wanted them large enough to hold a few toppings, but small enough to fit multiple on the grill at once and for our guests to make several different varieties.

Work continued into Friday and Saturday with roasting tomatoes and garlic for the red sauce, and soaking and cooking dried garbanzo beans for the hummus. There were also herbs to be picked and garden fresh vegetables to be pre-grilled.

We managed to represent the US and Kentucky with many of the ingredients. These were then used to create more international flavors to build on the World Cup theme of the party.

We had three main sauces for the pizzas. A Roasted Tomato Sauce that quickly came together after roasting tomatoes, onion and garlic for about an hour and then pureeing it with a little salt, pepper, mascavo sugar and basil. The Mediterranean Hummus sauce was your basic combination of beans, garlic, tahini and fresh lemon juice.

I decided not to tackle making my own barbeque sauce. There is a local producer in the neighboring town that makes a fantastic corn syrup-free sauce by the name of Kentucky’s Smokin’ Grill. We picked up a couple jars of that, transferred it to the squeeze bottle and it was a huge hit.

The smoked pastured chicken which my husband prepared on the grill before the big event, as well as the pastured heritage breed pork sausage, came from Pike Valley Farm. If you’ve read my blog often you know is my favorite farm around.

Most of the vegetables and herbs came from a variety of local sources including jalapenos, yellow squash, green bell pepper and basil from our garden; onions, tomatoes and zucchini from a nearby farmer’s market; and zucchini from my Dad’s garden (not exactly local, but in the family). We threw in a few extra toppings to invite creativity such as button mushrooms, pickled jalapenos, black olives and even some bananas for the dessert pizza.

You simply can’t have a Kentucky party without bourbon. It paired nicely with iced tea and the fresh lemonade sweetened with Demerara sugar. There was also plenty of Kentucky Light to go around, a Kölsch style beer brewed locally.

Now that I’ve told you how it was all prepared. Here’s how it all came together. After topping their partially grilled crusts guests headed out to the grill where my husband finished the cooking process and melted the flavors.

Our friends took some advice for pizza combinations and then added some creativity. To our surprise, the biggest hit seemed to be the goiabada for Romeu e Julieta dessert pizza like the kind we used to enjoy in Brazil. Many people were new to the guava paste and became fans of the guava and cheese combination.

Below was our World Cup pizza menu!

Greece

Grilled summer squash and onions, feta cheese and Mediterranean hummus

Mexico

(based of off Mexican themed pizzas we’ve had in Brazil and in the Caribbean)

Pastured pork sausage, fresh or pickled jalapenos, cheddar cheese and roasted tomato sauce

USA

Grilled pastured chicken, chopped onions, chopped dill pickles, cheddar cheese and Kentucky Smokin’ Grill barbeque sauce

Italy

Fresh basil, mozzarella cheese and roasted tomato sauce

Brazil

Goiabada, cinnamon sugar and mozzarella cheese

Switzerland

Chocolate fondue and chopped bananas

We were extremely pleased with the overwhelming response and everyone’s creativity, as well as a willingness to try some new flavor combinations. I think we have forgotten what hard work it is to entertain a large crowd, but fortunately as the sun went down the party continued with entertaining lawn games as well as rest and relaxation on our back patio. We were reminded that there is nothing like good food, great friends and summer nights no matter where you are in the world.

Our Greek pizza has also been submitted to the Regional Recipe Greece Round-up hosted by Eats Well with Others!

The Summer Cookie

May 28, 2010

I was at least a teenager before I realized that no-bake cookies existed outside our kitchen at home. I remember discovering them at a cookie shop in the mall and wondering how the recipe got out. One reason for this is because we never called them no-bake cookies.

We called them California Cookies.

I don’t know why. I just know that after I learned the more well-known name, I started calling them no-bake too so that people would know what I’m talking about it. However, the other night when I was trying to come up with a dessert that wouldn’t require me to turn on the oven I reconsidered the name.

No-bakes are a great summer cookie because everything is done on the stovetop and then left to cool. Hmm…California kind of makes me think of warm weather and sunshine which makes me think of summer. Perhaps we should all be calling them California Cookies.

I would expect that many of you have had them before, but if you haven’t, these cookies combine chocolate and peanut butter with hearty oatmeal. That’s a favorite combination around here. In fact, lately I’ve been doing this type of combo with my morning oatmeal, minus lots of sugar.

I’m always playing with the ingredients for these. Back in December I made them with coconut oil, maple syrup and honey. I wasn’t thrilled with the result. The coconut oil worked, but this time around I decided to go back to butter. My real mission was to see if demerara sugar would give me the same result as the original white sugar.

The final call? I found my new California Cookie recipe! They turned out just like the original I had as a kid, but use the minimally refined sugar, natural peanut butter and old fashioned oatmeal.

The New California Cookie

1 cup demerara sugar
¼ cup milk
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup natural, no-sugar peanut butter
1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a sauce pan, melt together the sugar, milk, cocoa and butter over medium heat. Bring to a boil (that you can’t stir down) and continue to boil for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the peanut butter until melted and fully incorporated into the chocolate. Stir in the oats. Drop by the tablespoon onto the parchment paper, and shape and flatten slightly. Allow to cool completely and they will harden as they cool. You can speed up the process a bit by placing them in the fridge, but this will cause them to sweat a little. Once cool and firm, enjoy. Makes 12 to 15 cookies.

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If you are here reading this post you know that Fake Food Free has a new look. I’d love to know what you think.

I also want to provide a little information about myself in the About Me as a Q & A so tell me in the comments what you’d like to know about me.

I also have a new Facebook page for the blog so give me a “Like” if you use it. I’ll update on posts, with pictures and with interesting food and health articles I come across.

Revising Recipes: Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

May 10, 2010

Every now and then I come across a recipe that is great for wooing the crowd. You know, when you have a potluck or guests. These recipes have to meet three criteria in my book – simple to make because these events come at busy times, use of familiar flavors because you are trying to please the a majority, and they make everyone ask for the recipe afterward.

This is one of those recipes and I found out about it while watching Ultimate Recipe Showdown. I really like watching this show and not just because Guy is the host. I like it because it showcases amateur cooks like many of us in the food blogging world.

The recipe? Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

Did you see the episode? Have you tried them? If not, believe me, you will want to. That is, if you are a pb-chocolate lover. I simply never seem to tire of the combination.

I’ve made them twice now and altered the recipe a little each time. The most recent time I made more alterations and the brownie didn’t turn out as rich and dark as I would have liked it. I substituted melted dark chocolate for the unsweetened chocolate because I didn’t have any and cut the sugar. Very good, but not great.

I did use white sugar and brown sugar as the recipe calls for, but my goal is to eventually recreate something similar using my new faves – mascavo sugar and whole grain flour. These are the adjustments I’ve made to the recipe so far.

Melted ¼ cup of the ¾ cup of chocolate chips and combined it with the butter. (I used 60% Ghirardelli chocolate.)
Used ½ cup white sugar instead of 1 cup in the brownies
Used white whole wheat flour
Use natural, no-sugar added peanut butter

Maybe by the end of the summer I’ll have a new version completely. However, until then I had to share it with you because whether you make substitutions or not, this is one good dessert!

You can find the recipe on the Food Network site – Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

A Fond Farewell to Cookies

February 12, 2010

Beginning next week you won’t be seeing many recipes for sweet stuff around here. Not to worry, it will be back come Easter time; likely with a vengeance. You’ll probably have more springtime sweet stuff than you’ll know what to do with. Just preparing you.

Next week begins Lent and that means for me, and many other people I know who honor this time of year, sacrifices will be made.

Some no longer believe in the giving up practice of the Lenten season, they choose to do something instead. I happen to be a big fan of both.

To me, giving up something as simple as dessert or chocolate, as non-religious as that might seem, helps me focus and reflect. Sacrifice makes us stronger regardless of what that sacrifice may be. Not having something I really want makes me step back and evaluate all that I have and how fortunate I am.

And I won’t lie. This time of year also helps me get or keep my healthy food intake on the right track. I like sugar, maybe a little too much. Cutting it out for a while never hurt anyone. Well, unless you count the recipients of your crabby attitude that may result when you want sugar, but can’t have it. Note to self: keeping my crabby attitude in check should probably be another Lenten promise.

Between now and next week, there is still Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, Carnaval and Mardi Gras. While not hear quite yet, I’m sending my short term fond farewell to cookies a little bit early.

I haven’t made peanut butter cookies in a while so I decided to try a batch with some mascavo sugar and white whole wheat flour. This recipe resulted in dense, not-too-sweet, buttery cookies that melt in your mouth with each bite. I’m adding them to my must-make-again list.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup natural peanut butter
¾ cup mascavo sugar
1 egg
1 ¼ cup white whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ tsp baking soda
6 oz chocolate chips (1/2 a bag)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix until combined. In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Gradually mix into the wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop cookies out by the tablespoon and form into a ball and flatten slightly. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy. Makes about 18 cookies.

Baked Pastel Romeu e Julieta

February 8, 2010

I encountered many food combinations while living in Brazil that quickly became favorites, but none of them compare to guava and cheese. This sweet and salty combo is better known as Romeu e Julieta.

After my first week there I quickly learned that Romeu e Julieta was a name for a flavor that came in many different forms. I was first introduced to it by way of eating slices of the white cheese, queijo fresco, topped with slices of goiabada which was like a solid, sliceable jelly of goiaba (guava) jam.

Later when I traveled to the state of Minas Gerais I learned that it is delicious with Canastra, a cheese specific to an area of that state. The goiabada there is a more spreadable form like a cross between a pudding and a jam.

Where we lived in Maringá I found Romeu e Julieta in the first form I mentioned as well as combination of the guava jam and mozzarella cheese. Some restaurants also served the guava jam with requeijao which is often described as a white cream cheese. Really it is more like a white from cheese whiz minus the spray can, but without any strong flavor or tang.

A form of Romeu e Julieta could be found on every menu in town and most often it was not just cheese and jam. There was Romeu e Julieta pizza, pudding desserts, ice cream and pastel. Ahhh, pastel.

Ask any ex-pat in Brazil about pastel and you’ll get the response, “Mmmm…pastel.” It will be accompanied by a look of contentment and a bit of day dreaming.

Pastel is by far the best type of street food I’ve come across in my travels. Around our city there were booths at the local farmer’s market which sold them like fair food, but then there were also free standing restaurants such as Roberto’s which was exactly one half block away from our apartment.

Believe me; restraint had to be practiced daily.

Pastel is two layers of a puff pastry–like crust that is filled with all kinds of goodies. Then it is deep fried until puffed, toasty brown and flaky. You have to bite off a corner to let the steam escape and wait patiently before you dig in.

There were over 20 options at the restaurant by our apartment – beef, olives, cheese, mushrooms, chicken, heart of palm, broccoli, arugula, sundried tomatoes or a combination of two or three fillings together. Then there was the dessert menu pastel with coconut and chocolate, apple and nuts, and of course, Romeu e Julieta.

My husband’s coworker just came in from Brazil and prior to her visit she did some shopping for me. One thing on the list was goiaba jam. I’m sure guava jam is available in places like California in the US, but so far I haven’t seen it around Kentucky so I got it special order, shipped via suitcase.

When I heard that FOODalogue’s stop of the South American tour was Brazil this week, I knew I wanted to participate. I pulled out my cookbook, 1000 Receitas da Culinária Brasileira, and found a recipe for pastel.

I knew I didn’t want to fry it. I eat fried foods on occasion, but I’m not big on making them at home. I decided I’d bake it instead. It turned out to be like a lovely little Romeu e Julieta pie. It’s not exactly like the pastel we were used to getting in Brazil, but it definitely provides that favorite flavor of guava and cheese that I grew so fond of during our time there.

Pastel Romeu e Julieta
Translated and adapted from 1000 Receitas da Culinária Brasileira, Pastel de frango

2 cups flour
½ cup butter, room temperature
Pinch of salt
Water as needed
Guava jam
Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and butter. Just like a pie crust, mix until the butter is pea-sized and incorporated well. Add water a teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together into a consistency that can be rolled out. It took about 1 tbsp for me.

Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thickness on a floured board and cut into 8 equal squares or rectangles. Place 4 squares on a cookie sheet and spread evenly with jam leaving a ¼ inch edge. Spread about 1 tbsp of jam thinly per square. Top the jam with thinly sliced cheese. Using water, lightly wet the edges of the squares. Place the second layer of dough on top and use a fork to seal the edges.

Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes until just before the jam begins to bubble out and the pastel is lightly browned. Remove, let cool slightly and enjoy warm. Makes 4 baked pasteis.

More Brazilian foods and recipes:

Açaí na Tigela
Beijinhos
Brigadeiro
Canjica
Sagu de Vinho
Moqueca
Strogonoff de Frango
Cauliflower & Mandioquinha Soup
Escondidinho de Frango
Foods of Minas Gerais
Brazilian Fondue
Pinhão

Blackberry Brownies

February 5, 2010

Chocolate.

What is it about this time of year that makes me crave chocolate? Oh yeah, Valentine’s Day. Well, that combined with the fact that it has been about a month and a half now since the holidays and I miss all those festive baked goods.

I think I mentioned before that I have a freezer full of berries from my Dad’s garden. The raspberries are great right out of the freezer as a snack, but the blackberries are a bit tart. They are more ideal for using in recipes.

So we have a chocolate craving and frozen blackberries that need to be used…

How about Blackberry Brownies? Yeah, I wasn’t sure how they would turn out either, but there are none left in the kitchen so something went right.

I used a simple recipe that caught my eye and modified it with what are becoming my new favorite ingredients – cane sugar, white whole wheat flour – you know, the good stuff. I’m also beginning to learn that most standard recipes for baked goods contain a lot of sugar that really isn’t necessary. You can cut back and they still taste just as good.

On that note, I cut the sugar from 1 cup down to 1/3 cup, and then I added some chocolate chips for to make the brownies a bit richer in chocolate flavor. The combination of that and the tart blackberries produced a winner. These brownies are tender, rich and one great Valentine’s Day dessert!

Blackberry Brownies
Adapted from Best Brownies at Allrecipes.com

½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup cane sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup whole white wheat flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
1 cup frozen blackberries, defrosted
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.

Whisk the sugar and melted butter in a bowl and gradually beat in the eggs. Add the vanilla, and then stir in the cocoa powder. Add the flour, salt and baking powder and mix just until all ingredients are well combined. Stir in the blackberries, followed by the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter evenly into the pan and bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool, cut and enjoy! Note: milk or coffee will only improve the experience.

Speaking of chocolate, A Life Less Sweet Reviews is giving away a great gift bag full of fair-trade chocolate and coffee. So if your chocolate craving is as bad as mine, head over and check it out!

Baking With Coconut Oil: Chocolate Chip Cookies

January 26, 2010

I’ve been using virgin coconut oil for a while now and loving every bite of it. Most often it goes in my oatmeal or on toast so this past weekend I decided I needed to try baking with it. A rainy end to last week had me craving chocolate chip cookies so that is where I started.

What resulted is my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’m not kidding, my husband and I both liked these as much or more as the traditional. I used virgin coconut oil in place of butter and a combination of oat flour and whole white wheat pastry flour. I made the oat flour myself by grinding rolled oats and didn’t grind it too fine so the cookies did have a bit of texture from them. I’m finishing up my demerara sugar so I used that in place of both the refined white and brown sugars. I hope to try the cookies with mascavado or rapadura soon.

They are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside with a complex, sweet flavor from the sugar with mild hints of coconut from the oil. I added walnuts for variety and they only make the cookies better, in my opinion.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

½ cup oat flour
½ cup white whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup virgin coconut oil
1 cup of cane sugar (lesser refined the better)
½ tsp vanilla
1 egg
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
½ cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl combine the dry ingredients – flours, baking soda and salt. In a mixer combine the coconut oil and sugar. Cream together for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar is incorporated well. Add the vanilla and then beat in the egg.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, and then stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Place by the teaspoon on an ungreased cookie sheet or one with a baking mat. I had to flatten mine slightly so that they spread correctly during baking. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool on the pan for about 2 minutes. These cookies are a bit fragile until cooled. Place them on a cooling rack and allow to rest until cooled completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

This post has been submitted to Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday.

Update: I receive a lot of comments on this post letting me know your results of this recipe. Thank you! There are two major factors that will influence the final product. One is the consistency of your coconut oil. It should be about the consistency of butter, or a little harder. The second is the flour. Whole wheat flours absorb much more moisture so if you use a white pastry flour, or a white AP flour you may need to add more flour. Thank you for your feedback!

Honey Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

January 11, 2010

I know, I know. Only a couple weeks into the new year and I’m already back to baking cookies. You would think I had enough of it before Christmas.

I have to admit the eating balance has been a challenge so far, mainly because running makes me HUNGRY. It is unlike any other physical activity I partake in. A couple hours after a run I get ravenous. So while some people would be burning off those calories and reaping the benefit, I’m practically gaining weight because I can’t seem to fill the tummy.

On that same note, while I’m training for a half marathon, my husband is training for a marathon. Yesterday I burned about 500 calories and he burned over 1,000. So I’m trying to have enough food readily available for him to eat, without having it sit around calling my name.

So back to the cookies.

All this hunger had me wanting something sweet, yet something that had at least a few nutritious, unprocessed ingredients. With left over raisins from the holiday and a new container of oats on hand, I decided to make oatmeal raisin cookies.

I used unrefined cane sugar, honey and whole white wheat pastry flour in these and loved the result. They are slight chewy and the sugar and honey produces a rich flavor that goes beyond just sweet. For these cookies I prefer using the cane sugar instead of the refined white and brown sugars most recipes call for.

Honey Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

¾ cup butter, softened
1 cup demerara sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¼ cup whole white wheat pastry flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 ¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream the butter and sugar well, add the honey and blend some more. I usually let this go 3-5 minutes because the sugar is so course. Beat in the eggs, then add vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and oats. Gradually mix this into the wet batter. Stir in the raisins. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop dough on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 36 cookies.

This post has been submitted as part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday.

Coconut Oil Christmas Giveaway!

December 26, 2009

Several months ago I delved into my own research about coconut oil. I shared my findings in a post with the determination to start using more virgin coconut oil in my day-to-day cooking. I searched for it when I was in Brazil only finding small quantities that were actually more expensive there than what I could get in the States.

Weird, right? With all those coconuts growing everywhere.

After getting settled back in the US I knew I had to find a source. After reading Nina Planck’s Real Food: What to Eat and then taking a trip to Southeast Asia my interest in the company Tropical Traditions began to grow. I applied to be considered to review a sample and they quickly replied offering me a 32 oz jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. A few squeals escaped after reading that email. I won’t lie; I was incredibly excited to give this coconut oil a try.

I think a lot of it has to do with our recent trip. Although we didn’t go to the Philippines, we were able to witness some small scale agriculture during our travels to areas nearby. In case you don’t know much about Tropical Traditions they sell wet-milled, virgin coconut oil from small organic farms in the Philippines. They also sell many other coconut products including a coconut peanut butter that will likely make its way into my first order.

In my last post I said I likely wouldn’t become a person who takes coconut oil by the spoonful for medicinal purposes (some cultures do this), but I have to tell you, I love taking little tastes of the oil straight from the jar. Ever know any of those people who could eat butter straight from the stick? (I know it makes me cringe, too.) Well, I couldn’t do it with butter, but this coconut oil is an entirely different story.

Last summer, I used coconut oil on my cinnamon toast and it turned out great, but with this time I wanted to do a bit more cooking with it. Mainly to see how easily I could incorporate it.

I was invited to check on the recipes on the company’s website and I did. The first recipe to catch my eye was for no-bake cookies. For some reason, my mom always called these California Cookies in our house, not sure why. Regardless, we grew up with them as almost a staple as far as the occasional treat goes.

Of course, they have a ton of refined sugar so I rarely make them anymore. I was thrilled to find this recipe that uses honey or maple syrup (I actually used both), and of course coconut oil instead of butter. I also used a natural peanut butter.

The coconut oil works great in them and the flavor wasn’t overwhelming, the cocoa flavor actually comes out more. I wasn’t thrilled with the sweetening combo. I used both because I didn’t want a distinct maple or honey flavor. I will be honest and say they aren’t as great as the original with sugar, but that’s not to say they aren’t good. We are enjoying them and the new twist on flavors as well as the fewer refined ingredients.

On the recipe list there was also one for coconut chicken. It immediately reminded me of the simple version I often make that uses butter. I posted about it a little while back. So I ground about 1 ½ cups of whole wheat bread crumbs, ½ cup unsweetened coconut, salt, and pepper in the food processor. Next I melted about 3 tbsp of coconut oil. I tossed 2 chicken breasts (cut into pieces) in the coconut oil (make sure the chicken isn’t too cold or the oil will solidify). Then I coated the chicken in the crumbs and coconut. After 20 minutes in a 400 degree F oven it was all done.

I was so pleased with how it turned out. My husband even commented on how tender the chicken was. The coconut oil really improves this fave, super quick meal.

So, as if you had any doubt, coconut oil will now become a staple in my kitchen. I do have to admit that I won’t be using it with wild abandon because it is a pricey product. However, having it around to use more often is worth the price for me especially when you are supporting small scale, sustainable agriculture, not to mention the health benefits. Oh, and the flavor. Okay, you get the picture.

Or do you?

Want to try some virgin coconut oil of your own?

Well, I was trying to plan out when to tell you. I figure Christmas is as good of a time as any for a giveaway, especially one that will help jumpstart your healthy habits in the New Year.

Tropical Traditions has graciously agreed to give away a 32 oz jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil to one of you, my readers, free of charge!

Okay, so here is how to enter and increase your chances.

The contest is open to U.S. and Canada residents because the company will be shipping directly to you. (An apology to my international readers.)

I should mention I’m big on following instructions too (I know such a stickler). So to be fair to those who do follow them, if you don’t, your entry won’t be counted.

First instruction – Tell me each of these things in a separate comment. I subscribed, I tweeted, I followed = 3 comments = 3 entries. I know, a lot of work, but I’ll be using a random number generator to choose the winner so if you want each entry counted it will need to be in a separate comment.

You need to subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter. Leave me a comment below telling me you did AND I would love it if you would include in this comment why you want to try the oil.
Get a bonus entry for Tweeting the giveaway and tell me here with your Twitter username. I’m @lori1329 by the way.
Get a bonus entry for becoming a Follower (that little Google gadget on the side) and tell me here, or remind me that you already follow me.

Okay, that’s enough rules. Given it is the holiday season and you all need a break from the computer, I will wait to pick the winner until January 2nd, 2010. The contest will end at 11:59 pm EST on January 1st, 2010.

Ready to have a Happy and Healthy New Year with Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil? I’m really excited to share this great product so send on the entries!

PS. If you don’t win and want to place your order, be sure to check out the Referral Program. You can get a copy of Virgin Coconut Oil by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy free with your first order. If you’d like to refer me with your order, just drop me a note and I’ll send you my number.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.