All Things Coconut – CHEK INSTITUTE

Back in April, Karen Maidment shared an awesome blog on using coconut flour as a gluten free alternative.  It inspired me to share a little more information around this great superfood.

Coconuts really are one of my favourite foods to work with. They are so versatile and their recent popularity as a superfood has seen many additions to the line of coconut products besides just coconut flour and coconut oil.

In fact I use so many of the varying products derived from coconuts in my recipes that I decided to write an ebook entitled All Things Coconut! I share the key health benefits of using coconut oil and share my top 10 gluten free recipes along with a number of other suggestions on how else coconut oil can be used other than in cooking! 

In addition to the antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties of lauric acid (the medium chain fatty acid found in coconut oil), I’ve highlighted a few more of the coconut’s benefits in this video.

And just to show you how flexible and delicious coconuts really are as an ingredient, here is one of my favourite pudding recipes for you to try. It takes literally 2 minutes to prepare!

Coconut Pudding

Prep Time: 2 minutes

[dt_cell width=”1/2″]Ingredients: 

1. 2 cups coconut milk
2. 
1/3 cup chia seeds
3. 
1 tbsp. coconut nectar
4. 
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
5. 
1/2 fresh vanilla pod or 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla powder
6.  Toasted coconut flakes and pomegranate to garnish

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[dt_cell width=”1/2″]Directions:

1. In a small bowl or large jar, stir together the coconut milk, chia seeds, coconut nectar and cinnamon.
2. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until the chia seeds puff and expand.

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Pudding may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Before serving, stir once and spoon into serving dishes. Garnish with toasted coconut flakes and serve immediately – and pomegranate too when it is in season.

Jo’s tip: Instead of canned coconut milk I prefer to blend the water and flesh of a fresh young coconut together.