Have you seen these young coconuts, or baby coconuts in stores, but wondered what to do with them? They are full of fresh coconut water, which is supposed to be great for you! I am no nutritionist, but there is a lot of information online on the health benefits of coconut water and coconuts in general. (I don't want to make any unfounded claims, but you can Google "Health Benefits of Coconut Water" to find dozens listed!)
I just know that they are delicious, and supposed to be good for you. If you have not seen these fabulous little coconuts in your store, they are often sold in Health Food stores or Asia markets. In my area, (Tacoma, WA) I have had good luck at H-Mark, Pal-Do World Market, and the East Asia Market. You can also find them often at stores like Marlene's Market or Whole Foods, but they tend to be less expensive at Asian markets. I usually pay around $0.99 to $1.49 per coconut.
Once you bring one of these babies home though, what do you do with it? That question has stopped many people from trying them! Once you get the hang of getting them open, they are actually pretty easy.
The pointy end is the top, and this is where you will open it. Lay it on it's side, and use a knife to shave off the husk left around the top.
Next, being very careful, use the heel of a large knife and tap around the top of the coconut until you find the spot where it open easily. (Here is a good You Tube Video, if you are a visual learner- and no, that's not me, it's just a video I found online)
Once you find the right spot, the top should just pop open with a twist of your knife.
You can see, a good coconut is full to the brim with coconut water. When choosing a coconut, choose one that feels heavy for it's size, and does not slosh. If you can hear sloshing, it is not full, and may be old and dried up. Also, if you see any purple discoloration, it means that the coconut is old.
Pour the coconut water into a blender. You should get anywhere from 8-12 ounces of water from one young coconut.
Then using a spoon, scrape out the coconut meat, and add it to the blender as well. The young coconut meat is soft, wet, and gelatinous, not firm and dry like that of a mature coconut. You might not actually get much meat, but that is okay. (Don't worry about a little brown skin from inside the coconut sticking to the meat- it's not a problem.)
You can blend coconut water and meat up with pretty much any smoothie you like, but here is my favorite recipe.
Coconut Protein Smoothie
1 baby coconut
pinch of salt
2 pitted dates
4 ice cubes
Optional Add-Ins
1 scoop protein powder (I like vanilla, but unflavored, or chocolate is also good.)
1 TBS chia seeds
Handful of spinach or kale
Add all the ingredients to a blender in the order listed. In a Blendtec, select Smoothie or Ice Crush, or process in any other blender.
mmm... you can add lots of other ingredients, but I love the mellow flavor of the pure baby coconut. And- as a side note- if you do use protein powder, be picky about what kid you get, I have tried many, and the wrong one can ruin any smoothie. I love the Whole Foods Shake from Vitacost... it is affordable, delicious and packed with vitamins and whole foods goodness! Click below to check it out!
