I think it’s time to confess my unconditional love of coconut. I think I mentioned it at some point, but since I am devoting a whole post to homemade coconut milk, I will stress this again. Coconut is my favorite ingredient to cook and to bake with. It has a unique taste and an exotic quality that I just find irresistible. I was obsessed with coconut oil (and still am) for awhile there and now I moved on to coconut milk. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with dairy. I was lactose intolerant as a baby, and even though it went away as I grew up, I would never become a fan of milk. I love cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and all the other food you find dairy in, but I could never stomach milk on its own. A couple of years ago, I started drinking almond milk and coconut milk. That opened a door to milk made from all different types of nuts. So far I’ve only dabbled in making coconut milk, but I would like to try almond milk and cashew milk.

So how do I use coconut milk? It is delicious by the glass full, in curry, with cereal and in desserts. My favorite way of using coconut milk would be to blend it into smoothies or milkshakes. Since I started adding coconut milk to my smoothies, I don’t think I made one bad smoothie yet.

One last thing I would like to add is to strain the blended coconut milk through a fine mesh strainer instead of cheesecloth. This method allows for the oils in the coconut to form on the surface of the milk and become coconut oil.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Homemade Coconut Milk:

Ingredients:
2 cups organic coconut flakes
4 cups water

Place the coconut flakes into a medium bowl. Heat water until just about to boil and pour over the coconut flakes. Let sit for 10 minutes. Pour the coconut mixture into a blender and blend on high for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thick and creamy. You can do this in two batches. Strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer and into the same bowl used to steep the coconut in. Store the milk in the refridgerator where it will keep fresh for 3-4 days. You can toast the leftover coconut and reuse it in other recipes.