Coco Preparado - Put The Lime In The Coconut!

Remember that old song by Harry Nilsson about the doctor who says to:

Put the lime in the coconut, drink them both together,
Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better.
Put the lime in the coconut, drink them both down
Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the morning

You don't?  You must be young!  Okay, it did come out in 1971 so perhaps I'm just old.  If you're curious you can hear it here.  Well, as inane as the song is Nilsson's "doctor" may have been on to something.

I grew up in Mexico where you can buy fresh coconut with lime, salt, and chili powder from street vendors (this may be where I got most of my good gut flora as a child) and market stalls.  They call it "coco preparado" (prepared coconut) and it's pretty addictive.  The flavor combinations are complex and synergistic with sweet (coconut), sour (lime), piquant (chili), and salty.  The interesting thing is that it's also really good for you.  Next time you want a snack reach for some "Coco Preparado".

Here are just some of the health benefits of this snack:

• Low in calories - a half-cup serving of fresh coconut meat contains only 140 calories and the lime is virtually calorie-free
• Healthy fat - coconut oil is cholesterol free and may protect your heart and actually reduce bad cholesterol
• High fiber - half-cup serving contains 4 grams of dietary fiber which helps with your digestion
• Manganese - rich in manganese which assists in blood clotting and connective tissues 
• Potassium - rich in potassium which helps to keep your muscles and digestive system healthy
• Magnesium - rich in magnesium which is vital to healthy functioning of kidneys, muscles and energy production
• Vitamin C - from coconut, lime, and chili supports immune system function and helps protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals
• Limonin - from the lime has been shown to induce cancer cell death and may be particularly beneficial for protecting against cancers of the skin, breast, mouth, lung, colon and stomach
• Vitamin A - a tablespoon of chili powder contains 2,224 IU of vitamin A (44.5% of your daily requirement) which your body needs for the maintenance of your eyesight as you age as well as to contribute to maintaining the health of your bones, teeth, skin, internal membranes and reproductive systems
• Minerals - chili powder is rich in several important minerals. One tablespoon contains 143.7 mg of potassium, or 4.1 percent of your daily recommendation; 22.7 mg of phosphorus, or 2.3 percent of your daily recommendation; 20.9 mg of calcium, or 2.1 percent of your daily recommendation; and 1.1 mg of iron, or 5.9 percent of your daily recommendation. It also contains 0.2 mg each of zinc and manganese and 0.5 mcg of selenium.

Be sure to catch and drink the coconut water too. It’s a mega-hydrating superfood.

Here's how to make your own Coco Preparado:

• Fresh Coconut - scrape out the meat of a young green coconut if you have access to one or buy a husked coconut at your grocery store
• Fresh Limes
• Chili Powder - I like a pre-prepared mix called "Znax" that you can buy at many Mexican markets
• Salt - use Kosher or sea salt

A lot of grocery stores sell fresh coconuts already husked but many people are intimidated by them.  How do you crack them open and how do you get the meat out?  Here's the secret:

• Hold the coconut in your palm over a bowl (to catch the water) so your thumb is on the "mouth" (the most recessed of the three holes at one end) and your little finger is on the other end--see the photo in the upper left of the collage
• Notice that there is now a seam that runs between the "eyes" and across the top of the coconut  from your thumb to your little finger--take a heavy blunt object such as a hammer or I prefer the back dull side of a cleaver or big kitchen knife and swing it down hard to strike the middle of that seam.  Hit it again and again until a crack begins to form (see the upper right hand photo).  Then rotate the coconut and continue striking it in the middle so the crack will grow and eventually run all the way around the coconut.
• The water will drain into the bowl.  Break the coconut in two halves and remove the meat by taking a butter knife and running the dull edge from the lip to the center of the coconut half (see the photo on the right side of the collage).  For your first wedge make a parallel slice very close to your first slice and pop out the sliver of coconut.  Then slice additional wedges about half an inch wide (see the lower right photo of the collage) and continue this process until you have removed all the coconut from the shell.

Squeeze fresh lime juice all over the coconut slices and sprinkle with salt and chili powder.  Enjoy!