Coconut oil- nature's all purpose oil

In my first post, I talked about how I use coconut oil for anything and everything. Today I wanted to talk about exactly how and when I use coconut oil, and some benefits of this delicious and healthy all purpose oil.

If you Google "benefits of coconut oil" or even just "coconut oil," I can assure you that you will find a plethora of results about how awesome coconut oil is. I'm just going to tell you guys what I know about coconut oil and how I use it, along with some tips about coconut oil.

If you are thinking about purchasing some coconut oil, the first thing you need to know is what kind of coconut oil to buy. You MUST buy the organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil if you want to reap all the benefits. This is the most raw and natural version of the oil. It also has that amazing, sweet coconut flavor/smell. This is also the most all-purpose kind, where as the refined versions of coconut oil are pretty much only used for cooking. You also need to know that you will be spending upwards of $10+ on a good coconut oil. If it's cheap, it's probably not a good kind. The kind I buy and my favorite brand to use is Nutiva. 

This coconut oil is virgin, organic, and unrefined. Some extra benefits are that it is also fair-trade and cold pressed, and 1% of Nutiva's profits go to sustainable farming. It is silky, smooth, and it tastes and smells amazing. It runs about $10 everywhere I've seen it. But there are other great brands out there so again, do your research, and find a brand that is right for you.

Coconut oil melts at a relatively low temperature-- 76ºF. So if you need to use it in liquid form, just put some in the microwave for only a few seconds and stir it. Mostly, it's solid at room temperature, unless your room is very warm obviously.

Okay so now that I told you some of the basics about coconut oil, lets talk about some of my favorite uses!

Cosmetic uses:

First of all, coconut oil has completely replaced any moisturizer I used. I now use coconut oil to moisturize my whole body, even my face. The key is to use the right amount or else you run the risk of being too greasy. It makes my skin soft and smooth and has a light coconut sent that is just right. 

Also, whenever I feel like taking a bath, I put coconut oil in the bathtub. This moisturizes the skin and makes it soft, and again, it smells great. 

For your hair, there are a couple uses for coconut oil. I sometimes put it all over my hair at least 30 minutes before I shower, then just shampoo and condition my hair as usual. The oil moisturizes your hair and repairs split and dry ends.

You can aslo use it on dry hair to keep down frizz. Just put a small amount on your fingertips and run it through your hair, focusing on the ends. This will keep split ends and frizz at bay all day.

I also use it for my toothpaste as you've seen in my other blog post! It obviously has other ingredients but coconut oil is the main ingredient. There is a variety of cosmetic supplies you can make with coconut oil.

Cooking:

You can (and I like to) use coconut oil in place of butter. I use it on toast, sweet potatoes, pancakes, bagels, etc. Just keep in mind that it does have a light flavor so make sure it'll pair well with what you are putting it on, typically sweeter foods.

That brings me to baking. You can also use coconut oil in place of butter or oil in a baking recipe. This works very well with sweet bakery treats like cake, brownies, and fruit pastries. It's a delicious and healthy alternative to butter and oil. 

I also like to use coconut oil to saute vegetables. A couple pinches of salt helps cut the coconut flavor tremendously if you don't think you want coconut flavored vegetables or meat. Sometimes, stuff is really good with a coconut flavor, like if you're making stir fry. Shrimp is also very good with a slight coconut flavor.

More information:

From one of the blogs I follow, I found some good articles talking about some more benefits and information on coconut oil. This is a good place to start!

This article has more uses of coconut oil.

This artcile has information about the health benefits and the good fat in coconut oil.

A vegetarian dinner suggestion

This week, I've decided to share a vegetarian recipe with you that is simple and delicious. Two posts ago, I mentioned that I have a "go-to" dinner which is veggie stir fry. Today, I decided to just expand a little bit on that recipe and make it veggie fried rice. The "recipe" I'm going to share with you is just my version and very vague, because I want you to be able to experiment and find something that you enjoy!

Here is a general list of ingredients you will need:

• A variety of vegetables of your choice. You are definitely going to want an onion and fresh garlic for flavor; the rest are at your discretion. Along with those, I used broccoli, zucchini, carrots, green pepper, and celery. I had these all in my fridge at home, so just use what you have!
• Olive/coconut/grape seed/canola oil
• Rice of your choice (jasmine, brown, basmati)
• An egg or two
• Spices of your choice/marinade of your choice, or both (salt and pepper are a must)
• Soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce

Here is the (vague) recipe you should follow!

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat about a table spoon of oil on medium heat

2. Meanwhile, begin cooking rice in a different pot

3. Once pan is heated, toss all your vegetables and spices/marinade in the pan and cook!

 Stir frequently. I cooked mine for about 15-20 minutes because that is how long my rice took too cook. They were a little bit crunchy because I like them that way. If you like more tender vegetables, cook for about 25-30 minutes

4. Once your rice is done and you are satisfied with the tenderness of your vegetables, turn the stove to low, move the vegetables to the side of the pan and pour rice into pan
5. Then, push rice aside to make a small crater in the middle of the pant and crack your egg(s) in the crater. When the egg cooks about halfway, start mixing all of the ingredients together until well blended. Let cook for just a few more minutes to "fry" the rice.

And that's it! I added a small amount of soy sauce and it was a delicious and filling vegetarian dinner. I hope my readers want to try this recipe and let me know how they tweaked it and how they liked it! Happy eating :)