*This recipe is the winner of our April 2012 Recipe Club Prize Drawing.  Jyoti N. won a $50 Nutiva Gift Certificate in our Recipe Club drawing.  Join the Nutiva Recipe Club today for a chance to win!

This month’s Recipe Club winner is a wonderful dairy and gluten-free meal that you and your family will surly enjoy!

Ingredients:

Directions:

While pasta is cooking (follow directions on package), put 1 Tablespoon of Nutiva Hemp Seed in Vitamix or powerful blender along with 1 cup of water and blend (approx. 45 seconds) until you get hemp milk.

Chop up 1 shallot, 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 inch of ginger. Leave for 5 minutes to enhance nutritional value.

Soak 1 cup of frozen corn in warm water to thaw.

In pressure cooker, place the garlic, 1/2 of the chopped shallot, frozen spinach and ginger to cook with 1/2 cup water and add salt to taste. Cook until spinach is tender.

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of Nutiva Coconut Oil and saute the remaining chopped shallot. (If you like more garlic, you can saute another clove of garlic at this time.) Drain the water from the corn and add to the chopped shallot, then blend in the cooked spinach along with the hemp milk, Daiya cheese*, salt and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Cook for a few minutes until cheese is melted and pasta is coated with spinach and cheese sauce.

This dish has the crunchiness of the shallot and corn, accompanied by the creamy taste of cheese followed by the tartness of the lemon juice. Vegan and gluten-free.

This recipe can be modified to use real cheese and regular pasta. Bon Appetit!

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*Add cheese according to your taste (anywhere from 1 -2 cups)
Serves: 3-4

“I am now a confirmed addict of this stuff. If I run out, I start craving it. Popcorn is just not the same without melted Nutiva coconut oil and sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Cannot be more specific than to say that my body ‘feels’ better–joints, mobility, sense of well being since I started consuming it regularly. The scent of it is intoxicating as well. I for one don’t need a scientific “paper” to tell me what my body needs and responds well to.”

Coconut Oil Cooking Tip: Add a dash of sea salt to the eggs or veggies you are cooking in coconut oil. The overall sweetness of coconut drops and becomes more mild. In fact by doing this people won’t know your even using coconut oil.

Coconut Oil is nature’s richest source of healthy medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). These include Lauric Acid and Capric Acid. MCFAs are vital nutrients and found in coconut oil, coconut milk, and coconut flakes. Coconut is one of the only foods that contains these rare healthy  fats.  Mother’s milk is also a good source for these as it helps nourish young babies as they grow.

Get 10% off today! Enter the coupon code COCO12 during checkout. Shop for Nutiva Coconut Oil here.

The most common vegetable or seed oils are comprised of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), also known as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs. LCT’s are packed with Omega-6′s and become rancid easily when sold in clear bottles and degrade. LCT’s such as corn or soy oil can also polymerize into gunk. Not good for our veins. Many doctors now understand why these long-chain fatty acids are not as healthy as the MCFAs in coconut oil.

The more we understand the role that good fats play in our health, the healthier our society will be.

Explore the links between coconut oil and health!

Dr. Joe Mercola has a reputation as America’s most controversial medicine guru. He shares his beliefs as to why you shouldn’t trust your doctor’s standard views on vitamin D, flu shots and saturated fats. Could his alternative take on medicine transform your life?

Click the image below to watch Dr. Mercola and Dr. Oz discuss saturated fats, and the benefits of coconut oil.

Click the image to view the video at Dr. Oz's website

Here is another comprehensive list of why Coconut Oil is a true miracle of nature!  Coconut Oil benefits everything from skin care to weight loss.

Enjoy!

(OrganicJar) Coconut oil has a surprising number of health benefits, from relieving stress to bolstering your immune system. It’s rich in the lauric, capric and caprylic acids. These omega three fatty acids give it its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti fungal properties. It can be used to cook food, moisturize skin, and treat infections. With all of these benefits, it’s hard to imagine why you wouldn’t add coconut oil to your life. Check out the top 10 reasons why coconut oil is a miracle of nature and why YOU should be using it.

1. Improves Your Skin

   Coconut oil acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. It can treat psoriasis, eczema, rosacea and even wrinkles and protects the skin from sun exposure, skin cancer, and free radical damage.

2. Helps You Lose Weight

   Unlike many other common oils, like soy (vegetable) and corn that contain LCT (long-chain triglycerides ) that are typically stored as fat. Coconut oil won’t make you fat. Coconut oil contains MCT (medium-chain triglycerides), which are an easy fuel for the body to burn, without turning to fat. When you add coconut oil into your diet, you’ll feel more full and eat fewer calories over all.

3. Stress Relief

   Coconut oil is very soothing so it’s an excellent massage oil for the skin. Applying coconut oil to the head followed with a gentle massage helps in removing mental fatigue. Just the natural aroma of coconuts is extremely soothing thus helping to lower your stress level.

   Makes Your Hair Grow and Repairs Damage

   Coconut oil is one of the best natural remedies for your hair. It helps in the healthy growth of new hair and provides a shiny complexion. It is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair.

    

Article Credit: Organic Jar

For more Coconut Oil uses, read the rest of the article HERE.

Why haven’t you tried Coconut Oil yet?

Coconut Oil for Beauty

Coconut (Cocus nucifera) is the largest known seed, and the fruit of the coconut palm tree. It is a member of the Palmaceae (Palm) Family. Coconut oil, also known as coconut butter, is solid at room temperature and becomes a clear liquid oil at temperatures greater than 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Coconut oil smells great and imparts beauty and radiance when rubbed on the skin. It is excellent for inflamed and sensitive skin, as well as normal, dry, mature, and oily skin. It is very nourishing, cooling and moisturizing and has a long shelf life. Coconut oil is emollient and can help create a thin imperceptible layer that recreates the soothing benefits that our own skin produces and prevent moisture evaporation.

Coconut oil can help reduce scars and blocks about twenty percent of UV rays. Used in massage, skin care, and first aid creams, it helps repair tissue. Many body care products like moisturizers, sunscreens and lotions contain petroleum by- products, which can clog pores and cause breakouts.

Dry Skin Cleansing Oil

Your skin will thank you for this rich fragrant blend!

• 1/8 cup pure raw coconut oil
• 10 drops essential oil (such as rose, lavender, or rosemary)

Put the ingredients into an amber bottle and shake well. To use, apply some of the mixture on the face and remove with a natural cotton ball.

Simple Scented Moisturizer

This is delicious, though put it on your skin and don’t eat it!

• 2 tablespoons softened coconut oil
• 5 drops of essential oil of your choice (such as rose, lavender, or rosemary)

Mix ingredients together by allowing the coconut oil to get room temperature and mashing the essential oil in with a fork.

Coconut Lip Balm

Lip balms that contain coconut oil help heal and protect the lips.

• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 drops each of essential oils of spearmint, rose, and cardamom

Place the coconut oil in a tightly sealed jar in a pot of hot water to get the oil to melt. Remove from heat and add the essential oils, stirring well. Pour immediately into small lip balm sized containers.

Massage Oil

To make a massage oil, the easiest method is to select a clean, dry bottle. In the bottle, pour 4 ounces of coconut oil. To this add about 40 drops of pure essential oil (such as lavender or rosemary), which will give the oil a wonderful and therapeutic aroma. Shake well to blend the ingredients before using.

Herbal Oil Scalp Treatment

Coconut oil adds shine to hair and is used as a hot oil and scalp treatment to impart strength and glossiness to the hair. This is fragrant and nourishing.

• 2 tablespoons raw coconut oil 15 to 30 drops pure essential oil (rosemary)

Massage just a small amount into the scalp, focusing on the ends of the hair. Wrap your head in a towel or shower cap. Wait twenty to thirty minutes. Shampoo, and rinse thoroughly.

Rich Hand (or Feet) Cream

Do something lovely for your hands (and feet) that do so much for you!

• 1 cup raw coconut oil
• 30 drops essential oil (lavender, rosemary or rose)

Mix together with a fork. Store in a clean dry glass container.

So many great beauty products for men and woman from one plant! For more healthful info on natural beauty, check out my book, Beauty by Nature.

Brigitte Mars is an herbalist and nutritional consultant with over forty years experience. She is the author of Beauty by Nature, Rawsome!, The Sexual Herbal, Addiction Free Naturally, Healing Herbal Teas, The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, and co-author of The Country Almanac of Home Remedies, and The Hemp Nut Health and Cookbook. Brigitte has had a radio show on KGNU called Naturally for over twenty years. She is a professional member of The American Herbalist Guild. Ms. Mars teaches at Naropa University, Boulder College of Massage, Omega Institute, Kripalu, and Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts. Brigitte is a blogger for The Huffington Post and Care2.

http://www.brigittemars.com

In the August 2011 issue of Lucky Magazine, surfer and owner of Love A Yoga Space Sian Gordon reveals the secrets to her fabulous hair.  Guess what brand is her Cooconut Oil of choice?

Guess what Actress and Singer Zoë Kravitz uses to keep her skin glowing? Nutiva Coconut Oil!

Zoë is quoted: “Instead of body lotion, I like pure, organic coconut oil.  It smells fantastic and makes my skin glow.”

Check out the April issue of Lucky Magazine for the whole scoop!

We’re thrilled to see Virgin Coconut Oil finally starting to gain the widespread recognition and praise it deserves.

Check out this article from (surprised, Coconut Fans?) non other than Dr. Oz’s Blog.  
Dr. Oz has come out in the past against Coconut Oil, and we’re happy to see him singing a new Coconut Oil tune, buy posting this article on his blog.  It looks as though even anti-coconut folks are opening up.

Overall not a bad piece but the author does confuse Omega-6 being in Coconut Oil (very micro amounts of omega-6).

Folks, we all make mistakes and overall Dr. Oz has done a good job in promoting increased consumption of  fresh fruits and veggies.  Plus Dr Oz is a big fan of hemp so.. A tip o’ the hat for what he does well.

Way to go!

~ Enjoy!

By Audrey Kunin, M.D.

I love to cook. Yet much of my domestic culinary life has been shadowed by my obsession to remove unhealthy saturated fats from my family’s diet. After all, isn’t it a given that fat is bad for you? And haven’t I struggled with my weight, my heart health and my love of a good French fry?

As a dermatologist, I’ve taken comfort in the knowledge that many of those good-for-us unsaturated fats also have healthy skin benefits. The omega-3s from sources like fish, walnuts and olive and canola oils work to keep skin less eczema-prone, and reduces dryness and sensitivity. Hair looks lustrous and becomes less brittle while nails get stronger.

Yet I have avoided one of my favorite food sources due to my concern that it was high in “bad” fat. Warned about the high levels of saturated fat found in coconut oils, I sadly said goodbye to coconut milk-based sauces, macaroons, piña coladas and Mounds bars. My palate protested the unfairness of a plant saturated with saturated fat!

To my delight, I’ve since learned that sometimes a “bad” fat (at least in modest portions), can be a skin-healthy choice. Initially, I discovered that my general health concerns about using either coconut or coconut oil in my recipes was unfounded. Coconut oil is composed of an unusual medium chain fatty acid. These fats don’t wreak the havoc on the cardiovascular system that its saturated-fat cousins cause.

Virgin coconut oil has an amazing ability to fight free-radical damage, presumably because it is rich in ferulic and p-coumaric acid. Consumed, this means these powerful antioxidants can fight free-radical damage and is now yet another tool in my wrinkle-busting arsenal. Applied topically, it has been shown to be useful in wound healing.

Continue Reading this Coconut Oil article on Dr. Oz’s Blog Site.