I’m just back from the Oceania exhibition at the Royal Academy and was struck by how many of the 200 artefacts from the Pacific on display used coconut fibre as a material, writes Dr Susan Aldridge, our dedicated guest blogger and freelance writer and editor based in London, with an interest in medicine, health, science and food/nutrition, provides her advice and three scrumptious recipes.
The coconut, which is the seed of a tropical palm tree, might be the most complete plant on earth. Besides the fibre, it provides flesh, which can be processed into oil, flour and milk, and water which comes from the centre of the nut. Meanwhile, the blossom of the palm provides a sweetener in the form of coconut blossom nectar.
So, let’s celebrate the coconut palm with some healthy recipes that use no fewer than five of its edible products.
Coco green juice
As coconut water is rich in potassium and known for its hydration properties, this juice is a healthy post-exercise choice.
Serves one
Bag of kale (or other green leaves)
One pear, chopped
Half a cucumber, chopped
One inch root ginger, peeled and chopped
Coconut water
Pure pomegranate juice
Juice the kale, pear, cucumber and ginger. Top up with coconut water and a dash of pomegranate juice to boost the antioxidant content.
Pink coconut smoothie
Coconut milk is rich in iron and zinc and adds a creamy, luxurious touch to this smoothie
Serves one
Coconut milk/coconut and almond milk
Carton of raspberries, strawberries or a mixture of the two
One tbsp. peanut butter
One tsp. matcha
Two tsps. cacao (or cacao and cinnamon) powder
Place berries in a blender/Nutribullet. Add the matcha, peanut butter and cacao. Top up with the coconut milk and blend.
Coconut biscuits
Coconut flour is pure coconut, derived from the flesh of the nut. It is higher in fibre and protein, and lower in carbohydrate than whole wheat flour. Coconut blossom nectar is classed as low glycaemic index (a value of 35, compared with 68 for white sugar).
I thought I’d need more than one go at getting these right. Substituting coconut flour for wheat flour is one challenge (it absorbs more liquid). Using chia seeds instead of eggs (a common vegan substitute), coconut blossom nectar instead of sugar and replacing butter with coconut oil pushes this recipe into unknown territory with respect to texture and flavour – the main issue being what quantities to use. I researched, but this is an original recipe, I promise. The flavour comes from the addition of the cacao plus cinnamon powder.
Makes 10 biscuits
Two tbsp. coconut flour
One tbsp. chia seeds
Two tbsp. coconut oil
One tbsp. cacao and cinnamon powder
One tbsp. coconut blossom nectar
Around 240ml boiling water
Heat the oven to 180°C. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the coconut oil. Then add the boiling water and mix well. Leave for about 10 minutes to melt the coconut oil and let the chia seeds create a gel. Make cookies from balls of the resulting dough, and cook in the oven on a greased baking sheet for around 25 minutes.
Next month. Festive special!
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