Coconut chips are a delicious snack, but so
much more. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE
NIBBLE.

And now, there’s a snack that goes back to the basics: BARE Coconut Chips. BARE scoops the fruit from fresh coconuts, slices and bakes it into better-for-you snack chips. And they’re delicious, in:

 
Coming soon are:

COCONUT: NOT A NUT!

Let us digress for a moment in the name of food education. The coconut is not a nut!

It’s a fruit—a drupe, like stone fruits and almonds—and not a true nut like pecans, pistachios, walnuts and others. As the immature coconut develops, the drinkable coconut water in the shell converts to edible flesh; when dried, the coconut flesh is called copra.

The coconut tree got its name from 16th-century Portuguese and Spanish seafarers; the term “isoco,” meaning head or skull, the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features.

Coconut products are part of the daily diets of many people. Coconut oil and milk derived are commonly used in cooking and frying; coconut oil is also widely used in soaps and cosmetics. The husks and leaves can be used as material to make a variety of items for furnishing and decorating.

BACK TO COCONUT CHIPS

BARE Crunchy Coconut Chips are a sister line to BARE’s outstanding line of Crunchy Apple Chips, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week and one of our favorite better-for-you snacks at home and work.

Both product lines are minimally-processed, good-for-you snacks made from only real, whole-food ingredients. They are gluten free, Non-GMO Project Verified, vegan (except for the Show me the Honey Coconut Chips), a good source of dietary fiber, and are free of refined sugar, preservatives, cholesterol and trans fats.

Discover more at BareSnacks.com.
 
USES FOR COCONUT CHIPS

Simply delicious, plain or flavored. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

 
They don’t melt, provide an energy boost, and are a great tote-along and leave-in-the-car snack. Get them from the company website or at retailers nationwide (store locator).

Get some of the terrific apple chips while you’re at it.
  

Turn it into a July 4th cake by adding raspberries or strawberries to the filling layers, top, or both. Set blueberries in the top left corner for the “stars,” and make the “stripes” from rows of raspberries.

RECIPE: JULY 4th CAKE, A.K.A. LEMON BLUEBERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CAKE

Ingredients For One 8-Inch 4 Layer Cake Or Two Loaf Cakes

For The Lemon Cake

For The Blueberry Sauce

 
Plus

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8″ x 8″ square cake pans.

2. SIFT together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk sour cream, lemon zest, juice and vanilla.

3. BEAT butter and sugar together on medium speed in a bowl of a standing mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended.

4. REDUCE the speed to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the sour cream mixture. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour mixture and the remaining sour cream mixture. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.

5. DIVIDE batter evenly among prepared cake pans. Transfer pans to oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for about 10 minutes before inverting on rack. Let cool completely.

6. PREPARE blueberry sauce: Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool completely.

7. BEAT heavy cream with powdered sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Place into the fridge to chill.

8. ASSEMBLE: Slice cakes into half horizontally, so you have 4 layers of cake. Then cut vertically to have 8 layers of rectangular cakes, if you want to make two cakes. Place one cake layer on the serving late and spread with blueberry sauce. Gently spread the whipped cream on top, and scatter with blueberries. Top with another cake layer and repeat the same process until you place the 4th cake layer.

9. FROST the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Press white chocolate around the sides of cake and place blueberries on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

With popular television franchises like CSI, Law & Order and NCIS, detective culture has finally seeped into specialty food.

The perps (actually, they’re the good guys) moved from Europe to Los Angeles to form their artisan jam agency (“a top secret covert organization”).

Agent Copperpot hails from France, where she learned the craft of small batch jam making from both of her grandmothers. Chester Pinkerton, born and raised in Switzerland, is a professional illustrator.

They created the Dept. of Sweet Diversions with a primary objective “to create delicious little diversions so you can treat yourself to something truly special.”

Otherwise stated, their goal is to elevate the art of preserving to inspire people to try new fruit and flavor combinations.

They source local organic and/or sustainably grown fruit in bountiful southern California, and make jams, jellies, marmalades and fruit butters. (Check out the different types of jam and other spreads.) Most of the ingredients come from farmers markets within a 12 mile radius of their kitchen.

The jam is made by hand in small batches using traditional techniques. Each flavor features organic ingredients and is completely free of preservatives. Nothing is processed (even the pectin is homemade).

The pair are quick to note that “Breakfast isn’t the only meal of the day that should feature jam, it’s just the first!”

Their jams pair exquisitely with fine cheeses, mixed into cocktails and served as a condiment with fish and meat dishes. But don’t stop there: Here are 20 of THE NIBBLE’s favorite ways to use fine jam.

And we’ll be trying more flavors, too. A six-ounce jar is $12, or $14 with Top Secret gift wrap.

Discover more at Dept.OfSweetDiversions.com.