1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 shallots, chopped
2 small fresh red chili peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped lemon grass
2 1/8 cups chicken stock
4 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 bunch fresh basil leaves

In a medium saucepan, heat oil and butter over low heat. Sauté the garlic, shallots, chilies, and lemongrass in oil until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic). Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk, and pumpkin and bring ALMOST to a boil. Simmer on a low heat until pumpkin softens.

In a blender, blend the soup to the consistency you prefer (smooth or chunky). Pour back into the soup pan, heat and serve with basil leaves. Some add extra cayenne at this point. Traditional pumpkin soup is usually quite hot and spicy.

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons Coconut Oil
6 tablespoons flour/arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt® Brand
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon marjoram fresh (1 tablespoon dried)
2 cans coconut milk (the ones I found were 13.5 ounces)
1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

In a large saucepan, combine asparagus, chopped onion, and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat immediately, and simmer uncovered until asparagus is tender, about fifteen minutes. Take half this mixture and puree it in a blender. Set aside.

In the same saucepan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Stir in the flour/arrowroot powder and whisk. Cook, stirring constantly till the mixture turns golden brown. Do not burn. Add the spices. Turn down the heat to low. Stir in the pureed vegetables and the cooked vegetables. Add the lemon juice, and coconut milk, stir frequently, do not boil. When it reaches serving temperature, serve immediately.

(In San Francisco, some of the finer restaurants add a bit of brandy and a few drops of Tabasco® sauce to creamed soups. Go ahead, you deserve it!)

8oz organic grated carrots
8oz organic soft brown sugar (can be replaced with just under 8oz of Sucanat™ and a tablespoon of Maple Syrup)
6oz Coconut Oil
4oz organic whole wheat baking flour
2oz organic chopped walnuts
2 organic free range eggs
Grated peel of 1 organic orange
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat all the above ingredients together and place in a baking tin greased with virgin coconut oil. Cook in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 – 60 minutes. (Check with a fork - the cake is ready when it doesn't stick)

For the best coconut oil around, shop where we shop:

1 large baking potato per person
1-3 cloves garlic per person
1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil per person

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt the coconut oil on the stove. Slice thickly the potatoes (with the skins on) and place them on a baking pan greased with coconut oil. Crush the garlic and spread over the potato slices. Pour the melted coconut oil over potatoes and sprinkle Celtic Sea Salt® Brand over them. Bake for about 20 minutes and turn. Cook for about 20 minutes more or until crunchy.

4 Egg Yolks
1 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt® Brand, or Himalayan Crystal Salt
2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
2 tablespoons Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Cups Grape Seed Oil or Safflower Oil (our choice is the Grape Seed Oil)
The following are three different options (each is delicious) depending on what you think your body needs.

a.  1 Cup Coconut Oil or
b.  3/4 Cup Coconut Oil and 1/4 Cup Flax Oil or
c.  1/2 Cup Coconut Oil and 1/2 Cup Flax Oil (this is my favorite, see below)

3 tablespoons Arrow Root Powder (or Corn Starch or cake flour)
1 Cup Water
4 tablespoons Honey
1/4 Cup + 2 tablespoons Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon Celtic Sea Salt® Brand
1/3 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (keeps the dressing from separating)

Mix up the first teaspoon of salt with 2 tablespoons of vinegar and the dry mustard and put aside.

Using a mixer (on a high setting), blend egg yolks separately for about a minute to get them started. Very slowly add your oil (I prefer the grape seed oil). You have to start adding the oil just a few drops at a time for at least one cup. The idea is to get lots of air into the mixture, and if you pour too fast, it won't whip properly, and you'll have a very thin concoction.

If you think you might have trouble whipping these oils into a thick paste, click here to learn how NOT to make a mistake: The Secret to Making Mayo.

After one cup of oil, you can add the salt, dry mustard, and vinegar mixture.

Then add the next cup of Grape Seed Oil (or Safflower). You can add this a bit faster, but again, it's best to take your time.

Now, if you are going to add Flax Oil, you must do it after the last cup of Grape Seed Oil/Safflower Oil. This is very important that you add all these oils at the same time.

In a medium saucepan stir up the remaining ingredients: water, honey, 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons vinegar, the amount of coconut oil you've chosen and finally whisk in the Arrow Root powder while heating (the coconut oil must be liquid). Cook to a smooth paste stirring often. Blend this hot mixture slowly into the original mixture while you continue to blend with the mixer on a high setting. Finally, add the last ingredient, the lemon juice. The lemon juice, not only adds to flavor, but keeps the dressing from separating and helps preserve it. Normally, homemade mayo will last only five days in your fridge. The lemon will help it keep for up to a month, though I've never seen it stick around that long.

People...this is a GUILT FREE salad dressing. If you make the version with half a cup of flax oil, you are eating a truly healthy salad dressing. Were Johanna Budwig alive today, she'd be making this salad dressing.

One slight variation of this recipe is to substitute Palm Oil for Coconut Oil. It's high in antioxidants (vitamin E and carotenoids), or use mix Coconut oil with Palm oil. We get our Coconut oil and Palm Oil from Wilderness Family Naturals). Either way, this too is a very healthy salad dressing. The more Palm Oil you use the yellower the outcome.

(Note: this recipe has been recently changed because, as a bachelor, I suddenly realized that my tablespoons of honey were probably two tablespoons of people who actually measure stuff. Oh well. So, we've increased it to four tablespoons though five is good too. We've also increased out lemon juice to a a third cup. We've already received letters telling us that the honey and lemon increase really adds to the recipe.)

Makes 12 Texas Sized Muffins
(the big muffin pans are called Texas Muffin Pans here)

Combine all the dry ingredients: Omegasentials, flour, salt, baking powder, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. Mix together (in a blender) coconut milk, eggs, maple syrup, honey, bananas, and melted butter; and fold in the first dry ingredient mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips. We use Free Trade extra large milk chocolate chips, but you can use your favorites. Free Trade means that the workers earn a living wage and that no children have been sold into forced labor camps.

Note: Finely ground Celtic Sea Salt® Brand can be substituted for Himalayan Crystal Salt.

Why eight eggs? Coconut flour has no gluten. The eggs take the place of gluten, and provide the protein to hold the muffins together. They also help the muffins rise, and organic eggs from free range chickens contain natural omega-3 essential fatty acids. Thus one muffin should contain a healthy, daily amount of omega-3s.

Grease muffin pans with a combination of lecithin and coconut oil. Nothing sticks to this combination.

Bake at 340 degrees until the mixture begins to rise—about five minutes), then drop the temperature to 325 and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes more. If you press the tops and they bounce back, they're done.

1.  A variation is to use Pineapple instead of Bananas and Raisins instead of Chocolate Chips. You might think that the pineapple blend will be much thinner than the bananas mashed up, but the coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid.

2.  You can use less sugar (honey, maple syrup), but with the number of eggs in this recipe, it is not naturally sweet. If you want you can substitute stevia, but be careful; stevia is portent stuff.

Pumpkin Raisin Omega-Muffins
Made With Coconut Flour
 

Makes 12 Texas Sized Muffins
(the big muffin pans are called Texas Muffin Pans here)

Combine all the dry ingredients: Omegasentials, flour, salt, baking powder, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. Mix together (in a blender) coconut milk, eggs, maple syrup, honey, pumpkin (or squash), and melted butter; and fold in the first dry ingredient mixture. Mix in the raisins. 

Note: Finely ground Celtic Sea Salt® Brand can be substituted for Himalayan Crystal Salt.

Why 10 eggs? Coconut flour has no gluten. The eggs take the place of gluten, and provide the protein to hold the muffins together. They also help the muffins rise, and organic eggs from free range chickens contain natural omega-3 essential fatty acids. Thus one muffin should contain a healthy, daily amount of omega-3s.

Grease muffin pans with a combination of lecithin and coconut oil. Nothing sticks to this combination.

Pour into oiled muffin tins, three quarters of the way to the top.

Bake at 340 degrees until the mixture begins to rise—about five minutes), then drop the temperature to 325 and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes more. If you press the tops and they bounce back, they're done.

For the best coconut oil around, shop where we shop:

Omegasentials Since we first discovered this wonderful product, we've always have a supply on hand. As a reader of the International Wellness Directory, you can now order Omegasentials at a discount: Go Here!