Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil Review and GIVEAWAY! 6/16

One thing I love to do more than anything else to help me unwind is cook. And I don't mean TV dinners or Hamburger Helper, either. I love making food from scratch. (With the exception of mashed potatoes, since my entire family loves the consistency of the instant potatoes.) In my cooking, I use several different oils for cooking, like olive oil, and even grapeseed oil. I try and stay away from plain old vegetable oil since it's full of "bad" fats. I love olive oil, but it has a rather low smoking temperature which can cause the taste to be a bit off, so this tends to limit my uses for it for certain recipes.

I recently had the opportunity to try a product I had never even heard of: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. I am always on the lookout for alternatives to vegetable oils, so I was very excited about incorporating this oil into my meals! I have to admit, when I first received the oil, I was delighted with the size of the jar. It's HUGE! 32oz, to be exact! That's a LOT of coconut oil! When I opened the jar, I noticed that this coconut oil appeared to be solid. However, when I used it, I found that when heated it liquifies beautifully and "acts" like a normal cooking oil. But I was puzzled about how to use this oil....Would it make everything taste like coconut? Is this only good for desserts? Well, the answer to those questions is a resounding NO.  While this oil does taste like fresh coconut if sampled straight out of the jar, when incorporated into savory recipes, the coconut flavor does not overwhelm the flavor of the dish at all. I have used this to make cupcakes, fried chicken, chimichangas, and even fruit smoothies! This oil is truly versatile and can be used for just about anything! As a matter of fact, Tropical Traditions has a recipe database to give you several ideas on how to use this and other coconut-based products that they offer! This takes the guesswork out of how to use these wonderful products!

So what is coconut oil, and how did Tropical Traditions come to begin producing it? It's a rather interesting story that all began in the Philippines. Watch this brief video to learn more!

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I absolutely love that this coconut oil is USDA Certified Organic and is made by hand by families of coconut farmers, in the traditional way. That's right! The Gold Label Coconut Oil is NOT made with any machinery! You can tell by the taste of this oil that it is of the absolute highest quality, and because it contains several antioxidants, I can feel good about cooking for my family using this product. Here is a wonderful recipe for fried chicken that uses Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil! While this recipe was submitted to the Tropical Traditions website by Jos in Los Angeles, I had the pleasure of making it myself, and it was delicious! I used drumsticks because they were on sale, and the flavor was absolutely fantastic! This chicken was nice, crisp, and savory, with just a hint of coconut flavor.

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

• 1 head garlic, or to taste
• Onion, to taste
• Shallots, to taste
• 6 candlenuts (or raw macadamia nuts)
• 1 inch fresh turmeric root or 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 teaspoons coriander powder
• coconut oil, as needed
• Handful lime leaves
• 2 stalks lemon grass, bruised
• 1/4 cup coconut milk*
• 6 chicken drumsticks
• 1-2 cups shredded coconut flakes

1. Blend garlic, onions, shallots, candlenuts, turmeric root, and coriander powder to make a paste.

2. Heat a pot over medium heat with coconut oil

3. Sauté the herb paste with lime leaves and lemon grass until fragrant.

4. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken drumsticks – let it simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt accordingly.

5. Cook until the sauce reduces to paste.

6. Remove and let cool.

7. Preheat oven to 400°F in broil setting

8. Roll the cooked drumsticks on the shredded coconut flakes until evenly coated.

9. Place on a lined baking sheet and broil for about 20 minutes – turn over once

10. Set aside and let it cool on wire racks

Recipe submitted by Jos, Los Angeles, CA

* For the freshest coconut milk make homemade coconut milk. (See video at this link.)



Doesn't that sound yummy? I have really enjoyed experimenting with my Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil. This is quickly becoming my go-to cooking oil because of its wonderful flavor as well as its ability to withstand high heat. I am planning to make a cake with this oil soon, too! I love Tropical Traditions and the assortment of wonderful products they have to offer. I definitely recommend that you try this product with your family! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

BUY IT:

You can purchase this and other fine products on the Tropical Traditions website.

WIN IT:

One of my very lucky followers will win a HUGE 32oz jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil to try for themselves! One taste and you'll be hooked!

Please complete the mandatory entries FIRST. Also, be sure to leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you're my lucky winner! Please leave a comment for EACH entry you complete. For example, if an entry is worth 2, please leave 2 comments.

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This giveaway will end at 11:59PM EST on June 16, 2011. I will contact the winner via e-mail as well as announce them on this blog. The winner will have 48 hours to reply before I am forced to choose a new winner. Good luck!

***Disclosure: I received a complimentary product to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***