At Vida Vegan Con I had the absolute pleasure of sampling Earth Balance's brand new margarine type spread, Organic Coconut Spread. As soon as I got home I knew this was going to be the first product I'd purchase. Not to mention the fabulous people at Earth Balance gave us a coupon for a free tub of the stuff in our swag bag. (Free coupon aside, I would pay mucho dinero for this product.)
Seriously, Earth Balance, could I love you anymore? It's no secret that I want to run away and have a secret Las Vegas wedding with this company. Their soy milk is my go to beverage, I devour both their peanut butter and almond butter right from the tub and my fridge is always stocked with not only a margarine tub, but also margarine sticks. A peek in my fridge and you'd swear I work there or something. (Disclaimer: aside from the coupon I did not receive any monetary compensation from the company for this review, nor am I under any obligation to do this review. I just genuinely enjoy the products put out by this company and do use them in my everyday life.)
Also no secret that I'm coo-coo for coconuts.
I've tried this spread in several ways. The first being simply on a piece of bread. For me this is the ultimate "bread and butter" snack (also my most favorite guilty pleasure). The spread melts as it hits your tongue with the creamy taste of butter and just a hint of coconut. So good. I could eat this stuff with a spoon. (Which I realize is not healthy, both nutritionally and for my mental health.) Clearly, I am not afraid of any fats in my diet!
Secondly, I was eager to use this spread in my baking. I made a batch of mini apple pies and used the Coconut Spread in place of the margarine and shortening in a basic pie crust. The result? A perfectly flakey, creamy, smooth texture with a slightly sweet and salty coconut flavor. I can see this spread baking up beautiful cookies, perfect pie crusts, and to die for cakes & cupcakes.
I have yet to saute or stir fry with it, but that is surely to come.
Now for a few details. Earth Balance Coconut Spread is organic, non-GMO and (get ready, food sensitive friends) gluten and soy-free.
In conclusion, this is the closest tasting thing to "real" butter that I have found. Even in a side by side taste test of the Coconut Spread vs. the Organic Whipped EB margarine, I still think the coconut tastes more like the buttery flavor that I remember.
9 comments:
I love the idea of using this for pie crust, based on your explanation of the flavor. I haven't attempted pie crust since changing my eating habits, but I think it might be time to give it a try. I'll be searching whole foods for this now. :)
I have checked my Whole Foods for months and they still don't have this :(
ht- Definitely try it out. Pie crust is amazingly easy to veganize. I usually follow the directions used in several posts on VeganYumYum. (Just search for pie crust). I really loved the flavor the coconut spread added.
Ryan- keep checking and request it! I've been on the look out in several stores near me just to see who is getting on the ball, but the single best thing we can all do is request the vegan products we want. The stores will listen.
do you prefer this to a raw organic coconut oil/butter?
(haven't seen this in canada yet but we JUST got coconut 'yogurt' maybe this past week?)
Hm, well I've used coconut oil before but not *raw* coconut oil... maybe there is no difference? And I know I've never used or even tasted raw butter (even before I was vegan). Either way I honestly rarely use coconut oil and haven't in years, mostly just because I never feel like spending the money on it when I see it in the store... I digress, but what I remember of coconut oil is that it's almost waxy like. This spread has more the texture of creamy butter. So I'm not sure how it would compare to those products just due to my lack of experience with them, however I do prefer it taste wise to Earth Balance margarine and shortening, though I will just continue to interchange all 3 of these products.
In comparing the spread vs oil, the oil has much more of a coconut flavor to it than the spread. The oil I use for stir frying, and in my smoothies and stuff, but if I want something more "buttery" flavored, I would use the spread.
In MPLS I found the spread in a local co-op (we have a ton of them), I haven't look at Whole Foods for it yet. Make sure you look in the coolers, cause unlike coconut oil, it needs to be refrigerated.
Yup! It's available in Canada - from Ontario Natural Food Co-op based out of Mississauga ONFC.ca; we just ordered a case.
ONFC supplies to many health food stores, so just ask your store to order it.
Sylvia
SylviasKitchenSync.com
This coconut spead is delicious on anything, and the higher heat capability allows you to sautee or bake with it. Just as an aside, I have started using this spread as a face and neck moisturizer for the last five days and my skin is absolutely smooth and supple! The ingredients are just right for allowing the ingredients to enter the skin and moisturize beautifully. Try it! You'll be surprised! Appu liberally, l
let it soak in, then use a warm moist towel to gently wipe off the excess. I then put a cold, wet washcloth to close the pores even more before I put on my foundation. It's amazing, and I didn't break-out at all.
I am so glad I have found you LOL. I love vegan cooking and I cannot wait to try this new spread. This looks delish. You have a new follower :)
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