You may have wondered, “What’s that ingredient in my favorite makeup, and how does it affect my skin? In our series of Ingredient Education, we examine the skin benefits of our most intriguing ingredients and show you how to incorporate them into a balanced diet. Let’s talk about Cocoglycerides.

CocoGlycerides: Healthy Skin Benefits

You may have heard about Cocoglycerides recently and wondered what they were. Coco glycerides are a mixture made up of mono, di, and triglycerides that are derived from coconut oils. Coconut oil is known for its moisturizing properties. This emollient component also helps to give your skin an appearance of softness and smoothness. It also makes the formula glide smoothly on your skin, so there’s no need to tug or pull! Coco glycerides smooth out the skin in our two newest products, Smooth Affair For Eyes and Mystikol Eyeliner.

Eat Healthy Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a good alternative to coco glycerides. The medical community continues to debate the findings of various studies that claim coconut oil has health benefits, including a decreased risk of heart disease and weight loss. Shape.com has more information about these benefits. We’ll start with something that everyone will agree on cooking benefits. Coconut oil can withstand higher temperatures, making it ideal for sauteing or frying. The oil gives food a subtle nutty flavor and goes well with exotic spices and flavors. Here are our two favorite ways to add coconut oil to traditional recipes in order to make them healthier.

Crispy Coconut Waffles Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup of flour

2 Tablespoons of sugar

Baking powder, one teaspoon

Baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon

Take a pinch of salt

1 cup coconut milk

Melted coconut oil three tablespoons

One large egg

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add a pinch of baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk the coconut milk, coconut oil, and egg. Stirring until combined, add the wet ingredients to the dry. While you prepare the waffle iron, let it sit.

If necessary, grease your waffle maker. It should be heated according to the instructions on your appliance. Cook waffles until golden brown and crisp.

Serve with cream, syrup, and your favorite fruit.

Recipe and image courtesy of I Am A Food blog.

Ingredients

Green beans – 1 1/2 to 2 pounds green beans

Red onion, one sliced

Three cloves garlic, minced

2 cups parsnips, chopped

Chop 1 1/2 cups of mushrooms

Half a cup of water

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Coconut oil, one tablespoon

Salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons

Add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper to your recipe.

Pepper, a taste

DIRECTIONS

Add half the coconut oil in a large saucepan and cook on low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally until the onions are caramelized. Add a splash of liquid to the pan if the onions seem to be drying out.

While the onions cook, steam the parsnips for 10 minutes in a steamed basket until they become soft. Let them cool.

Cut the green beans into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces. Steam the green beans until they are tender but retain their crunch. This should take about 8 minutes. Place the green beans in a baking dish.

Add the remaining coconut oil to the pan once the onions are done caramelizing. Heat the pan on medium-high. Sauté the mushrooms for one minute in the pan, and then add the garlic. Stirring and cooking for 5 minutes until softened. Pour half the garlic-mushroom mixture into the pan along with the green beans.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Blend the parsnips steamed and the remaining garlic mushroom mixture. Puree the mixture with water, nutritional yeast, and salt until smooth. Add pepper to taste, and if you want, add crushed red pepper.

Pour the puree on top of the green beans and the mushrooms and stir them until they’re well coated. Add the caramelized onions on top and bake for 30 minutes. Let the caramelized onions cool down before serving.