Showing posts with label snack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snack. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Fresh Strawberry Scones
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Strawberries are everywhere. They hit the markets somewhere around February 14, Valentines Day, and continue to increase in volume and drop in price. The first strawberries that are available sadly are usually flavorless. So I wait. Fruit in season is undeniably the best. That can't be argued with. In season on the northeastern coast is June and the season is short. That is depressing. There is not too much that is in season right now but maybe celery and asparagus. So Plant City, Florida is not too bad. It's still in the US and on the east coast. The weather south is warmer than here, and right now - I am jealous.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Coconut Bread
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On March 1, I was reading a New York Times article on coconut oils, Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World, which was stating how vegans and persons with specific dietary needs had been using virgin coconut oil to make cakes and cake frosting, pie crusts, baked goods and sautes to achieve better quality and flavor. It also mentioned that coconut oil is not the villain that it has been made out to be. It was the hydrogenated version, along with all the other hydrogenated oils that have been produced, that was really bad for you. Coconut oil got really picked on and tossed out of the party. There are other sources that suggest virgin coconut oil is a healthy oil and that societies that use them heavily in their diets do not have higher levels of heart disease than areas that consume a western diet like in the US, they are actually lower. There have been some long term studies in the US that concluded coconut oil does not increase heart disease. There is a lot of interesting science behind these results. I think this is all fascinating since we have been told to stay away from these foods because they are evil and they will kill you. I should be enthralled, but instead of pondering this interesting nutritional information (info on saturated fats not being so bad for you has been coming out slowly for several years now), I had an epiphany, OK just an aha moment. Maybe coconut oil is exactly what that coconut bread that I made 7 to 10 years ago needed. It was very lackluster in taste and I was soooo disappointed. Would coconut oil add that extra level of flavor so the bread would taste like coconut, because why make a coconut bread that doesn't really taste like coconut? That seems like wasted calories to me.
Amazingly. I knew exactly which cookbook of mine had the recipe (I have a few cookbooks!) and went right to it and then to the store for unrefined, virgin coconut oil. It is now apparent that I never really gave up on this bread recipe, even though I should have after the first try. It was really not good. Maybe coconut has a "special place in my heart" and it was meant to be!
This post was my first post on HonestCooking.com March 15, 2011. I am very proud and honored to be contributing to this food magazine site that is headed by Kalle Bergman. It has a flavor I have not seen before. Go see for yourself and check it out.
On March 1, I was reading a New York Times article on coconut oils, Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World, which was stating how vegans and persons with specific dietary needs had been using virgin coconut oil to make cakes and cake frosting, pie crusts, baked goods and sautes to achieve better quality and flavor. It also mentioned that coconut oil is not the villain that it has been made out to be. It was the hydrogenated version, along with all the other hydrogenated oils that have been produced, that was really bad for you. Coconut oil got really picked on and tossed out of the party. There are other sources that suggest virgin coconut oil is a healthy oil and that societies that use them heavily in their diets do not have higher levels of heart disease than areas that consume a western diet like in the US, they are actually lower. There have been some long term studies in the US that concluded coconut oil does not increase heart disease. There is a lot of interesting science behind these results. I think this is all fascinating since we have been told to stay away from these foods because they are evil and they will kill you. I should be enthralled, but instead of pondering this interesting nutritional information (info on saturated fats not being so bad for you has been coming out slowly for several years now), I had an epiphany, OK just an aha moment. Maybe coconut oil is exactly what that coconut bread that I made 7 to 10 years ago needed. It was very lackluster in taste and I was soooo disappointed. Would coconut oil add that extra level of flavor so the bread would taste like coconut, because why make a coconut bread that doesn't really taste like coconut? That seems like wasted calories to me.
Amazingly. I knew exactly which cookbook of mine had the recipe (I have a few cookbooks!) and went right to it and then to the store for unrefined, virgin coconut oil. It is now apparent that I never really gave up on this bread recipe, even though I should have after the first try. It was really not good. Maybe coconut has a "special place in my heart" and it was meant to be!
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