Coconut Convert

I hosted a "nutrition night" last night that included a fair bit of wine, but also heaps of accessible yet detailed information from Lauren at Ginger Roots. I was happy to hear that I was on the right track with my recent coconut conversion! Up until a few months ago, I thought coconut oil was a no-no because it's a saturated fat. Apparently, it's actually a pretty good bet for cooking because it's naturally saturated, (not "hydrogenated" artificially, leading to trans fats) so it remains stable when heated, and it's easily digested. I appreciated Lauren's hint that I can even use it as a moisturizer in a pinch.

My new addition to the weekly rotation uses coconut oil and coconut milk. A close cousin of this recipe arrived in our weekly organics box from Mama Earth Organics and after a few experiments, I ended up settling on something like what you'll find below. It's a got a hint of curry, and a tropical feeling much needed in this slushy month of March. Even though the curry powder has tumeric, I like to add a fair bit extra. The book Anti-Cancer makes an excellent case for tumeric as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Keep in mind that it is necessary to combine it with black pepper to get the full benefits.

Coconut Curried Rice and Veg
1 & 2/3 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained (brown rice is obviously healthier and not revolting in this recipe, but I'd be lying to not admit that it tastes the best with white jasmine)
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
½ cup shredded coconut
1 ¼ cups water
1 can chick peas (or use chicken if you're in the mood)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp coconut oil
several bunches of bok choy, chopped (any non-lettuce leafy green will work here)
1 can coconut milk
½ tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp curry powder
1 diced onion
1 tbsp tumeric
1 tsp ground black pepper

Mix rice, sweet potato, water, coconut milk, shredded coconut and salt. Boil, simmer until rice is fully cooked.

Meanwhile, mix chick peas (or cubed chicken pieces) with garlic, onion, soy sauce and curry powder, tumeric and pepper. Stir fry until cooked. Add in the bok choy for a few minutes. Toss with the rice (if you have picky eaters around, you can serve the coconut/sweet potato rice to the picky eaters first and then combine the curry mixture with the rice for everyone else).