We all know coconut oil is the best thing since Netflix’s ‘Skip Intro’. The natural oil has revolutionised the beauty industry in the last few years but, the many health benefits of coconut oil mean it should be added to more than just your hair conditioner. The humble oil also offers the opportunity for many creative cooking ideas, including using it on chicken wings, ice cream, and more.
Here are some of our favourite ways to use the multi-purpose oil in ‘Treating Yourself’ foods:
1. Make Hot Wings Healthier
Coat chicken wings with a mix of ½ cup of Nuts About Cooking coconut oil, cup hot sauce, 2 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tbsp white vinegar for a sweet and spicy zing that brings health benefits to your wings.
2. Get Crunchier Granola
Do you love making homemade granola? Why not try incorporating coconut oil in your recipe next time? In your recipe, replace your usual vegetable oil with Nuts About Cooking coconut oil when baking granola. Not only does it taste better, but it helps encourage the formation of those crunchy clusters everyone loves.
3. Blend A Creamier Smoothie
This one is actually quite genius and took me by surprise, I must admit. I love making smoothing at home and when I realised I could add coconut oil to my smoothies it was a bit of a game-changer. Give your smoothies a serious health boost by adding Nuts About Cooking coconut oil to your morning smoothie for a creamy thickener and tropical getaway taste. The oil adds texture to the smoothie similar to what almond butter or yoghurt would provide. Your kitchen blender will be hard at work every day once you try, and fall in love with, this hack!
4. Give Ice Cream A Magic Shell
If you’re craving a bit of crunch on your ice cream, then try sprinkling some melted Nuts About Cooking coconut oil over cold ice cream and the result will be a nice crunch of texture. The coconut oil will harden in contrast to the cold ice cream, creating a shell of sorts, and it’s not packed with sugar or other additives like the products at the store. Yes, the chocolatey kind you loved as a kid!
5. Un-Fry Your Doughnut
Great news for health nuts, you don’t have to give up fried foods – all you need is a healthier way of making them. Due to its high-heat tolerance, coconut oil is ideal for frying foods from eggs to doughnuts. Most of the fats we consume are long-chain fatty acids that must be broken down before they can be absorbed, coconut oil contains short and medium-chain fatty acids, which is easier for the body to digest.
So, the next time you’re frying an egg or craving a side of chips with your steak, do the right thing and use coconut oil instead of your usual oil of choice. This will put a healthier spin on your cravings for sure.
