10 Ways to eat Coconut - Dairy free
Discovered my local supermarket were stocking Coconuts in there fruit and veg section. I couldn't resist and had to buy one. It wasn't till I got home that I thought about what to do with it, and how do I open it!!!!!
Questions I should have really thought about before I bought it. Lucky for me you can find tons of helpful information on the Internet.
If you plan to buy your own Coconut's, make sure you are prepared with a hammer and nail. Bent nails that your brother has prised from your kitchen wall are not going to work. Probably also not really hygienic either.
Take the nail and hammer it into one of the 3 eyes on the base of your coconut. Once open you can then pour out the coconut water, before using the hammer to break open.
1. Coconut water
Coconut water is the Clear liquid found inside young coconut. You don't need to crack open coconuts yourself, since it's now available to buy in cartons.
You can drink it straight up, add it to smoothies or use it to cook with.
- Coconut water ice cubes
- Light Coconut rice pudding
- Coconut rice
2. Coconut Milk
Vegan Coconut Panna cotta
with pineapple
Coconut Milk is the liquid that comes from the grated meat of a coconut. Probably one of my favourite dairy free ingredients because its so versatile. It works well in both sweet and savoury dishes.
I used my vegetarian gelatin, along with coconut milk to make a dairy free panna cotta.
- 3 Ingredient Coconut ice cream
- Coconut milk pudding
- South Indian style Vegetable Curry
- Potatoes baked in Coconut milk
3. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm.
It wasn't till recently I discovered you could cook with it, I only knew it as a moisturiser for dry skin. Proving that your never too old to learn something new.
It's not a cheap product, so I would use it sparingly. You can find it in health food shops, however I recommend looking on line to get the best deal
- Coconut oil based vegan butter
- Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies
- Coconut snowballs
4. Coconut sugar
Coconut Sugar is a sugar produced from the sap of cut flower buds of the coconut palm. Use coconut sugar 1:1 in any way you would regular sugar, including in tea or coffee or baking and cooking.
- How to make Coconut powdered sugar
- Coconut sugar cake
- Chocolate frosted Coconut cookies
- Homemade chocolate hazelnut spread
5. Dessicated Coconut
Dessicated Coconut is coconut meat which has been shredded or flaked and then dried to remove as much moisture as possible.
I remember making my first Coconut Ice at the Girl Guides, it brings back fond memories. Since one of the main ingredients is sweetened condensed milk, I have not had any since having to go dairy free.
I'm excited because Iv just found a great dairy free recipe.
- Anzac Cookie
- Toasted Coconut and lime Roti
- Raspberry coconut squares Swap silken tofu for the mascarpone
- Vegan Coconut chocolate bounty balls
6. Coconut cream
Coconut cream is very similar to coconut milk, but contains less water. You can use it as an alternative to real cream. Only difference is you can't whip it like double cream.
Try using it in place of cream to serve with desserts, to thicken soups or stews or mix with non dairy milk to make a coconut hot chocolate.
- Pina colada or Virgin Pina Colada Just because your alcohol intolerant doesn't mean you can't still enjoy a cocktail.
- Chocolate fudge cake with coconut cream ganache
- Indonesian Peanut sauce
7. Creamed Coconut
You can add warm water to it to make coconut cream or milk.
- 1 part Creamed Coconut + 2.5 parts water = Coconut Cream
- 1 part Creamed Coconut + 5 parts water = Coconut Milk
- Root Vegetable ~Thai Curry
- Sticky coconut rice
8. Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is a soft flour produced from dried coconut meat. It is a natural byproduct of coconut milk production.
- Onion Rings
- Vegan Coconut macaroons
9. Coconut Vinegar
Coconut Vinegar is made from fermented coconut water. You can use this instead of Apple Cider Vinegar in vegan cake recipes, Or as a base for salad dressing.
- Coconut Vinaigrette
- Vegan Queso Blanco dip
10. Coconut meat
Coconut meat is a strange name since it's not really meat in the carnivorous sense. Rather its the white flesh found inside a coconut shell.
We are so used to buying our food already prepared, that it's hard to remember what to do with the Au naturale product.
After the Coconut us broken and the meat prised from the shell, the next step is to remove the peel. I used a vegetable peeler to reduce any wastage.
Once peeled you can simply dice and eat as a snack. You could also use a grater to make your own shredded coconut, which is what I did with mine.
It takes a lot of time to prepare, but it's worth it.
- Make your own coconut milk
- Make your own toasted shredded coconut
- Coconut Chutney
- Coconut Candy
For more recipes check out www.coconutrecipes.co.uk.
I heated some homemade coconut milk, with one of my dairy free chocolate truffles to make some hot chocolate. It was like drinking a Bounty bar mmmm.
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