Coconut Butter

I first tried coconut butter about six months ago when I started to use more coconut products.  Since then I've actually never bought it in the store, I've always made it myself (it is MUCH cheaper this way).  If you don't know what coconut butter is, it's just unsweetened coconut flakes that are ground into a butter.  It's made in the same way you'd make almond butter or peanut butter (except even easier!).  It's different from coconut oil because it actually contains the flesh of the coconut (think of the difference between peanut OIL and peanut BUTTER).

I eat coconut butter almost every day.  One of my favorite ways to use it is to add a few teaspoons of it to my cooked oatmeal along with frozen blueberries for breakfast.  The coconut butter adds a very very mild coconut taste but also some richness.  I've decided it's actually good for me to have a good source of fat in the morning to get my brain going.  Now it's hard for me to have oatmeal without it!  Most recently I've become obsessed with banana pudding, and I also use coconut butter to make that.  Mark is not a coconut fan, so the coconut butter is all for me. :)

Both coconut oil and coconut butter are interesting because of their melting temperatures.  Both melt around 80F-90F (this is based on my personal experience this summer! haha).  When coconut oil melts it is a completely clear liquid (like a normal oil).  When coconut butter melts it becomes more like a typical nut butter consistency, but is still white.  When I add coconut butter to my oatmeal and it is cold in the kitchen, I have to scrape off bits with my spoon, but then it melts in the hot oats.

If you are at all a coconut fan or are interested in using more coconut products, I definitely recommend making your own coconut butter.  While it's high in fat, some people claim it is very good for you.  The hardest part of making it might be finding a good source for the coconut flakes (I get it at Price Rite-- package above).  Besides that- easy and delicious!

Coconut Butter

yield: about 1 cup

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces unsweetened dried coconut flakes (do not use sweetened or reduced fat flakes)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Place coconut flakes in the bowl of a food processor.  Process for 5-10 minutes until drippy, stopping and scraping the sides of the bowl every few minutes.

2)  Store at room temperature indefinitely.  It will harden below 80F, but you can soften it by putting it in the microwave for a few seconds if desired.

(originally inspired by Ashley McLaughlin)

Pesto Formula

One of the foods I was most excited to make when I first got a food processor was pesto.  I love having pesto as a spread on sandwiches, on pasta or gnocchi, or even on vegetables.

I originally thought that pesto had to be made with basil, pinenuts, and tons of oil.  After lots of experimentation, I have learned that you can make pesto with pretty much any leafy green, any nut you want, and not that much oil.  One of my favorite ways to make pesto is with kale.  Kale is cheaper than basil, has tons of nutritional benefits, and doesn't turn your pesto brown like basil.  I also like to make pesto with almonds and/or walnuts-- much cheaper than pinenuts!

You should view the recipe below as more of a formula.  Use it as a starting point for your own perfect pesto!  Experiment and have fun! :)  And stay tuned because tomorrow I will have a great way to use your pesto!

Pesto Formula

yield: about 1 1/2 cups pesto

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups greens (kale, spinach, basil, or another favorite herb of choice)
• 2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated or cut into chunks
• 2-4 large cloves of garlic, to taste
• 1/3 cup nuts (walnuts, almonds, pinenuts, or a combination... feel free to try another type of nut as well!)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
• pinch of cracked red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
• water

DIRECTIONS:

1) Combine greens, cheese, garlic and nuts in the bowl of a food processor with the steel blade attachment. Process until ground.

2)  Add olive oil, lemon juice and spices.  Process again until combined.  Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

3)  Thin with water until pesto is the desired consistency.  For a sandwich spread, you might not need any water.  For a pasta sauce, you might want up to 1/2 cup of water.