Brazil Bark (For Fast, Healthy Smoothies)

If you scour the web for nutritional info on super foods and health and such, you may already know how cod liver oil is even more effective when mixed with grass-fed butter. You may have noticed that the quality supplier, Blue Ice, carries a product called “Royal Butter/Cod Liver Oil Blend“. (If you love scientific details, check out Sally Fallon’s article here.)

And you know me- always looking for ways to save time and money. Hence, “Brazil Bark”. I take my morning shot of cod liver oil, but also have a smoothie made with a hunk of this bark stuff. It looks like a confection, and it actually is pretty tasty. But also- so convenient!

Mix coconut spread, butter, and Brazil nuts- add chunks to smoothiesThis recipe makes making smoothies EASY. You can add your coconut and nut milk and that side o’ butter (if you’re taking cod liver oil), all in one easy step. The coconut (oil or spread) is for those great MCTs that contribute to brain health and energy. The butter is because it works so well with the cod liver oil we should be taking, to maximize results. And the Brazil nuts are good to include because they give us our daily selenium, which can be hard to come by.

Yes, you could just buy cartons of almond milk for your smoothies. But- larger carbon footprint! You pay for a lot of water and a little nut meat, plus the extra container. Why not just puree a few nuts fresh, right?

But is that box of almond milk so great? There’s also the fact that nuts contain a lot of PUFAs (polyunsaturated fats), which messes with our Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio. Yes, I know, “but they’re healthy for you, aren’t they?”

Well… we usually get assaulted with too many PUFAs in our modern diet. So this Brazil Bark stuff is actually more balancing to the system that almond milk and the like.

Just one more note: For smoothest results, puree a week’s worth of Brazil Bark with some boiling water in the blender. Process it, then store in a jar in the fridge; it will keep for a week or so. Add a hearty spoonful of it to all the other great smoothie ingredients, for some good, quick nutrition.

Brazil Bark

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. (or one 15-oz. jar) coconut butter (or “coconut manna“, coconut cream concentrate, or coconut spread, which are all 100% coconut meat, ground to a puree)
  • 1 lb. butter (grass-fed, like Kerry Gold. “Organic” is not necessarily grass-fed)
  • 1 lb. Brazil nuts

To get hardened coconut cream out of the jar, set the jar on a folded cloth in a small pot of hot water. Let it warm gently on low heat.

Mix the softened coconut butter with the butter in a small pot, until melted. Use: > 1 lb. butter, melted

Last, stir in: > 1 lb. Brazil nuts

Cover a cookie sheet with a piece of heavy-duty foil, making edges by crimping up sides. Pour mixture on foil; refrigerate overnight.

Next day, break bark into pieces and store in glass jar. (Or leave on the foil, to break up as needed.) Will keep a few months in refrigerator.

If desired, blend some with boiling water in the blender until smooth. Keep refrigerated, using in smoothies or hot drinks as needed. It makes “smoother smoothies” this way!

 

 

3 Responses to “Brazil Bark (For Fast, Healthy Smoothies)”

  1. Reply Deep Web

    Hello! I stumbled across your blog some time ago and enjoy all the recipes! The Spaghetti Squash Bake looks yummy! Several in our family are on the GAPS diet right now and we are always looking for new recipe ideas! Thanks for sharing!

Leave a Reply to Deep Web