That coconut oil in the veggies was Tresomega Nutrition Coconut Oil, an organic extra-virgin coconut oil made from 100% cold-pressed young coconuts. It's non-hydrogenated and free of trans-fats. Since it's cold-pressed and extra-virgin, the oil retains a very coconutty flavor that's light, fresh, and subtly tropical.
Tresomega Nutrition sent me that jar to sample and review, and as I confessed in that quesadilla post, I really love this stuff. I buy all brands of coconut oil, and while I've never met one I didn't like, I definitely favor some over others. I'm partial to the oils that retain their coconut flavor. They add fantastic flavor to raw desserts and smoothies. But they also lend just a touch of coconut — but not too much! — to sauteed veggies.
Tresomega wants to give away a jar to a lucky Vegan Crunk reader! All you have to do is leave me a comment letting me know your favorite use for coconut oil. I'll randomly select a winner on Sunday night (9 p.m. CST). Please leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win (unless you have a blog with an email address in your profile). Also, we're gonna make this open to U.S. readers only because of shipping costs.
Just for funsies, here's something I cooked up with the Tresomega oil tonight. I made tacos (Taco Tuesday!), and on the side, I made my recipe for Jalapeno Hominy from Cookin' Crunk. But I subbed coconut oil for the Earth Balance I typically use.
Here's the recipe. If you've never had hominy, well, you're missing out! It's a Southern staple that's made when field corn is soaked with lye. The result is a chewy kernel with a lot of flavor. That flavor is complemented with spicy jalapenos (I used red and green ones in this batch) and lots of black pepper.
Spicy Jalapeño Hominy
Yields 4 servings
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 jalapeño, minced
1 14-ounce can white hominy, drained
1 14-ounce can golden hominy, drained
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sea salt, to taste
Melt the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced jalapeño and cook and stir for about 2 to 3 minutes or until soft.
Stir in the hominy, black pepper, and salt. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook and stir for about 10 to 12 minutes or until hominy is heated through.
i make a vegan 'magic shell' topping with melted chocolate + coconut oil. besides ice cream, it's good for adding chocolate bits to frozen-banana based smoothies, although i guess that sort of negates the healthy smoothie thing...
ReplyDeleteI rub it on my elbows. Which get very dry from rubbing against the wood grain on my desk.
ReplyDelete[ Smiles ] Coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils on the planet.
ReplyDeleteCooking: to make raw vegan fudge (+cocoa powder, vanilla, maple syrup & cashews)
ReplyDeleteLately I have been using it to treat sunburn and it's been incredible, much better than those menthol-aloe burn gels from the drugstore. You can immediately feel your skin calming down.
I love it in pastries for flakiness. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
ReplyDeletehot damn what don't i use it for? i love it for cooking (baking especially) but also use it for making my own beach spray for my hair and my own deodorant. love the stuff!
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ReplyDeleteI like to use coconut oil when making banana soft serve "ice cream". I mix peanutbutter and coconut oil, so that the mixture is runny, and then add the liquid into the banana mixture and pulse the food processor. It makes frozen streaks of peanut butter. Yum!
ReplyDeleteLemon cookies from Isa does It! I also love sautéed veggies in coconut oil!
ReplyDeletesophie _ 680 AT hotmail DOT com
Mix it with agave and cocoa powder, then pour it over ice cream for a magic shell!
ReplyDeleteI use coconut oil in my vanilla nut teecchino, pecan 'cream' and a cinnamon stick to swirl it up. The ONLY way to start the day with energy and keep it going all day.
ReplyDeleteIf I win I want to try making magic shell chocolate!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite use would be as a makeup remover! Thanks for the opportunity :)
ReplyDelete-Sarah
I don't have a ton of experience with it yet (still clinging stubbornly to my big tub of Spectrum and my Earth Balance), but recently I subbed it for the shortening in a couple of pie crusts and the results were lovely.
ReplyDeleteMy new favorite use for coconut oil is mixing it with nut pulp (leftover from making homemade nut milk) and making crackers with the dough.
ReplyDeleteForgot to leave my email address: stagwoman@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI think the perfect use for coconut oil is pan frying kale. YUM
ReplyDeleteI love to cook with it, but I've also used it for oil pulling in the past. Thanks for the hosting the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteAnd my email address is lmo5a@virginia.edu
ReplyDeleteEverything from beauty to cooking! I especially love making salad dressing with it! I do a curry style dressing with fresh ginger and garlic, coconut oil, curry spices, and a little bit of rice vinegar!
ReplyDeleteBesides cooking with it, I add a spoonful to my oatmeal each morning while it's cooking, and a spoonful to my dogs' breakfasts (keeps their skin & coats nice!).
ReplyDeletekeefenicoletta@comcast.net
While I love using coconut oil to sauté veggies and mix into baking dishes, my favorite use for it is oil pulling. I swish it around in my mouth every morning for 20 minutes. I can tell a big difference in my oral health. My teeth have never been whiter and the sensitive areas no longer hurt!
ReplyDeleteI really love using coconut oil in baking. The best thing I made was an apple pie.
ReplyDeleteI also have used in in my hair with pretty nice results.
songurl@aol.com
I've been using it to sautee everything lately. I'm a bit late to the coconut oil trend, but now I'm firmly on board!
ReplyDeleteI actually love washing my face with coconut oil! lynsi.burton@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI add coconut oil to baked goods. It adds just a subtle coconut flavor which goes so well with everything else.
ReplyDeleteI use it in granola!
ReplyDeletei love to throw a bit into my morning smoothie for extra flavor, nutrients, and energy!
ReplyDeleteI use coconut oil in my granola
ReplyDeleteI use it instead of margarine on my waffles. =)
ReplyDeleteI love using coconut oil for baking, and I also use it to make body butter (with cocoa butter). Thanks for doing the giveaway! :)
ReplyDeleteI've only recently discovered coconut oil, but LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteThe two things I do most with it so far are, I've made a toothpaste out of it, and put it in my hair to make it soft and shiny!
I use it as a body lotion and put it in my smoothies!
ReplyDeletecrissy.schwartz@gmail.com
I use it in my baking but mostly for oil pulling
ReplyDeleteI tend to use it for greens, but there are some great ideas listed: fudge, ice cream...
ReplyDeleteI'm loving reading what other folks use coconut oil for. I bake with it. I recently made vegan toasted coconut cupcakes with mocha butter cream frosting..yum!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this contest. Happy 4th..
Oh, almost forgot, your recipes looks great. We used to eat hominy, back in the day, just plain, so I can just imagine how wonderful this will taste.
Deb
I love using coconut oil for baking! I also use it to remove eye makeup!
ReplyDeleteI used it when cooking in place of other vegetable oils.
ReplyDeleteI like coconut oil for sauteing vegetables. And my email address is auroraannabella@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThe biggest coconut oil fan in my house is my cat, Spike. He loves the stuff as a treat! For cooking, I like to use it to sauté vegetables when I want to add a bit more depth of flavor in stir fries.
ReplyDeleteI like coconut oil for making homemade popcorn and I would love to try it in homemade sunscreen.
ReplyDeletereading1051 at yahoo dot com
I use it for baking cookies. lmferg03@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI use it in all kinds of baking, but I also love to put it on my dry hands/feet, it is an amazing moisturizer .
ReplyDeleteI use it for everything, but most recently, I've started using coconut oil to make popcorn. I use 3T coconut oil and 1/3 c kernels, and it tastes amazing with just a little sprinkle of salt. My daughter likes to add nutritional yeast and hot sauce after popping.
ReplyDeleteI cook everything with coconut oil, but it really stands out in popcorn.
ReplyDelete