Kelapo receives Foodie Award!

The results are in! Clean Eating Magazine just released the June issue, featuring the first annual Foodie Awards, honoring “the most delicious, nutritious, and eco-friendly products available.” And guess what…the editorial team at Clean Eating named Kelapo Coconut Oil Pre-measured Baking Sticks as one of their favorite dairy-alternatives!

The magazine praised Kelapo Coconut Oil Pre-measured Baking Sticks as a “baker’s delight,” exclaiming, “These cold-pressed, pre-measured baking sticks offer a one-to-one replacement for butter and oils, taking the guesswork out of substitutions!”

The judging criteria for the Foodie Awards consisted of taste, mouth feel, addictiveness, Clean-Eating-approved ingredients, responsible packaging, and time-saving convenience. Each staff-tested product was rated on a scale from one to five in each of the six categories, and the highest scoring products received a Clean Eating Foodie Award.

Thanks Clean Eating!

No-bake chocolate cheesecake.  Substitute the ½ stick butter for ½ stick Kelapo Coconut Oil Baking Sticks (or ¼ cup coconut oil from the jar)

Wild Rice Stuffed Squash  Instead of 2 tablespoons butter, try coconut oil instead. Delish!

Birthday Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats  3 tablespoons of butter? No way. Use Coconut oil instead!

Crunchy Carrot Fries  Try 1 tablespoon coconut oil instead of the olive oil. Easy and healthy!

Sweet Potato Goat Cheese Tater Tots  Toss the vegetable oil and use coconut oil instead. My mouth is seriously watering!

What’s your favorite Pinterest recipe? Have you made the swap to coconut oil? Let me know in the comments.

–AM

Florida Tilapia prepared with Kelapo coconut oil

This recipe was recently featured in Tampa Bay Wellness Magazine and it is made with Kelapo coconut oil!

“Buying fresh, local ingredients makes this dish one you can feel great about serving your family! Reduce your carbon footprint and stimulate the local economy by supporting local small businesses, like fishermen, citrus growers, and Tampa’s very own Kelapo Coconut Oil.

Sauteed Tilapia with Coconut Citrus Sauce

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

Juice of 1 key lime

Juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 lb Florida tilapia fillets or other flaky white fish (snapper and grouper are great too!)

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

4 teaspoons flour, divided

3 Tablespoons Kelapo coconut oil, divided

1/4 cup white wine

Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place seasoned salt and 3 teaspoons flour in zip-top bag; shake to mix. Add fish to zip-top bag; seal tightly and shake to coat fish. Place 1 Tbsp Kelapo in pan, then add fish; cook 3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp Kelapo to center of pan. Flip fish and distribute coconut oil under each fillet. Cook 3 more minutes or until fish is golden and flake easily. Transfer fish to serving plates. Add wine, 1 tablespoon Kelapo, 1 teaspoon flour, and lime and lemon juices to pan. Heat and stir about one minute or until thickened. Stir in parsley and serve sauce over fish, garnish with wedges of lemon. Serves 4.”

- Tampa Bay Wellness, Issue 5 May, 2012

Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there!  We baked up something extra special for you! Pass this recipe on to your children to bake for you for a sweet breakfast or save them for dessert after dinner tonight.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

Adapted from Food Wanderings in Asia

“Recent travels are one reason I’ve been thinking about coconut more, but coconut oil, which is high in saturated fat, has also been in the news recently. Where once it was reviled, especially the variety used in theater popcorn, virgin coconut oil is now being touted as a “good” oil that can help improve brain function and relieve stress, among other benefits. Non-virgin — that is, refined — oil doesn’t get the high health marks.

Erin Meagher, owner and founder of Kelapo Coconut Oil in Tampa, says plant-based fats are processed differently in the body. They are burned quicker and not stored, she says, and that’s partially why coconut oil is getting another look. Vegans like it as a replacement for butter for some recipes because it’s spreadable and a solid at 76 degrees. Meagher puts a tablespoon in her oatmeal every morning.

Kelapo’s cold-press extra-virgin coconut oil is organic, the fruit coming from trees in Sri Lanka. Meagher started the company in 2009 and now sells the product all around the country, mostly in health food and specialty markets, and it is widely available at such stores in the Tampa Bay area. You won’t find it in major grocery stores — yet. (Kelapo.com can help you find a store near you.)

I used coconut oil in the Fresh Coconut Muffin With Crunchy Streusel and Coconut Poke Cake recipes that accompany this story, both of which were delicious. The flavor of the oil is subtle, but Meagher and other users say that it makes their baked goods fluffier and pie crusts flakier. You could substitute vegetable oil, which is what the recipes originally called for.”

- Janet K Keeler, Tampa Bay Times, April 18, 2012

“I received my sample of Kelapo coconut oil in the mail today and couldn’t wait to try it! The enclosed tips and recipe were greatly appreciated. I didn’t know much about coconut oil and after reading the flyer, I suggested to my husband that we should start using coconut oil instead of olive oil. I decided to use a tiny bit of the sample to remove my mascara tonight, sort of as a challenge, because I can never get all of it off. I have those irritatingly white blonde lashes that can’t be seen unless someone is six inches from my face, so I have to use mascara so my eyelashes are visible. This is truly the first product to EVER get all of the residual gunk off of my eyes! I can’t stop raving about it! I even called my mother at 11:30 at night to brag to her about how amazing this product is! I can’t wait to try my first recipe tomorrow (I’m planning on taking the peanut butter brownies to a party) and tell everyone I know about Kelapo Coconut Oil!”

- Anna R., SC

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Did you receive your free sample and love it just like Anna?!  We would love to hear what you thought! Email us at info@kelapo.com.

- Jen

Coconut oil is the best for sunburns!

It’s that time of year! Time for bikinis, boats, beaches, and LOTS of sun exposure. Being a mostly Irish, fair-skinned girl, I have to be super careful about my skin.

Every time I go to a tradeshow or talk to a large group of people about Kelapo coconut oil, someone inevitably points out that coconut oil is a natural sunblock, and that people in the South Pacific have been using it that way for hundreds of years. When I was in Hawaii last year, I even spotted this on a bottle of virgin coconut oil:

“Promotes deep and dark natural tan while moisturizing and maintaining a healthy skin appearance.”

While I’m not suggesting that you toss your SPF 30 in favor of oiling up (though if you do, let me know how it went!) I can attest that coconut oil is the BEST thing for skin AFTER sun exposure. Try using it next time you come in from the pool to deeply moisturize parched skin, or to quickly heal that awful sunburn you got while golfing.

Bonus: Use coconut oil on chlorine-damaged hair, too!

–AM

Use Kelapo instead of…

Coconut oil has been around for ages but we are just starting to discover the incredible benefits to the human body.  Here are 5 important reasons why you should incorporate coconut oil into your daily routine to benefit your health.

1. Use coconut oil instead of olive oil when stir-frying your veggies.  Coconut oil is safe to use at high temperatures since it is saturated and the molecules cannot be damaged.  If olive oil is used at too high of temperatures the fatty acids can break down, changing the chemical structure of the oil and destroying its nutrients.  The good news is there is no risk of damaging coconut oil or compromising your health.

2. Use coconut oil instead of butter when making your morning eggs.  Since I’ve always used butter I was a bit reluctant on this one but even butter causes a burnt taste on eggs whereas coconut oil does not.  In addition, the eggs have a “clean” taste besides retaining their great looks.

3. Use coconut oil instead of other remedies as an antifungal agent to treat skin conditions or infections.  Research now shows that lauric acid in coconut oil is an effective agent in treating and lowering risk of skin problems and has the ability to treat many types of bacteria effectively.

4. Use Coconut oil instead of expensive moisturizers and lotions for your hair and skin.  Instead of using products with multiple ingredients that can dry out your skin or hair, keep a jar of coconut oil in the bathroom and see how quickly your skin problems can disappear – even psoriasis or eczema. For dry hair like mine, coconut oil does wonders for keeping the moisture in and the frizz out, especially on the tips.  It’s just as important to limit products with multiple ingredients on your skin as it is in the food you consume.

5. Use Coconut oil instead of expensive drugs to treat ulcers.  Early research shows since coconut oil has immune properties, it might be beneficial for treating the bacteria h. pylori responsible for many ulcers.

This all in one kitchen and bathroom remedy could save you money, time and trips to the doctor’s office besides benefiting your health.  And it is possible to replace, replenish and repair your body and health with something simple and easy that comes in a single jar with one ingredient.

- Susan B. Dopart, M.S., R.D., C.D.E.

Chef Jessica’s Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies

If you tuned in on www.ilovethepromise.com this Tuesday morning then you probably heard Theresa and I talking about the chocolate mint sandwich cookies I brought in for the show.  They were pretty delicious.

I am a huge fan of the chocolate mint flavor combination and ever since I made the Coco-mocha cookies for Easter I’ve been wanting to re-create the recipe as a sandwich cookie with a mint filling.  When I made my last batch of cookies I doubled the recipe and then froze the dough in a log for future use.  I love doing this because It saves so much time when you’re ready to bake again and slice and bake dough yields wonderfully uniform cookies.

If you decide to freeze the dough it is a great idea to write the important recipe details on the dough itself– that way if it is a while before you bake again you have the information you need there with the dough.

When you are ready to bake just take the dough out of the freezer and allow it to thaw at room temperature for about an hour or place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours and it will be much easier to slice (be sure to unwrap it BEFORE you slice it ).

This dough is a wonderful recipe because it isn’t only packed with rich chocolaty flavor… it is also more healthy because it is made with coconut oil and whole wheat flour.

After you’ve baked a batch of the cookies allow them  to cool for about 5 minutes on their pan then move them to a cooling rack.  While they cool whip up a batch of the yummy minty filling.

The filling is very simple to make:

Minty-licious Cookie Filling

1/2 cup Kelapo extra virgin coconut oil

pinch of salt

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/8 tsp pure peppermint oil

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and beat on low speed until combined, increase speed to medium and beat an additional minute until slightly fluffy.  Smear about a tablespoon of the filling on the back of one cookie.  Top with another cookie to create a sandwich.

Enjoy!

- Chef Jessica Bright

P.S. Remember to tune in to Daytime on NBC tomorrow to see Erin make another great Mother’s Day gift, homemade truffles! Check your local listings for show times.