Coconut goodness

I would like to talk about coconut today. Mark's daily apple calls it "Smart fuel". Coconut research center says it's a "functional food" because of how many nutrients it offers us.  While the medical establishment warns us against the dangers of the saturated fat contained in it.

I would like to talk about my experience with various coconut products, the good and the bad, and share my acquired love for coconut.

My favorite coconut product family thus far are coconut milk and cream.  The most exciting part about these is the pure-energy component the provide for my diet.  When tired, I used to turn to coffee and red bull.  Now I make my "magic coconut drinks" as I call them, which provide a longer lasting non-jittery energy that enables me to get through tired afternoons and late nights.  Here they are:

1. Amazing double-coco, which I discovered in the Primal Cookbook.  Use two teaspoons of cocoa, three times as much cold coconut milk. Mix them up and you have consistency of yogurt.  Add boiling water - and you will have hot chocolate unlike any other you've ever tasted. Forget the cardboard taste of Hershey's powder products.  Coconut gives it the rich chocolate flavor you will not find anywhere else.  The best part is, it requires almost no sweetening due to its richness.  (Tip: use the dutch cocoa, which is richer and far less bitter.)
2. Coconut/avocado milkshake.  OK, I have to admit, it did not sound like it could possibly taste good.  I was so surprised, it became my daily afternoon drink, often replacing lunch!  Skip the low-fat yogurt in favor of greek, add some vanilla and stevia to taste.  (Tip: start by blending the avocado till smooth before any other ingredients; ripe avocado is key - or you'll have little avocado bits on your tongue!)

The problem with coconut cream is that it almost always comes sweetened, intended for pina colada.  I recently discovered a great product, coconut cream concentrate, far better on your budget, too! And the first user review confirms my experience with coconut as well:

This stuff is great! I eat it out of the jar with a spoon as a quick pick me up! It's amazing what coconut and coconut oil can do for you! 

Next comes shredded coconut. I use it as a topping for yogurt, in place of shredded cheese in salads and any time I feel my meal is a little too lean for the proper amount of energy I look for.

Another favorite discovery is coconut oil. It is amazing in cooking.  Because of its stability (the good old saturated fat!) it gets much hotter than any other oil you will use.  It sizzles like butter and produces similarly crispy, beautifully browned results, but unlike butter, it will not burn. When making fried chicken, it creates a meal so beautiful and tasty, I can bring it to a holiday table and feel good about myself!

Finally, a word about coconut flour. I do not like it!  It is grainy and refuses to integrate into the texture and flavor of the meal.  I use almond & cashew flour and avoid coconut till further notice.

Things I have not tried:  coconut water (which is supposed to be truly magic and has been used for centuries for a variety of medicinal purposes) and coconut butter that some swear by as a fast snack.

What I would like to do is create a coconut-based power bar. If anyone can think of how to go about it and what it would contain, please leave me a comment.  I am a huge fan of on-the-go no-cook no-mess no-thought convenience of such a thing!