Recipe and Review: Organic Coconut Oil

An article by Joanna    4 Comments

I was recently lucky enough to be able to try out a product that is awesome, and completely new to me. Tropical Traditions sent me a free jar of their Organic Coconut Oil so that I could cook with it, try it out, and let you know what I think. Now that I have played, I mean cooked, with it a bit, I’m very happy to be able to share with you not only my thoughts, but also some information about why you might want to try coconut oil for yourself, and a delightful new recipe.

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil
I will never forget the day that the jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions showed up at our doorstep. I eagerly ripped open the box and dove inside to find… a jar filled with a white, solid substance staring up at me. After I scratched my head for a minute, I read the label of the jar and was relieved to find that yes, this is normal (coconut oil is a liquid only at temperatures higher than 75 degrees Farenheit). This oil is hand-made, certified organic, non-GMO, trans-fat free and is created in small batches by family producers. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t find a more perfect product to introduce to my family if I tried. My first question, though, was how in the heck do I use it?!

Replacing with a Healthy Fat
If you’ve been around my blog much, you know that I am very interested in changing the eating habits of my family from typical mid-American to a much healthier version. For me, this Virgin Coconut Oil is a wonderful addition to my cooking repetoire, at least it was once I worked out my kinks. I was a little confounded by this new cooking oil – mostly because of it’s solid state and slight coconut flavor (by the way, Tropical Traditions also sells Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oils that do not have the coconut smell and flavor) and a little nervous to try something that I felt was completely different from the way I currently cooked. Luckily for me, I snapped out of it and realized that coconut oil can be used exactly the same as any other oil – in fact, simply replacing other oils and fats with coconut oil improves our diet! I also spent a lot of time on the Tropical Traditions Recipe page for tons of free coconut recipes.

My Thoughts
After trying out the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, I can tell you with complete certainty that I will be continuing to use this product in my daily cooking. It is wonderful, and I love being able to improve our diets with such a small change. My husband has not even complained about the coconut taste, which is something I expected him to do. It is also super easy to use. I was a little tweaked out about the melting of the oil, but it’s nothing to be worried about. In fact, last night I was baking 2 different recipes, and I just let the measuring cup of oil set on top of the stove while the first one baked, and it was all melted and ready to go by the time I was ready to mix up the second. It’s easy to use – even on chicken! I’m not kidding you, it could be no easier than coconut oil and panko to make some awesome – and healthy – “fried” chicken. (Or try this recipe for Coconut Baked Chicken)

Cranberry Pecan Muffins with Coconut Oil
I have been wanting to make some good breakfast muffins for a while now, and after playing around with my coconut oil, I realized I had the perfect recipe ready. Try this recipe below for some great breakfast muffins. I also used Truvia in this recipe, because I’m on Day 2 of my Switch Out Your Sweetener Challenge (go to http://www.maptruvia.com/get-a-free-sample to enter a link – you could even link to this post – for your own free sample of Truvia). So without further ado, here’s my new fav recipe – Cranberry Pecan Muffins!

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour – make it healthier by using whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal
3 tablespoons Truvia – or use 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)
1/3 cup pecans, broken into small pieces (or other nuts)
1 cup room temperature milk
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
1 room temperature egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degress Farenheit. At this point, I place the measured coconut oil on the stove so it will melt as the stove preheats. I also put the egg and milk near the stove so that they will warm while I’m mixing the other ingredients. I’m a mom, I like to multi-task!

Place liners in muffin tin (or have a 2 year old do it!).

In a large bowl, mix the flour, oatmeal, Truvia (or sugar), baking powder, cranberries and pecans. I let my toddler stir at this point. He loves helping in the kitchen, and if a little spills it’s no big deal.

Once the coconut oil is melted, and stirring can help it melt faster, combine it with the egg, milk and vanilla. Stir the combination into the bowl with the dry ingredients mixture until it is moist. This dough is not really wet, so it will be a stiffer dough. Just make sure everything is mixed together and you’ll be good. It’s a very forgiving recipe.

Drop into the muffin cups until each is about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake 18-20 minutes. Try not to overbake these, as they can get too dry easily. When baking is complete, allow the pan to cool for 5 minutes before moving the muffins onto a cooling rack.

Voila – munch away!

Disclosure: I was provided Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil for free from Tropical Traditions. Although the product was free, I was not obligated to write a review and my opinions are my own. I was provided Truvia for free from Collective Bias as part of the 30 Day SOYS challenge, I was not obligated to write a review and my opinions are my own.

Want to read some more?
Check out my first day with the SOYS Challenge!
Read my research – the Nitty Gritty on Salt
Try this recipe – Peach Cobbler
Try this recipe – Monkey Cupcakes

Want to talk? Hit me up on Twitter – I’m @way2gomom.