"coconut" news and stories

Are you tempted to buy a whole coconut, but too timid to even think about cracking it open yourself?

Happy Coconut Torte Day!

For those unfamiliar with the difference between a torte and a tart, a torte is known to use little or no flour, capturing rich, dense properties through the use of ingredients like ground nuts, eggs, breadcrumbs, etc. This particular coconut torte uses almond meal and coconut flour as a base for a particularly decadent bite, and tops it with star anise and coconut milk.

When eying this photo, one can practically taste the buttery mouthfeel, captured not by the typical dairy product but by olive oil and lime juice. To check out the gluten-free recipe yourself, head to FreeCoconutRecipes.com.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured on the site.

As it gets ready to host the 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro is cleaning up its beaches by forbidding the sale of coconuts.

The city decreed that coconut husks, tossed aside on beaches by locals and tourists alike, are a nasty eyesore and as of Dec. 1, sale of the fruit is banned on the sand, AFP reports.

"Go on Ipanema beach at the end of the day and you'll see a mountain of coconuts that people have left on the sand. What attracts rats most to the beach are coconut husks," Jovanildo Savastano, the official in charge of the beaches, told AFP.

He said up to 30 tons of empty coconut shells are found each day.

Is it the flavor profile or the fat that makes us so enamored with baked goods?

Either way, you can still enjoy a lower-sugar treat that's made with real ingredients like coconut and jam without having to worry about getting a trans-fat and preservative overload. Sugar, water and high-fructose corn syrup are usually the first and most prevalent ingredients used in store-bought baked goods, not to mention artificial coloring and a whole host of other unpronounceable things you didn't bargain for.

Here's a comparison of nutritional stats between store-bought and homemade raspberry zinger cake:

One store-bought portion:
Calories 160, total fat 7g, sat fat 3g, sodium 100 mg, total carbohydrate 24g, protein 1g

One comparable home-made portion:
Calories 127, total fat 5g, sat fat 1g, sodium 100 mg, total carbohydrate 19g, protein 2g

Find the Skinny Chef's recipe for Raspberry Zinger Cake after the jump.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

Turning fresh bread into day-old bread (that's perfect for stuffing) only takes 15 minutes.

Start planning your turkey day -- from decor to dessert -- now.

Whet your appetite with 10 exciting dishes for Thanksgiving.

Will you make room for soup at the Thanksgiving table?

Does Masterchef, another televised cooking-show competition, mean too many chefs in the kitchen?

Bacon makes everything better -- even candles!

Leftovers can cure the take-out temptation -- Thai Beef with Coconut Rice.