Just Jennifer

The Whole Coconut Cookbook by Nathalie Fraise

Coconuts have often been considered a more exotic---and difficult---fruit (really a one-seeded drupe), but they are now being widely recognized as a versatile health food, the meat and water easily transformed into a variety of products including oil, cream, butter, sugar and aminos in addition to chunks or flakes, all of which blend with a variety of other ingredients to produce dairy and gluten free dishes from savory to sweet.  Chef, educator and blogger Nathalie Fraise demystifies this hard-to-crack fruit and all the new products appearing in markets, explaining what each looks and tastes like, how to handle and store, how to make some of the products at home and general uses for each in recipes.  The recipes that follow are divided into Breakfast, Main Courses, Salads and Sides, Snacks, Drinks, and Desserts.  Simple dishes, such as Almond Vanilla Chia Pudding get a lift by adding an equally simple topping of roasted blueberries and toasted almonds.  A traditional chickpea humus is transformed with fresh coconut meat, aminos and fresh cilantro.  Main dishes range from meat-free Millet, Kale and Miso-Tempeh Sauté, Grilled Salmon on Cauliflower and Broccoli “Rice” (a “rice” that has many other uses) to Oven-Roasted Chicken with Zucchini Spaghetti that will satisfy the heartiest of appetites.  These recipes are written in such a way as to be springboards for other dishes and brightly colored photos provide inspiration to create tasty and healthy dishes with a perhaps, surprise, ingredient.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.