We love when smart authors use coconut oil in their cookbooks! Recently, we discovered that New York Times Bestsellers, Skinny Bitch and Skinny Bitch in the Kitch feature lots of delicious recipes using our favorite oil. (I know, these books have been out a while. I’m behind on my reading, ok?) Here’s what they say about coconut oil:

“Now granted, there’s nothing wrong with olive oil. In fact, we love it. But did you know that when you heat most oils at high temperatures, you change their molecular structures, causing free-radicals? And that free radicals have been linked to heart disease and cancer? Well, we knew that (we’re really smart), so a lot of our recipes call for coconut oil instead. Yeah, you may have to go to the health food store to buy it, but isn’t a trip to the health food store better than a trip to the Emergency Room?”

-Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!) by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, Running Press, 2007.

Here is one of their fabulous recipes:

Green Goddess Pasta

Serves 4

    4 cloves garlic, minced

    3 tablespoons refined coconut oil

    6 tablespoons vegan butter

    3 quarts water

    About 5 teaspoons fine sea salt

    8 ounces whole wheat or brown rice elbow macaroni

    2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1⁄4-inch slices

    1 broccoli crown, cut into bite-sized florets (about 2-1⁄2 cups)

    1⁄2 bunch (about 4 ounces) kale, cut into 1⁄2-inch strips

    1⁄2 teaspoon pepper

    1⁄4 cup pine nuts

In a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, combine the garlic and coconut oil and cook, swirling occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter, swirling until it melts, and set aside.

In a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over high heat, combine the water with about

1-1⁄2 tablespoons salt. Bring the water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to the package directions until about 1 minute shy of being done. Stir in the zucchini, broccoli, and kale. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is cooked, about 1 minute.

Drain the pasta mixture, reserving 1⁄2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the mixture to the pot and stir in the garlic butter, pepper, 3 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt. Transfer the pasta to plates or a platter, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon of pine nuts, and serve.

*Alison’s note: I used unrefined coconut oil and it came out really good!

– AM