Coconut Milk

I just made the BEST batch of coconut milk ever!  I've been making coconut milk for about 6 months now, and I have to say...I just love it! (and so do my girls!)  You would not believe how amazingly easy it is to do this, it's seriously as simply as soaking raw, shredded coconut, blending and straining it!  I've used this to make yogurt, serve over cereal, and in baking recipes where it calls for milk...it's versatile, healthy, and probably the best milk you'll ever drink (no joke)!  Of course it's delicious all on its own, but to make it taste the best it possibly can, I add a few extra ingredients.  Let's get started and you'll see how easy this is!

In a large bowl, soak 8 oz (or 1 bag) of Let's Do Organic Unsweetened Coconut in 4- 6 c. of hot water.

*I say "4-6" because it all depends on how far you want to stretch your buck when you're making this.  4 c. of water will give you a slightly thicker milk than 6 c., but honestly, if you're comparing flavor...I didn't notice a huge difference from the 4 to the 6 cups.  Obviously you get more milk with the 6 cups...that just goes without saying :)

You only have to soak the coconut for 1-2 hrs, but I soaked mine for probably 12 hrs this time (once the 2 hrs was up, I got really unmotivated and didn't feel like making milk...so I just let it keep on soaking!)  Who knows, maybe that's why it tastes so incredible this time around!

Anyways, once your coconut is soaked, put it all into a blender (water and all), and blend on high.  Since I use a Vitamix, this only took about 2 minutes, however, I have done this in a regular, cheapy blender too, and you just have to do it for a little longer.  I believe that if you let it go longer, you break down the coconut more, thus getting more flavor.  Give it a few extra minutes (or until you get sick of hearing the blender going!)

Once it's done blending, pour into a cheese cloth (doubled up), or a clean t-shirt, or a nut milk bag, and squeeze the living day lights out of it.  You want to get every drop of milk out of that pulp that you can.  This is a great way to work out some aggression (not that I would EVER feel stressed or frustrated over anything!)  Naturally, you will squeeze this over a bowl or container of some sort!

Now, you can drink this straight up, OR you can fancy it up a bit (which I like to do...makes it taste like dessert!)  Pour back into your blender, and add:

1/2-1 t. of sea salt (really brings out the flavor)
1/2 T. of pure vanilla extract
3 T. of coconut palm sugar (low glycemic and amazing in flavor...can also use maple syrup, raw honey, or agave)

Blend until the sugar has dissolved...NOW taste it...yeah...amazing, right?  What kid wouldn't want to drink that?!

DO NOT throw away the coconut pulp...are you crazy?!  Spread it out onto a jelly roll pan (or any kind of pan with sides) and bake at 200, stirring once in a while, until it's all dried out.  Throw it into a food processor or the Vitamix dry blade, and make your own coconut flour! This stuff is like gold...you should google how expensive it is to buy it! 

Done...you've just made your own milk, and your own flour...how do you feel?  Pretty darn cool!? Well you should! 

Here's a little tip, if you want to be as cost efficient as possible...buy your coconut from amazon by the case.  I do the subscribe and save, and end up getting it for around $2 a bag (which is way cheaper than the store's $4+ a bag!)

Here's another tip...don't put the soaked coconut in the fridge, when it gets cold, it's way harder to squeeze out all the milk.  I feel like the fat solidifies, and gets caught in the cloth, and let's face it...the best part about the coconut is the fat!

Also, this will separate as it sets, no biggie, just shake it before serving and you're good to go.