Summertime is a gift. Beautiful days planned around walks to the park, building garden forts, bike and scooter rides, splash pads and pool time ~ I simply can’t get enough of this gift I have. A day can be so busy and so perfect we don’t get too fancy with desserts or even cooking sometimes. What works best are simple meals and snacks that we can quickly put together. You know, desserts that take longer to eat than to make? – Yeah, I love those! And these little Fruity Rice Cakes are one of those ;)
You kind of don’t need a ‘recipe’ because the idea is you pile on what you like. What we have is a base layer of…
- plain rice cakes
- coconut butter (be sure it’s solid butter or else when it’s too hot the coconut butters that turn to oil will get drippy),
- a drizzle of honey or agave nectar
- a few incorporate a good quality all-natural raspberry jam on top of the coconut butter
- then a pile of fresh fruit : we have raspberries the kids picked from our garden and red currants grandpa brought from his garden dressed up with fresh sprigs of mint from my herb garden ;)
You could incorporate nut butters also (we’ve done that before)…. but this was nice and light with emphasis on the fruit and a hint of summery coconut flavour…. Yum.
Health benefits of Coconut butter:
(NaturalNews) Research indicates, animal fats have long chain saturated fat, while coconut oil contains healthy, healing, medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). This saturated fat is considered a rare and important building block of every cell in the human body, and can actually reduce cholesterol and heart disease.
This incredible food boosts immunity, kills bacteria and viruses, protects against cancer and other degenerative diseases, and prevents osteoporosis by promoting calcium absorption. It also slows down ageing and is good for skin radiance.
Weight Loss from Coconut Oil/Butter
American farmers attempted to plump up their cattle by feeding them coconut oil. Instead of gaining weight, their cows lost weight!
This is because:
1. The long-chain fats nearly always go to fat storage, while the MCFAs (medium chain fatty acids) are burned for energy… which is why you feel great after eating this coconut super food.
2. Coconut oil helps to stimulate the metabolism, so you burn more calories each day, which helps with weight loss and energy levels.
Coconut Oil/Butter is Packed with Lauric Acid
Coconut oil, like human breast milk, is rich in lauric acid, which boosts immunity and destroys harmful bacteria and viruses. In fact, coconut oil is one of the closest foods on the planet to breast milk.
Scientists in the Philippines researched the effects of coconut oil and lauric acid on patients with the HIV virus that causes Aids. The results were amazing. Most of the Aids patients showed a dramatic drop in the HIV virus count, in some cases to “undetectable” levels. While there needs to be a lot more research, there is certainly evidence to suggest that people with this virus would benefit from having a diet rich in coconut.
Lipid researcher Dr. Jon Kabara says “Never before in the history of man is it so important to emphasize the value of Lauric Oils.”
Coconut Oil/Butter Kills Candida (Yeast Infections)
Coconut oil has been shown to kill the Candida Albicans yeast, which is caused by antibiotics, birth control pills, and modern living. It has caused a whole generation to be tired, foggy headed, unable to optimally digest food, and suffer from a range of other illnesses.
Yet many sufferers have claimed that their health has dramatically improved when using coconut products. This could be due to the fact that coconuts are a dense source of caprylic acid, which has anti-fungal properties. It could also be due to the fact that these people replaced regular milk (which is generally toxic and bad for candida sufferers) with the milk from coconuts.
Healthy Skin
Coconut Oil/Butter has youth enhancing, glow encouraging properties for the skin. It is highly moisturizing and promotes skin elasticity. (Source : Natural News)
Blogger, Recipe Developer, Photographer and Author. Loves healthy food, photography, sunshine and dancing in the kitchen with her two daughters. 
What a great idea! These are very cute!
I never thought that rice cakes could ever look so beautiful or so enticing! Way to dress those things up!
those rice cakes are as adorable as they look delicious.
ok, so…I’m learning so much here. Is coconut butter a separate product or are you just referring to coconut oil, used as a butter substitute?
Hello miss Amy ;)
About that coconut butter….
there appears to be two types out there.
One is a Coconut Oil – which usually also says ‘butter’ – looks white/ solid in the store – but quickly can turn to liquid especially with out heat here ;)
Then, I also have this Coconut Butter by Artisana – which is the one I used here – it says “Whole Coconut Flesh, not just Oil” right on their packaging. It also says Raw on there also.
This is the one that stays solid on these yummy rice cakes! ;) But I love using the liquid for recipes or to cook with. These are both so good – it doesn’t hurt to have both types ;) hi hi… especially in my crazy overstocked pantry! ;P
http://www.artisanafoods.com/products/coconut-butter
I haven’t had a rice cake in years, but this makes me want to try it. Looks yummy and healthy.
These look so refreshing – I love the simple approach!