I’ve got a lovely bunch of Coconuts

The golden age of the coconut is upon us.

I had been suspecting this for some time, however now that I have seen that ‘Starbucks’ are offering a variety of coconut flavours with their infamous frappes, I know for sure that coconuts have gone mainstream!

Coconut based products are everywhere, and we seem to be making good use of the whole fruit… or is it a nut… for now let’s call it a ‘Drupe’

We are now commonly using the coconut’s milk, the flesh, the oil, even the juice or water. Perhaps next Summer us ladies will all be donning a coconut shell bikini? Now if this trend was to take off, I know who would start it…

The Victoria’s secret wearing, coconut loving, yummy mummy herself, Miranda Kerr. The rediculously hot supermodel caused quite a stir last year when she was misquoted as saying that her good looks were the result of consuming 4 tablespoons of coconut oil per day.

Shock horror, stop the press… a supermodel who actually eats and coconut oil no less…. why, isn’t coconut oil super high in saturated fats and feared by every ‘fat phobe’ who hasn’t left the 80′s? Could it be that oils are actually good for us? Well who better to listen to, then a chick in a bikini *

So just like the good little plebs we all are, without any further questioning we rushed to the shops to buy the latest and greatest by the truck load. Now at the time of Miranda’s coconut loving admissions, I just so happend to be working in a health food store, and the following is an example of every second conversation I had at said job for the next month…

Me: “Hi, how can I help you today?”

Customer: “I’m lookin’ for that stuff, you know, that stuff that supermodel eats, you know the one I mean?”

Me: “No, sorry”

Customer: “Urg, you know, that stuff she eats, to make her beautiful and skinny and stuff… Don’t you watch Today Tonight?”

me: “Sorry I have no idea what your talking about”

Customer: [Basically says the exact same thing perhaps with a slight variation]

me: “Oh, now I know what you mean… you’re talking about Miranda Kerr and Coconut oil…”

N.B. I did actually know what they were looking for from the get-go, but I was a weekend casual and getting paid by the hour….

Anyway, I digress…

With this sudden surge of coconut products one could become quite sceptical of the actual value of this tropical all-rounder. However, as a dairy-free household, we can’t get enough of it!

So on this balmy Queensland summer’s night, I decided to follow our Quinoa salad with my own take on a traditional Greek dish and crowd pleaser, Rizogalo or good old rice pudding.

I used 2 cupped handfuls of Aborio rice thoroughly rinsed. I then added one can or 400mls of coconut cream with 2 tablespoons of Agave syrup, 2 tablespoons of powdered cinnamon and a sprinkling of desicated coconut to really get in the tropicana vibe.

Stir over medium heat and continue to add extra coconut cream as it is absorbed by the rice. Just like a risotto, this dish requires a bit of attention to make sure it doesn’t dry out and burn… however with minimal ingredients, it is simple and quick to prepare.

Sweetness can be adjusted to taste. I also like to add some lemon rind to give it a bit of a zesty kick. Leave to cool and serve warm like a pudding, or my favourite is to refrigerate and eat like a scoop of coconut ice cream topped with a sprig of fresh mint. Crazy in the coconut!

* Meant with all due respect to Miranda who is actually educated about nutrition.

Megan Georgoulas

Super Role Models

What is wrong with our current society when woman are judged for having natural births, rather than booking in for their ‘too posh to push’ cesareans?

As woman are we that far removed from what our bodies are designed to do, that we feel challenged, resentful even jealous of women who have attempted and achieved natural birth?

I am referring here to the recent birth of model Miranda Kerr’s first child. Miranda announced the birth of her son via her blog, and according to Miranda it was a drug-free, natural birth.

“I gave birth to him naturally; without any pain medication and it was a long, arduous and difficult labour”

Along with a beautiful picture of mother and child feeding.

Isn’t this the way birth is supposed to be?

Would it have made us all feel better if she had booked in the cesarean to fit around her ‘modelling’ commitments and her husbands career?

Personally I applaud woman such as Miranda Kerr and also Gisele Bunchen, who are in the public eye and are role models to young impressionable girls.

birth doesn’t have to be the scary, painful, unachievable event it is so often portrayed as in the media, and along with breast feeding, can be beautiful, and very rewarding.

As a mother of one natural and one interventional birth, I know natural birth is not always achievable, however it should never be discouraged or criticised.

Megan Georgoulas