Coconut Tapioca
Written by Karen on April 27th, 2009
I have been behind with my writing lately, and other than school taking all of my food-loving-creative-energy (a good thing,) and the passing of a friend’s beloved pet (gosh, those hit hard)…I’ll get back to it. That said, I realize I am sending two desserts in a row (of course you know I favor them;-) and this one includes coconut, which you also know I am just plain nuts for.
The upside is that this recipe is so easy, delicious and good for you…so at least I’m consistent. When I made this a few weeks ago, the strawberries hadn’t come into season yet. But if you can find them tasting prime right now, go for it. Otherwise, any citrus or berries work great.
Coconut Tapioca
2 C water
3 TB tapioca pearls (I used Let’s Do Organic)
3 TB agave nectar
1/8 tsp sea salt
3/4 C organic coconut milk (not lite)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 C unsweetened shredded coconut (toasted is mo betta)
Fresh berries
Zest from one orange or tangerine
Crystallized ginger
In saucepan, bring water to boil. Use a whisk to add tapioca pearls. Let them cook for about 17 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pearls have lost about of their opaqueness. The mixture will have slightly thickened and the liquid will be cloudy. In a separate bowl, whisk the agave, salt and milk together. When tapioca has finished its initial cooking, whisk in milk mixture. Let cook for 5 minutes. If adding shredded coconut, stir and cook 2-3 minutes. Refrigerate to cool. Add fresh berries and/or orange zest, plus chopped crystallized ginger.
GF/DF
Note: I will start labeling these GF (gluten free) or DF (dairy free) when appropriate.
27
PM
Tapioca pudding is one of my comfort foods that brings me home to Mom. Her recipe was very basic.
She would always make it when there was an excess of milk in the fridge when for some reason my brothers were not at home drinking the usual quantities? It is dessert material, but with the nutrition value, I would most enjoy this for breakfast!
I have become good friends with a pastry chef on the Big Island and she makes an awesome tapioca pudding with coconut milk…..can’t wait to try your recipe!!!
BTW I think I would really like eating at your house!
28
AM
Karen,
I notice you generally sweeten with agave. I am growing more concerned with this sweetener. What is your take on its healthfulness? It is nearly 90% fructose, more than high fructose corn syrup even, and it is highly processed, not just pressed raw from the plant. This high level of fructose is known to deplete minerals, especially copper, and it speeds oxidation, or aging, in the body. It elevates uric acid and lactic acid. it is associated with faster weight gain, more heart disease and more diabetes. Fruit has a small amount of fructose and it varies with the fruit, but no where in nature is there this much fructose. Further, some companies have been caught substituting HFCS for part of the agave to cut corners. Do you know which brands are safe? Or better? What do you think of all this fructose in agave?
28
AM
LMR Lady – How true about tapioca! It also brings me back to sweet memories from the days when my grandmother (my cooking inspiration) would make the most incredible desserts, from puddings to creme brulee (truly ahead of her time.) Comfort food to the core.
BTW – you are welcome here anytime! Just bring the veggies and we’re in business:)
Karens last blog post..Coconut Tapioca
28
AM
Linda,
Your timing is impeccable. I am just learning all about the cons of agave nectar, most of which you mentioned. It is high in fructose and is processed in our bodies the same as HFCS – through our liver. But check out this response from the producer of Madhava – one of the most popular (and respected?) brands: http://alteredplates.blogspot.com/2008/12/madhavas-craig-gerbore-responds-to.html
All that said, I am going to write about this in detail…and meantime suggest – as with all sweeteners – to keep them to a minimum.
29
PM
i love all things pudding and tapioca, so of course i had to read your recipe. Coconut, however, is not at all healthy…it’s full of saturated fats.
dr. Weil would tell you to eliminate it entirely from your diet.
29
PM
Andy Weil is not the last word on nutrition. I spent nearly a month with him traveling through Peru. His passions are psychoactive plants and the mind-body connection, not so much nutrition.
Coconut fat has many therapeutic benefits and populations who live on it have very little heart disease and obesity. In fact as the Indian diet shifts from coconut oil and ghee to more vegetable oils their rats of diabetes and heart disease have increased.
There is research showing coconut oil fights viruses and parasites. It is one of the few oils even an infant can assimilate and is used in formulas for very ill patients. Coconut oil also stimulates metabolism and helps with satiety.
As far as saturated fats go, a Harvard study recently showed women with heart disease who ate the most saturated fat had the least plaque clogging their arteries.
Walter Willet of Harvard says that when the trans fats are taken out of studies on saturated fats, the saturates are no longer associated with increased disease.
30
AM
Claim: “As far as saturated fats go, a Harvard study recently showed women with heart disease who ate the most saturated fat had the least plaque clogging their arteries.”
Really? This would fly in the face of the last 25 years of research. Sure would like to see your source on this.
Claim: “Coconut fat has many therapeutic benefits and populations who live on it have very little heart disease and obesity.”
The reason why Indians have lower rates of heart disease is more likely because they eat little animal fats.
30
AM
A quote from “Andy:”
“…Coconut oil is one of the few saturated fats that doesn’t come from animals, but like other saturated fats can raise cholesterol levels and, therefore, should play only a very limited role, if any, in your diet.
For now, we don’t have any evidence suggesting that coconut oil is better for you than other saturated fats. The benefits of coconut oil in the diet, if any, are likely to be minimal, and until we have more and better evidence about coconut oil’s effect of metabolism and potential role in promoting weight loss, I do not recommend using it.
30
AM
Fern – There is much discussion on the subject of coconut oil which has prompted me to post about it in detail (thank you.) Please check back later today. Meantime, here’s more in support of its benefits – adapted from Ray Peat, PhD, and Michael Murray, N.D. Coconut oil acquired a bad reputation when it was lumped in with other artery-clogging saturated fats, such as those in meat and dairy foods. But today lipid researchers understand that coconut oil mostly contains health-promoting medium-chain fatty acids, which provide numerous health benefits. For instance, they help lower risk for heart disease, aid with weight loss, boost the immune system, and even fight cancer.
Unlike long-chain fatty acids (which are readily stored as body fat or deposited in the arteries), medium-chain fatty acids are predominately burned as an energy source—and thus seldom find their way to the hips or blood vessels. In fact, a diet based on coconut oil as its fat source favorably affects levels of lipoprotein, a substance related to LDL cholesterol that is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
The lauric acid found in coconut is the same as in mother’s milk – one of the easiest for our bodies to digest – and is antiviral and antimicrobial.
Try to be open to the possibilities. I have numerous examples of people who have lost weight or had their cholesterol levels reduced after liberal use of coconut oil. I am actually under doctors orders as we speak to use coconut oil over conventional butters to calm my liver.