Dehydrated coconut cubes

Coconut 

Delicious and nutritious, dehydrated coconut is a snack that comes directly from the coconut, preserving all its nourishing properties.

Coconut is a fruit of Cos nucifera (Family: Arecaceae), the famous coconut palm. This powerful plant is typical of the countries of the tropical belt with a warm-temperate climate. It is still cultivated in Thailand, Mexico and Brazil. The fruits of this plant are oval and voluminous drupes, weighing 0.5 -1.5 kilos each. 

Its outer part is green in color that turns brown as it ripens. It is a woody and very hard part. Under the shell, edible white meat. 

The inner part consists of a white pulp with a pleasant, sweet and delicate taste, containing coconut milk. Coconut milk is very beneficial for skin care especially for dry and dry skin. On the skin it is frequently applied in the form of crede or ointments, giving many emollient and soothing properties. 

Considering the benefits of these fruits, it can be said that it is rich in saturated fats that are completely harmless. They contain triglycerides, absorbed differently by the body and transformed into ketone bodies. This can have therapeutic effects on brain disorders.

Italia Spezie offers dehydrated coconut in small cubes or delicious slices, ready to be munched. This fruit is an important source of selenium, copper, manganese and potassium for our body.

Compared to fresh fruit, dehydrated fruit loses water and concentrates fiber, sugars and minerals, thus becoming a nutritious, satiating and not excessively caloric snack.

Among the different benefits:

- Coconut is rich in dietary fiber , offering almost 61%. Coconut fiber slows down the release of glucose and transports it to the cell where it is converted into energy. 

- Controls diabetes by positively influencing hormones for blood sugar control. This slows down the rise in blood sugar and helps reduce glycemic cravings. Coconut promotes rapid digestion and other symptoms associated with digestive and intestinal disorders.

- Taking coconut oil can help the body raise resistance to viruses and disease-causing bacteria. Coconut in its raw form can help treat some of the most serious and resilient diseases such as throat infections, bronchitis, urinary tract infections...

- Coconut as a snack helps to increase energy by burning fat. The triglycerides found in coconut oil increase energy expenditures by 24%, leading to weight loss in the long run. It is also known to reduce hunger pangs. and people who constantly use coconut products have a greater ability to give up eating for several hours without the effects of hypoglycemia. 

Its oil is obtained from the almond of the fruit and is used in different ways. 

Coconut oil, when used on the skin, prevents dryness and cracking and keeps it hydrated and elastic. It also supports the skin and works to repair the damage it has acquired over time. It relieves a common skin condition called neurosis, which is characterized by dry, rough, flaky skin. 

Coconut oil is excellent for keeping your skin young and beautiful. Its antioxidant property slows down the aging process by protecting the body from harmful free radicals. Massage a few drops of coconut oil every day to keep it healthy and smooth. 

In the kitchen

Dehydrated coconut finds its greatest field of application in sweets.

The recipes that can be prepared with this ingredient are varied, starting from the preparation of coconut biscuits, then passing through the most famous coconut cakes, puddings, yogurt, chocolate balls and of course ice cream, now inevitable in ice cream parlors throughout Italy.

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TIP:

• - Combine it with dark chocolate for the most classic of combinations;\n
• - Try it with chicken for an oriental note;\n
• - Add it to your fruit cake;\n
• - Create your own mignon sweets and insert the surprise filling;\n
• - Propose it as an after dinner in combination with rum.\n

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It is also perfect to be used in ethnic recipes, such as Indian ones, which often use coconut in combination with meat and fish.

Soft coconut cake 

INGREDIENTS:

• - 80 gr of flour\n
• - 180 gr of granulated sugar\n
• - 1 sachet of baking powder\n
• - 90 gr of butter\n
• - 1 egg\n
• - 1.2 dl milk\n
• - 1/2 lemon\n
• - 100 gr of grated dehydrated coconut or pieces \n
• - Icing sugar\n

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PROCEDURE:

1) Add in a bowl 180 g of sifted flour with 1 sachet of yeast and 180 g of granulated sugar. Then add 1 beaten egg together with 1.2 dl milk and 80 g of melted butter left to cool. Finally, put in the bowl also the zest of 1/2 grated lemon and 100 gr of grated dried coconut.

2) Knead the dough well until all the ingredients are mixed and then pour it into a buttered cake pan. Bake in a hot oven at 180° C for 45 minutes. After taking it out of the oven, let the cake cool and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve decorating with grated coconut and, to taste, with dehydrated fruit. 

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Coconut chicken bites 

We like chicken in all sauces: we have made recipes, from the classic breaded to the lemon. Today we offer you a really tasty recipe: coconut chicken bites. An original and appetizing stucco with a characteristic sweet and sour taste, ideal for buffet dinners or as an aperitif. 

To give the coconut chicken morsels the characteristic sweet and sour taste is the marinade based on coconut milk and lemon scented with mint leaves. After marinating, the morsels are passed in batter and then in coconut flour, thus creating a crispy breading. 

Serve these tasty coconut chicken bites with your favorite sauces: mayonnaise, ketchup or try combinations of new flavors and try other flavored sauces such as tartar sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

- Chicken breast 400g

- Coconut milk 100ml

- Lemon juice 1/2

- Mint 5 leaves

- Fine salt and black pepper to taste

For the batter:

- Carbonated water 150ml

- Coconut flour to taste

- Flour 00 100g 

For frying:

- Peanut oil to taste 

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PROCEDURE:

To prepare the coconut chicken bites, remove the fatty parts from the chicken breasts, cut the breasts in half so as to obtain thinner slices to be cut into strips lengthwise, divide the strips in half and place them in a  bowl, then pour the coconut milk over them, the chopped mint leaves, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Mix everything well, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it marinate for 60 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the batter: in a bowl put the flour and add the water, mix well until you form a batter with a smooth and homogeneous consistency.

Meanwhile, prepare a tray with coconut flour. When the marinade is complete, let the chicken morsels drain from the marinade by placing them in a colander.  With the help of a fork skewer a chicken nugget,  then dip it in the batter of flour and water and then in coconut flour.

Then immediately fry the coconut chicken morsels in boiling oil for 5 minutes, turning it over so as to brown the morsels well (the oil must be hot, at a temperature of about 180 °). Once cooked, put them to drain on absorbent paper to dry the excess oil. 

Serve the coconut chicken bites still hot.