Ingredient of the Week: Coconut Oil

I LOVE coconut but always shied away from anything that contained coconut oil.

A saturated fat, coconut oil was considered an artery-clogger most commonly encountered on theatre popcorn.  Recently, however, coconut oil has become a health food favorite pet.

Just make sure that coconut oil is virgin or NOT partially hydrogenated.  It is the hydrogenation that creates trans fats.  Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and usually needs to be heated or melted for use in cooking.  For more information click here for the recent NY Times article.

Coconut oil is a wonderful baking ingredient.  It makes flaky pastries and whips for frosting making it a great butter substitute for vegans.  The oil imparts a slight coconut flavor.  I tried the Coconut Oil Poundcake with Almonds and Lime Zest recipe that was in the NY Times article.

The cake was moist with a dense crumb.  The coconut flavor was very slight with more of the lime and nutmeg flavor coming through.  This is a nice "tea" cake and I would definitely make this cake again.  I will also try using coconut oil in other favorite recipes.

NYTimes photo

Not just for baking, this shrimp stir-fry is made with coconut oil.

NYTimes photo

I can't wait to try these Coconut Oil Roasted Sweet Potatoes