Because I Said So!!! Mom Knows Best!

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Review and Recipe


I received this product for review a few weeks
ago and just did not know what to do with it. I have been
in a kitchen for most of my life and I have never heard of
this used before. Now remember, I have been at home for
over 5 years now so anything that has hit the scene after
that I am clueless. I wanted to find the perfect recipe that
would complement coconuts sweet taste. My fear was if
I used this oil for something such as fried chicken the
flavor would seep into the chicken. As much as the idea of
Coconut chicken appeals to me I think I would like the
Coconut toasted and breaded on it like shrimp not
fried in it. I thought about using it for some of Andy's
Tai Food Recipes but I really don't care for that and
really don't like to give a review where I have not personally
taken part. It is my name on the line. Even with the children's
items I get down and dirty with them and the toys and for
all clothing items, even if someone else is wearing it, I pull,
stretch and repeatedly wash it. I want to know if I am getting
my money out of a product before I tell you to go buy it.
I also say no to people who ask me to review an item I am
pre-disposed not to like for I hate being negative. But this
coconut oil, it just sounded interesting and I knew there
was a perfect use for it and I needed to find out what that
was.
Well I found out and now I feel like a fool. You can
use Coconut oil for just about anything you would use
corn or vegetable or olive oil for. Why wouldn't you? Corn,
other vegetables and Olives are all wildly different in taste
and you can't tell the difference there so why would you
with Coconut oil? Well, you can a little, your food just tastes
a little lighter and no so weighted down and heavy. I do
not know why I was hesitant and it wasn't until my neighbor
told me to just use it that I took the plunge. What I learned
from her is Coconut oil was popular to cook with for a long time
before World War two and it was common place but then
after the War started it was just too costly to import and fell
out of favor. After the War a new generation had came to
know Vegetable Oils and Corn Oils since we could produce
it here and it was dirt cheap and people were too busy rebuilding
their lives to take the time to get reacquainted with the
Coconut oil. What a shame too for WOW, I really feel like
I was missing out on something after I tasted it.

After my Neighbor told me that I had to fact check
for it isn't that I don't trust her but like I said before it is
my name I am posting on these little tid bits so I had to be sure.
What she said was not only true there is a lot more I didn't know
that she didn't tell me about. Like nuts the Fat content in
Coconuts is a good fat we need in our diets so unlike other
oils it is actually good for you to eat it. Coconut oil is
also good for;
Promoting your heart health
Promoting weight loss
Supporting your immune system
Supporting a healthy metabolism
Providing you with an immediate energy source
Helping to keep your skin healthy and youthful looking
Your thyroid gland
All these things I listed are great reasons to use
it but unlike my Grandfather and his jug of Cod Liver Oil
that he swore by and forced himself to drink a glass
every night and as he drank it you would tell by his face how
disgusting it was , this makes your food taste good! The last
thing you will be doing is making one of the faces my grandfather
made. I am sure your face will be 100 percent the other way
for this is not your Grandfathers Cod liver Oil.

All of the information I have told you thus far I got on
my own. I just pulled out some Library books and searched
the net but I didn't think the Library would have information
on what would be a great dish to make with Tropical Traditions
Coconut Oil so I was once again stumped. I kept thinking
of what I said about coconut chicken and wondered if that
would really be good, thought I might take a look around
and I found something else interesting. When you fry with
Coconut Oil it has a higher Smoke point and that means
the oil lasts longer before it gets all burned and yucky.
This makes it perfect for cooking fried foods of any kind
and now that I talked myself into it here is what I made.

Coconut Chicken

Need:
4 chicken cutlets. You can cut into strips if you like.
With small children I would recommend that you do
for they tend to all love Chicken Strips and that is
how I got Andy to try Chicken Prepared a ton of different
ways.
2 egg
2 c. bread crumbs
Salt, pepper, thyme to taste
2 c. shredded coconut
Cooking oil ~this is where I substituted coconut oil

To Cook Chicken:

Add salt, pepper, and thyme to egg.
Beat well. Coat chicken pieces with egg.
Mix bread crumbs and coconut in a plastic bag.
Add chicken pieces - several at a time - to the bag
and shake until well coated.
Cook chicken in hot oil until golden brown. Turn as needed.

I served this normally with a sweet and sour sauce at
home but I got to wondering if I was going with a theme
why not go all the way. So instead of the sauce I normally
make here is what I did instead.

1 cup coconut milk
2 cups milk
3 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes


Directions:

Combine the milks in a saucepan over medium
heat until the mixture just starts to boil.
Add in the flour, one teaspoon at a time,
until it starts to thicken slightly.

Once it's thick like a pudding add the toasted
coconuts and lower the heat.

Lastly, stir in the sugar and cinnamon
and add more or less to taste

For the rest of the dinner I served some Apple Fruit salad
and Sweet Potato French Fries you can now buy in the
freezer section at the grocery store. McCain makes a good
one

I want to say I was surprised at how it turned out
but in truth as I was cooking I could tell it was going to
be good for just the fact it cooked clean, not at all like
when I normally cook fried chicken of any kind and
the whole house ends up smelling like oil. I was amazed,
however, that I could reuse the oil for another batch.
Every time I fry chicken I swear I am going to filter it and
use it the next time to save money and every single time
I end up tossing it for it is always scalded and nasty looking
when I was done. The fact this cooked so clean left me
with a pan of oil that I could almost get by without straining.


All in all I was very impressed with Tropical Traditions
Coconut Oil. I feel bad I procrastinated as long as I did
to try and cook with it, I would have found out a few
weeks ago how great it was and had plenty of more recipes
to share by now. I am doubly mad I didn't do the research sooner
for the fact alone that it is great for weight loss would have
prompted me to move a whole lot faster for anything low in
calories and helps to burn them too boot is always on the
top of my list since I am perpetually on a diet. I like to think of
the Health benefits as just an added perk to this wonder oil
and it really doesn't even make the top five reasons I will keep
using this now that I have used and tasted it. I mean health
benefits are important but I would like to stress the fact you
should not buy it for that reason alone for taste is always the
most important part of a meal. It is no fun reaping health benefits
when you have to choke something down like my Grandfather did.
Too bad I didn't know about Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil
when he was still alive for that "Good Old Farm Boy" would
have been tickled pink he could have back his fried
foods my Grandmother Vetoed after his heart attack.

My finial verdict on the Oil?
Why I am "Nuts" about it!
( Hide in shame from bad pun!)

Hey you guys let me know how you liked the recipe and
if you have any of your own and I will post them.
We can all be Heart Healthy, loose some pounds and all
those other benefits I told you about!

Click here to go to Tropical Traditions for more product
info and recipes!