Saturday, August 1, 2009

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour isn't just ground up unsweetened coconut; it is dried and defatted before grinding. (Though some people have tried grinding their own and have said it works okay.) It is high in fiber and protein, yet low in carbs. It doesn't contain gluten, so it is great for those who are gluten intolerant or need/want to avoid grains for other reasons.

I like to use coconut flour in my low carb recipes. Because it doesn't contain gluten, it behaves differently than flours made from grains. Some coconut flour recipes contain a lot of eggs for leavening, but I also use it without eggs successfully. It is very versatile.

I have found some coconut flour recipes online, but most of them have too many carbs for me, so I dream up my own. You can find my very low carb coconut flour recipes at my DARdreams website. I have recipes there for coconut flour waffles, crunches, cakes, pies, pizza crusts, etc, including the Rich Waffle pictured above.

Netrition carries Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour.

Amazon also sells a variety of coconut flours:



Amazon also sells "Cooking With Coconut Flour:"

Most of the recipes in this book contain too many carbs for me, but with substitutions, some of them can be decarbed effectively. Even without using the recipes, it's worth buying the book for the info it contains about coconut flour and its benefits.

As usual, you should check around for the best prices. I usually get my coconut flour from Netrition, but there are some larger packages available at Amazon that might be a better deal:



Coconut flour is a wonderful addition to your low carb lifestyle. Try it! 8+)