Hemp Coconut Supreme

OK, so I am not the best photographer. But, I make up for it by making food that is easy and nourishing and tastes good.

My method is often just finding the best products that can be turned into quick and easy meals. Coconut Butter is a must to have in your pantry. If you have not tried it, let me tell you a few things you will want to know about it, and then give you some ideas on how to enjoy it.

1. It is made up of sun dried coconut ground up into a butter. Simple. Just like peanut butter or almond butter.

2. You do not need to refrigerate it after opening, but you must be careful not to contaminate it with any food particles. If you do refrigerate it, it gets as hard as a rock and is not as easy to use.

3. When you first open it, the oils might have separated from the meat, like many nut butters do after sitting for a period of time. Just stir it up with a butter knife or spoon and blend until creamy.

4. Now for the good part. Try eating one teaspoon of this rich yummy on it's own. Amazing, right? For many this is a quick fix for a satiating sweet fatty dessert or bite to give them extra energy or just a thrill.  It works great for anyone wanting to get off sugar as it can substitute for sweet and creamy and is so very satisfying. I dare anyone to eat more than two teaspoons at a time, although you may want to. Take it slow and savor it. 

5. Uses may include spreading on it toast, adding to smoothies or adding some water to make a creamy sauce. I use this ingredient in my cocoa truffles. It is what sets them apart from others. Yum. You can also blend some with water for a sweet sauce over your fruit.

6. In the recipe above, I blended about a cup + of water to a heaping tbsp of coconut butter. I added about 1/4 cup of Hemp Hearts and a a tablespoon of flax meal. The result is a thick and creamy sauce. I pour it over my papaya (shown here with a sliced banana and cinnamon) for pure enjoyment and nourishment. Refrigerate the remaining for the next day or later in the afternoon. Play with these ingredients as they can be turned into a variety of beverages and sauces.

7. The Hemp Hearts can be used alone to make a quick hemp milk for smoothies or just a refreshing drink.

8. The flax seeds can also be used to sprinkle on top of the fruit salad. Remember they create a thickening to whatever liquid you add them to, so be prepared if you store some for a time, because it will be much thicker after it has sat for awhile. This is why I often just sprinkle them on just before I eat my meal.

Try it out, tell me how you like it. What amazing concoction did you come up with?

Cultured Veggies & Kefir from Coconut Milk & Hemp Milk

Yeah for our Dietary Makeover students!! Today one of my students dropped by a coconut kefir and her cultured veggies. Oh my, they were so good. On the left is a picture! Now, here is what is extra cool. She used fresh coconut milk, which means she combined coconut water with coconut meat. She also let it ferment for 3 days, which is more time than I would have allowed. So, it is extra tart, but just delicious. Her veggies are red from the red cabbage. They are salty with a nice bite to them. In other words they have some heat. What amazed me is that they tasted great together.

Here is another student's (who lives on the mainland) picture of her coconut kefir made from pre-packed coconut milk. Here is what she says about how she made it:

"I made coconut milk kefir! This was my first try so consider this an experiment - Ingredients: So Delicious Coconut Milk (regular, contains 6g sugars per cup, source is organic dried cane syrup)and Yogourmet brand kefir starter - just followed package directions which were exactly as on the Chef Teton DVD. I blended with fresh, orgainic, locally-grown strawberries for delicious milkshake. Taste is excellent- like the coco milk with a tang to it. I was just a bit surprised that it wasn't thicker. When I have purchased prepared kefir in the past, it was creamier and thicker. Maybe I should have allowed more than 24 hours before refrigerating?" (Chef Teton, "I think that 18 to 24 hours is fine, depending on the temperature)

Here is my Kefir made from the following ingredients:

1/3 cup hemp seed granules

2 tbsp organic raw honey

1 quart of water

Blended ingredients into a milk, then added 1 package of kefir starter from Wilderness Family Naturals.

I let it sit for approximately 20 hours. You can see in the picture how the milk separated. Once I blended it, it stayed blended and tasted quite good. I am enjoying it as a light beverage in the morning or afternoon, or as a milk in a bowl of: chopped apple, banana, flax meal, coconut flakes and raisins. Yummmmmmmm.

Here you can see the hemp milk all blended up. This has been a lot of fun, and it is just beginning.

Learn how to make Kefir and Cultured Veggies on my DVD "Cultured Veggies and Kefir Kitchen".

Happy Culturing!