Grace Kennedy Coconut Products {Review}

Growing up, there were a few dishes my mom would always use coconut in.  Her Khorma and Koftay used coconut milk.  She makes a tasty fried beef dish called Karahi ka Pasanday that uses shredded coconut.  We I got the opportunity to review Grace Kennedy’s full line of coconut products I eagerly said yes!  I had no idea how many different coconut products they make.  They sent me Coconut Flour, Coconut Vinegar, Coconut Chips, Coconut Water, Coconut Milk, Coconut Oil and Coconut Sugar.

We started with the Coconut Chips which were very tasty and loved by everyone.  The Coconut Chips are made by gently slicing and roasting the coconut meat at a low temperature until they are crispy.  They are sweetened with cane sugar.  We couldn’t stop snacking on them!  They would make a wonderful garnish on cupcakes, on top of a cake or the Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango pictured later on in this post.

Next we tried the Coconut Water.  My husband has had coconut water before.  A lot of the other brands he has had in the past had a stale taste to it and didn’t taste fresh.  This was the first time for me and the boys trying coconut water.  It did not have a strong coconut taste.  My husband and kids loved Grace Coconut Water.  My husband thought the Grace Kennedy Coconut Water was very high quality and very fresh.    We liked that there is no sugar added.

100% Whole Wheat Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

I have used Grace Organic Coconut Sugar many times in the past.  Coconut Sugar has a slight butterscotch and  caramel taste.  It is low glycemic so you don’t get a sugar rush and crash as you would with granulated sugar.  The Coconut Sugar worked great in Skinny Chocolate Fudge Banana Muffins, Baked Whole Wheat Cinnamon Applesauce Doughnuts and 100% Whole Wheat Baked Chocolate Doughnuts.

Healthy Gingerbread Muffins

I have been baking a lot with Grace Organic Coconut Oil and it has worked very well in all the recipes I have tried so far.  I have used it to make Healthy Gingerbread Muffins (recipe coming soon) which were a great breakfast muffin.  Previously, I have used a different brand of coconut oil and I was not happy with it as it had an off smell but Grace Organic Coconut Oil actually smells like coconut!

In my box, I also received Grace Organic Coconut Flour.  I’ve never worked with Coconut Flour before.  Coconut Flour is made from dried, ground white meat from mature coconuts.  It is high in fibre and gluten free.  You cannot substitute coconut flour with regular flour in a 1:1 ratio.  It is very absorbent and requires much more liquid.

I made Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe coming soon) with the coconut flour.  The texture was very different from regular cookies.  They were dense and soft.  The coconut flour gave the cookies a nice coconut flavour.  These cookies do not spread like regular cookies.

The next item I tried was the Grace Organic Coconut Milk.  I have used coconut milk in my cooking before.  I add it to our traditional Hyderabadi Koftay and Khorma, both of my mom’s recipes.  This time I wanted to try coconut milk in something that wasn’t a main dish.  I came across a recipe for Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango (recipe coming soon) and thought it would be a great recipe to try out.  The pudding turned out great and had a nice coconut flavour.

Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango

The last product I tested was Grace Organic Coconut Vinegar.  This item was a surprise for me.  I had never heard of Coconut Vinegar before.  I had read that it is an ingredient used in the Philippines.  My aunt is from the Philippines so I asked her if it was something she used and also hoping to get a great recipe because she is an amazing cook!  Unfortunately she had never heard of Coconut Vinegar.  So I thought I would use it as a substitute for other vinegars.  When I opened the bottle, the scent reminded me of Balsamic Vinegar so I thought it would go great in a salad.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Almonds, Cranberries and Parmesan

It worked really well in the Brussels Sprout Salad with Almonds, Cranberries and Parmesan pictured above (recipe coming soon).  I have also used it in other salad dressings with great results.

Overall, I enjoyed all the products I received and loved learning about some new coconut products I hadn’t tried before.  I found all of Grace Kennedy’s products to be of high quality.  I’m looking forward to experimenting more with their products in the kitchen!