on the coconut bandwagon

Yes, I know: all. the. real. food. blogs. are. doing it. But now that I am doing it too, (like everyone else) I have my own particular method. And it's a pretty exciting thing to make!

So. Bandwagon or not, this warrants a post. Let us proceed.

Easy Homemade Coconut Milk 

2 cups dried shredded coconut (unsweetened)
5 cups hot water, divided

1) Process coconut and 3 cups water in blender for 3 minutes-- in the Blendtec I run it on the lowest speed, which is still very powerful, so in a typical blender you'd want a medium-high speed. (You are going for "finely chopped coconut" rather than "completely pulverized," so no need to put the thing on full blast.)
2) Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve and press on chopped coconut with a spatula to squeeze out the coconut milk you've just created. (If it is not white, you just need to process it some more.) Make sure that your milk is thoroughly strained, which may take a few pourings through the sieve.
3) Now put the coconut back into the blender and add the remaining 2 cups water. Process and strain as before. Now you have a good 5 cups of delicious coconut milk. Ta-da!
4) Pour coconut milk into a glass jar or pitcher and refrigerate. The coconut oil will rise to the top, and you can skim that off before using the milk. Use the oil as you would butter or olive oil in cooking.

As for the chopped and squeezed coconut, you could put it in cookies or granola or what-have you-- either dry it out a bit first or reduce the liquids in the recipe. Personally, I am working on figuring out how to make coconut flour. :)

{image credit: thienzieyung}