TPM Tidbit: Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening is Ethical and Sustainable

Paleo Cinnamon Buns

When I was a teenager, my Uncle Bill taught me how to make real cinnamon buns. You know, the kind with yeast-based bread? It was a revelation and became one of my favorite treats to make. One batch would make a whole delicious pan, full of thousands of gluten-filled calories. And last about an hour.
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Grug’s Barbecued Stuffed Bananas—A Recipe Inspired by The Croods

Who is Grug? He is the overprotective yet loving dad (voiced by Nicolas Cage) in the new DreamWorks Animation film, The Croods. The Croods is about a family of cavemen forced to embrace change. This movie looks like a whole lot of fun and I can’t wait to take my girls to see it (you
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Puerto Rican Plantain Lasagna (Pastelon)

Plantain lasagna? Really? Yes! And what a delicious and comforting meal! Perfect for this time of year! This is another recipe modified from one that Gloria sent me (thank you Gloria!). I made this for my mother-in-law’s birthday while she was visiting and it was a hit! My mother-in-law was amazed—mostly at how you don’t
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Perfect Paleo Pancakes

These hotcake-style pancakes were a serendipitous accident. I was working on a crepe recipe (which I will be posting soon!) and my first attempt was not crepe-like at all, but a light fluffy and delicious, if maybe a little too thin, pancake. Once my crepe recipe was perfected, my next priority became to take a
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TPM Tidbit: Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening is Ethical and Sustainable

August 3, 2012 in TPM Tidbits

Every once in a while someone gets very alarmed by my use of palm shortening in a recipe. The standard practice for harvesting palm trees for palm oil destroys tropical forests and habitats of endangered species, so it’s definitely an important concern! I buy Tropical Traditions palm shortening, which 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).” [quote from TropicalTraditions.com]. Palm shortening is very useful in paleo baking due to its unique chemistry (high in saturated fat, solid up to 97F and a very high smoke point). I typically use it in place of butter (because I can’t do any dairy) in baking or when the lack of flavor is important in a recipe. It’s also a great fat for deep frying. It happens to be ON SALE right now (ending August 5^th) for 42% off retail price. A full gallon bucket is $23.59. PLUS Tropical Traditions is offering FREE SHIPPING (until August 6th) with the code 682212.