Seriously Healthy Deep-Fried Potato Fries & Tropical Traditions Review/Giveaway!

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This giveaway is now close!

Thank you everyone and Tropical Traditions!

I am SO happy! My family and I have been enjoying some seriously good deep-fried fries over the last few weeks. First, I made regular potato fries and spiced it up really good... we ate it up. There was not a single fry left and I pretty much licked the bowl because all the seasonings were begging me to lick 'em up! A couple weeks later I made sweet potato fries and spiced it up with raw honey, butter & cinnamon. It was perfect!

In the past, we've always baked our fries in the oven with wonderful results, but it has been so good to actually enjoy deep-fried fries once in a while! I obviously had to look around for an easy, no-fail recipe for crispy fries. I found a recipe from the Food Network and it worked great! I didn't use as much oil as it called for, but all the fries still came out crispy, but soft in the center. My idea of a perfect fry :o)

Oh... wait! I should back up a bit more, huh? I'm sure you are wondering how in the world can these fries be "Seriously Healthy" and what kind of oil I'm using. Well, these fries are so wonderfully crispy, healthy, guilt-free and delicious because of....

Tropical Traditions Organic Palm Shortening

I've never used palm shortening before and didn't know what to expect. I opened the lid and saw white, odorless goop. Yeah, doesn't sound very appetizing and kinda icky looking. But we all know not to judge something by its looks or lack of smell :o)

Here's what I learned about this seriously good stuff:

What is Palm Shortening?

Palm shortening is derived from palm oil (read about Virgin Palm Oil here). In its natural state, palm oil is a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, with most of the unsaturated fat being monounsaturated fat. Palm shortening is palm oil that has some of its unsaturated fats removed, giving it a very firm texture, and high melting point. The melting point of our Organic Palm Shortening is 97 degrees F., making it very shelf stable. It is NOT hydrogenised, and contains NO trans fats! It is great for deep-fat frying and baking, and is not prone to rancidity. Since it has been separated from some of the unsaturated portion of the oil, it is colorless and odorless, and will not affect the taste of foods like Virgin Palm Oil does. If taste is needed in applications, then Virgin Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or Sesame Oil can be added for great baked or fried foods!

If you up for a long history lesson on Palm Oil, read here. I skimmed through it and found it very interesting! Especially when I read that Central America produces palm oil... it instantly reminded me of the HUGE palm tree plantation that we passed by over a year ago when we were driving down to Quepos, Costa Rica. We also saw the factory where they produced the oil and the smell was less then pleasant, but I didn't think much about it. Now I am thinking, "Man! It would've been cool to stop and check it out!". Oh well... maybe another day :o)

I really like the fact that this shortening is an excellent replacement for those awful commercial shortenings that you find at your local grocery store. Those aren't even food... just pure chemicals!

Another thing I find VERY interesting is how palm oil is the most heavily consumed dietary oil in the world after soybean oil!! We are not big fans of soybean oil... in fact, we don't believe soy is fit for human consumption and won't eat any form of soy unless is it properly fermented. Anyway, that's for another post in the near future... read on:

Although scarcely used in the US any longer, palm oil is the most heavily consumed dietary oil in the world after soybean oil. If one were to exclude the US where most of the world’s soybean oil is consumed, palm oil would be the most popular dietary oil in the world. Palm oil traditionally has been used for baking, shortenings, margarines and deep fat frying, as it is shelf stable with a high melting point and does NOT require hydrogenation. Therefore, it contains no trans fatty acids. Saturated fats, such as tropical oils like palm and coconut, as well as butter, have traditionally been considered healthy fats and oils. In modern history, commercial interests have condemned saturated fats and replaced them in the American diet with polyunsaturated fats that are hydrogenised and contain trans fatty acids, which most people now consider harmful. These trans fatty acids were banned in some European countries as early as 2004, and food label laws in the US just forced manufacturers to list trans fats in their products last year. Some cities in the US are now banning trans fats in restaurants as well.

I'm sure you've figured it out by now that Tropical Traditions is letting me host another giveaway and the winner will receive a free gallon's worth of Organic Palm Shortening! But before I get into the details... let me remind you all about this wonderful book: "Virgin Coconut Oil: how it has changed people's lives and how it can change yours" By Brian and Marianita Shilhavy and that you can get a FREE copy by following these 4 simple instructions...

1. Place an order with them as a first time customer.
2. Click on "Referred by a friend".
3. In the box that says "How did you hear about us?"
4. Enter my referral number: 1310574

By telling Tropical Traditions that I referred you, you will receive a complimentary copy of their book FREE. I promise you will enjoy it and learn a lot! You probably won't put the book down till you've read cover to cover... like me :o)

Now, the Giveaway...

A gallon bucket of Organic Palm Shortening. Thanks to Tropical Traditions, It has been so fun making fries and knowing how good they really were. Very soon I am planning to try out this shortening in baking because I now can dust off some of my old favorite recipes that I tossed a long time ago because of its call for shortening. I know you can use butter, but sometimes it isn't desirable for taste reasons. Anyway, I can't hardly wait!


How To Enter...

Head over to Tropical Traditions and check out their great products. Then come back here and leave a comment (one entry) letting me know what products you would love to try... while you are there, subscribe to their newsletter if you aren't receiving it already. I really enjoy getting their newsletters and knowing what is on sale. They frequently offer "buy one get one free" sales and free shipping. Good stuff :o)


Extra Entries...
You must do the main entry first (above), then post a separate comment for each extra entry. Thank you and have fun!

1. Subscribe to receive my posts via email
2. Follow me on Twitter (if you aren't already) & tweet about this giveaway: "@marebeard Organic Palm Shortening giveaway!http://bit.ly/25ze5f"
3. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter
4. Friend me on Facebook
5. Follow my blog

You can have a total of 6 entries (6 separate comments). Remember, if you are already following me on Twitter or my friend on Facebook or following my blog and so on... you can still place your entries! Thank you!!

The Rules...

PLEASE, every comment must have an email address. You can comment with your blog account as long as I can contact you through there! The giveaway ends on November 21st and is open to those who have US mailing addresses (hint: if you live outside of the US, but still have a US mailing address and a way to get the product to you... you are qualified!).

Tropical Traditions Organic Palm Shortening comes from small scale family farms in South America. These farmers are certified by ProForest, which ensures that they meet strict social, environmental and technical criteria. With regard to environmental criteria, the assessments are carried out at the landscape and operational level at both the farms and processing facilities. These assessments cover environmental impact on the soil, water, air, biodiversity and local communities. The lands the farmers use are not lands that were deforested. The lands used to grow the palm fruit are lands previously used for agricultural purposes (cattle, rice, banana).

Have a great weekend and don't forget to claim your FREE copy of the Virgin Coconut Oil book when placing a first-time order!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.