08.29.2012

How to make Coconut Butter

Have you ever learned “How to make Coconut Butter ?”

Well, please stay a few minutes and I can tell (show) you how! Homemade Coconut Butter is one of the easiest things you can make at home! Plus you save a lot of money $!

What is Coconut butter?

Coconut butter is simply just coconut flakes blended into a buttery consistency. You can buy a jar here for $13.50!! Wow that is one expensive bottle of just blended coconut flakes.  Use unsweetened coconut flakes, and you can always add in some vanilla beans (I use these), raw honey or stevia to taste.  You will need a Cuisinart (favorite) or a Vitamix blender.

Where to buy coconut flakes?

This is the brand ( buy here) I use because it is raw unsweetened coconut flakes. It is not heated above 98 degrees. Buy 1 lb here or 5 lb.

This brand (buy here) is much less expensive and still tastes just as great!

 

How much is homemade Coconut butter?

When I used 2 cups (16oz) I made a little over 1 cup (10 oz ) of homemade coconut butter. So if you buy the coconut flakes for $3.6 lb, then you could make a whole 16oz (pint) of homemade coconut butter for just $5.76! Whoot whoot! That is less then ½ the price you could buy in a store 🙂

Help! Mine is not turing into butter!

  • I can help you with that! The dried flakes are very dry so it will take 10-20 min about to turn the flakes into coconut butter. Be patient.
  • I would recommend turning off your Cuisinart or Vitamix a few times to let it cool down, so it doesn’t over heat.  When you turn it of for a “rest”, scrape down the edges, this is especially important in the Vitamix blender with taller sides.
  • Most times I like to add in 2 TBS of raw coconut oil to help along the process. It’s not cheating, I like to call it “compromising” 🙂

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of Shredded Coconut flakes (Unsweetened)

2 TBS of coconut oil *use as needed (see Help! section above)

 

DIRECTIONS:

*16 oz flakes = 10 oz coconut butter

1. Measure out 2 cups of coconut flakes.

2.  Blend the coconut flakes in your Cuisinart (I use this one here) or Vitamix blender. It will look fluffy for several minutes

3. After about 5-10 minutes, the flakes should start to look smoother, keep the blade running until the coconut butter has NO chunks! This is the time to add in your coconut oil to “smooth/help” out the process!

 * Stop your Cuisinart or blender several time to let it “cool down”. Scrape down the sides while you are at it.

 4. After about 10-20 minutes, your coconut butter will be done! It will be liquid, so pour it in a jar at this time. After awhile, it will come to room temp and solidify again. I scooped out some, and you can see it is solid!

 * To soften, place your glass jar in a pot of hot water, until liquidly. Don’t “cook” it, just warm it.

5. Simply YUM!!  (not pictured) eat or use in recipes!

 

 

~Stay Gutsy, Caroline

 

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08.10.2012

Carrot Chips

So today I want to leave you with a simple easy recipe, dehydrated carrots or as I like to call them, Carrot Chips!

Why Carrot Chips?

Well, I has a lot of extra carrots lying around and I decided that drying them was the best option to save space..my freezer is way too packed! Dehydrated carrots are great to throw in soups or grind up into your homemade granola bars to make a carrot cake flavor?! That is what I am planning on doing..I will let you know how that turns out! Though, Carrot Chips are good just as a finger snack!

Carrot nutrition

If you didn’t know, carrots are packed with vitamin A. Vitamin A is great for healthy eyes..”all the better to see you with my dear”… I love Little Red Riding Hood!  They are also fairly high in vitamin k, and of course fiber. Carrots are very common veggie, and dehydrating is just another way to keep the veggies interesting! Since Carrot Chips are dehydrated, you are getting more nutrients for then volume!

Are these GAPS friendly?

If you can eat raw veggies on the GAPS diet, then YES you can snack on these. Though if you can only do cooked veggies on GAPS (it all depends on your stage), them maybe try lightly steaming them first. You might want to slice them a little thicker so they are not paper thin and fall apart on you. Just play around with the timing 🙂 Hope this helps!

 

INGREDIENTS:

Organic carrots (as many or as little s you want) ! No need to peel!

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash and de-stem your carrots.

2. Use a mandolin or Cuisinart (easier if you are doing a lot!) to slice the carrots VERY thin. I use the smallest setting on my Cuisinart blade.

3. Spread the sliced carrots onto your dehydrating tray. I don’t worry about spreading them out super even. Mine usually end up in big clumps and they always end up shrinking a ton, so every carrot gets dried no matter what! 

* If you are using these as a “chip” you can sprinkle a little sea salt over them if you like. 

4. Dry in your dehydrator for 6-12 hours on 125-135 degrees. I tried to keep the live enzymes by drying it at 110 degrees, but it took 2 days..so I just crank up the heat a little more and eat raw carrots if I want the enzymes! 🙂

* Oven directions: Cook at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, toss frequently so none over cook.

5. Check on your carrots every few hours. They are done when they are very shriveled and crisp! Crinkle the up 🙂

6. Serve as a snack (like a “chip”) or use in a recipe (like homemade carrot cake granola bars). I ♥ Carrot chips.

*Store in a ball jar in a dark cabinet. They might lose their crispness over time, but they are still good to use in soups or recipes.

~Stay Gutsy, Caroline

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