I'm Cukoo for Coconuts

Tropical fats, in particular coconut oil, has received a bad rap in the last 30 years.

Some governmental and edible oil organizations, as well as consumer activist groups such as Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), have claimed that coconut oil as a "saturated fat" is shown to be atherogenic (leading to hardening of the arteries). But the truth has come out -- coconut does a body good. (Sorry, these slogans are deeply embedded in my consciousness.) I personally take some form of coconut every day.

Read about the history of edible oil industry propaganda and faulty research studies. (See the Local Forage store for more books by Mary Enig on fats and fat myths.)
Read current research showing the importance of coconut oil in the diet.

I'm providing these links so that you can feel really good about eating Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss organic coconut milk ice creams. They are outrageously creamy and delicious. No dairy, no soy, no creepy chemicals. And the sugar content is relatively low. Comparison: Häagen-Dazs vanilla has 21 grams of sugar per half a cup. Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island has only 13 grams per half a cup. The sweetness in the Coconut Bliss ice creams comes from agave syrup which makes them lower on the glycemic index.

In my opinion, this is by far the best non-dairy ice cream around (thanks, Julie!).  

Luna Marcus and Larry Kaplowitz, the Eugene, Oregon couple behind Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss, clearly have a winning product. (That's them in Thailand with the organic coconuts.) After giving up dairy in 2005, they experimented with a cast-off, hand-crank machine to find a worthy dairy alternative using coconut milk as a base. After getting an enthusiastic thumbs-up from their friends they began cranking out the flavors. Six of them you can find year-round  -- Cherry Amaretto, Naked Coconut, Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Island, Mint Galactica and Capuccino. (The Dark Chocolate is TDF*.) And five are seasonal -- Pina Colada, Naked with Nibs, Maple Walnut, Cinnamon Chocolate Flake and Lemon Island Creme.

Coconut Bliss is available throughout Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii. More states/regions will follow. In the SF Bay Area, you can find it at Rainbow Grocery, Whole Foods, Berkeley Bowl, Draegers and a few other smaller stores. Check the Coconut Bliss site for locations.

*To die for

Comments

[Alix]

Carla,
OMG, I LOVE this coconut milk ice cream. I was going to post about it, too, but so glad you did it!!

My one question is: is the coconut milk raw or pasteurized? I think it's the former. Do you know?

Oh, and in Palo Alto, you can find it at Country Sun grocery.

[Carla]

Hi Alix, yeah the stuff rocks. I have a message in to Luna and Larry asking the raw vs. pasteurized question.
carla

[Cristal Guderjahn]

i am so buying this as soon as i can. i LOVE coconut as you know! They should carry this on Maui, so we could make smoothies with this and RUM. hello, yummy!

[Carla]

Cristal, what a rad idea -- Chi Chi's and Pina Coladas made with Coconut Bliss ice cream - YUM. They actually carry it at Mana foods in Paia (read: on the way home from the airport) and another place in S. Kihei and probably more stores not listed on the site. It would be the best drink on the island. All you would need is a little pineapple juice or whole pineapple blended in. Duuude, I feel a trip to Napili coming on...

I wish it were more local. It would be worthwhile if I were vegan or couldn't eat dairy, but we have some pretty good local dairy around here.

(I wonder where Double Rainbow gets their milk. Hm.)