Vegan Food Diaries: Recipes to Make Using Coconut Milk
The vegan lifestyle is on the rise around the globe. Not only are people now avoiding meat in their food, but a vast population of the world has not boycotted animal products and adopted a vegan lifestyle. After all, going vegan is not only an excellent initiative for our environment and animals but also great for our health. Ditching meat and animal food products introduce you to a wide range of healthy, vegan alternatives that are not only better for your health but also make your dishes taste unique.
If you are new to veganism, it is basically a practice or a lifestyle change in which people abstain from using any and all kinds of animal products, including products that are made using animals, such as pure leather. When it comes to adopting the vegan lifestyle, one of the first things to replace in your regular diet is dairy food and on top of that list is milk. As we all know, milk is an animal product and also a staple in your daily meals. We all consume milk, one way or another, on a daily basis – so much so that our day is incomplete without at least one dish or drink made using milk. So how can we ditch something so significant?
Well, luckily, just like everything else with have a wide range of vegan milk alternatives as well – and one of the most common alternatives is coconut milk. This can be your first time hearing about coconut milk, but if you are inclined toward a vegan lifestyle, this must be a common name in your daily vocabulary. Coconut milk is a popular ingredient among vegans and is used in making various sweet and savoury vegan dishes.
If you are also adopting this lifestyle and looking for recipes to make using coconut milk, then you are at the right place. Today, let’s talk about recipes you can make using coconut milk!
What is Coconut Milk?
Coconut milk is an opaque, thick white liquid that looks exactly like regular milk but is actually extracted from the pulp of mature coconuts that are grated and pressed to obtain the liquid. Unlike coconut water which occurs naturally, coconut milk is extracted through a simple procedure of mixing coconut flesh with water.
Some people believe coconut milk is much thicker than regular milk and also has a richer taste, which is probably due to the high oil and fat content in the milk. It is a traditional food ingredient in South Asia (especially South India and Srilanka) and East Africa – and now becoming a popular vegan ingredient worldwide.
Is Coconut Milk Good for Health?
As we said above, coconut milk is rich milk with high-fat content. While the fattest content is saturated milk (about 14.6g of 16.9g total fat content per 100ml), most people argue coconut milk is not as healthy but that’s not true. Coconut contains a significant amount of medium-chain fatty acids called lauric acid, which is fast to metabolize and is great for your body and cardiovascular health. And most importantly, you can find canned coconut milk that comes with a low-fat option, so you don’t have to worry about gaining weight as well.
Other than that, it is lactose-free milk, so there are no complaints about indigestion or lactose intolerance. It helps reduce stomach ulcers and has amazing anti-microbial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. This is why if you have been doubting about shifting to coconut milk, don’t think twice. Here are some fun and healthy recipes to make using coconut milk.
Recipes to Make Using Coconut Milk
Vegan Coconut Milk Pancakes
As we said above, replacing milk with our regular meals, especially breakfast, is challenging but possible when you have a healthy alternative like coconut milk. These pancakes are not only 100% vegan but also healthy, with a rich taste of coconut milk.
Ingredients
- 1 Bowl ground flex or 2 bananas (to replace eggs)
- 3 tbsp. mild olive oil
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or coconut flour, sifted)
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tbsp. Pure maple syrup
- Pinch salt
For Garnish:
- 1 large banana, sliced
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
- 1½ tbsp. Pure maple syrup
How to Make it:
- Step 1: Take a large bowl and add the flex seed mix or bananas with mild olive oil, vanilla extract, and pure maple syrup. Mix these ingredients until they are smooth. Next, pour the coconut milk, and whisk all these ingredients together to make sure they are combined properly.
- Step 2: Now add a pinch of baking powder, salt, and flour. Gently fold these ingredients, but don’t overwork the batter. Here we would like you to note that you can also add coconut flour since it’s gluten-free and can add an extra rich taste but be careful because coconut flour is more absorbent, and you might have to add more wet ingredients to fix the consistency.
- Step 3: Now, take a mid-size non-stick skillet and melt about a teaspoon of olive oil on the pan. Take around 2-3 tablespoons of batter for a pancake and cook pancakes from each side on the pan for 1-2 minutes. You will see they will be golden brown when they are ready. If you have already cooked pancakes before, this will be a piece of cake for you!
- Step 4: When done, take all the pancakes and garnish them with slices of bananas, raspberries, and some maple syrup – and your healthy, vegan breakfast is ready!
Vegan Sweet Potato Curry
Potato curry is famous in south Asia, but this potato curry is special because it is made using coconut milk. This is perfect for a weeknight as it’s easy to make, hearty, and, of course, vegan, so let’s learn to make this!
- 2 tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil
- 383g canned coconut milk
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ large red onion, finely diced
- 400g of fresh tomatoes, diced (you can use canned tomatoes as well
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 450g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- ¾ tbsp paprika
- ¾ tsp sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 ½ tbsp garam masala (a spice local to India)
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 3 cups spinach
- Lime Juice (atleast 1 lime)
How to Make it
- Step 1: Take a deep, medium-sized pot and place it at medium to high heat. Add around tablespoons of oil (you can use olive oil, but we prefer coconut oil).
- Step 2: Let the oil heat (but don’t let it burn), and add your tomatoes and onions to it. Now grind the sea salt and the salt and ground black pepper in the pot with the vegetables.
- Step 3: Now lower the heat and let the onions and tomatoes cook down until the onions feel soft and you can visibly see tomatoes releasing their juices – this usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
- Step 4: Once this is done, you will see onions and tomatoes in an oily mesh at the bottom of the pot. That’s when you know you have to add your sweet potatoes and chickpeas to the pot. Add these two ingredients and stir them well so that they combine with the previous mixture.
- Step 5: Now add the garam masala, paprika, curry powder, cumin, and minced garlic to the pot. Stir the ingredients in the pot at high heat for atleast 30 seconds – till you can smell the aroma of the spices.
- Step 6: This is the time to add our star ingredient – coconut milk. Add coconut milk straight from the can and stir it well. This will allow all your other ingredients to cook and turn into a curry. Bring this curry to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. At this heat, let the mixture simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked. You can check this by using a fork – if you can break the potato piece into two without force – your curry is cooked.
- Step 7: In last, add spinach from the add, pour in the lip juice, stir to combine, and serve the hot curry in a dish with your flatbread or some cooked white rice – and enjoy!
Vegan Lemon Bars
If you love desserts (that too lemon dessert) and have recently turned vegan, then this amazing, super flavourful, and aesthetic dessert will be your go–to. Let’s make these tasty began lemon bars that are the perfect blend of sweet with a touch of sour!
Ingredients
Lemon Filling
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews (soak in hot water for atleast 1 hour)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch,
- ¼ cup +1 tbsp maple syrup,
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
- ⅛ tsp turmeric, just for color
Crust
- 2 tbsp maple syrup,
- 1 cup flour (gluten-free)
- ¼ cup oil
How to Make it
We will make this recipe in 2 stages; in the first stage, we will cook the crust, and in the second stage, we will prepare the filling.
Stage One – Crust
- Step 1: Put your oven on pre-heat at 350 Fahrenheit
- Step 2: Take a baking dish (about 8×8) so that the paper can hang over the side for easy removal.
- Step 3: Now take a bowl, add all the ingredients for the crust in the bowl and mix them together. Once they are well combined, it’s time to place them on the baking dish.
- Step 4: Put the ingredients on the parchment paper on the baking dish and using a spatula, combine the ingredients and press them evenly on the baking dish. If you don’t have a spatula, you can also use the bottom of a measuring cup or a spoon to press the batter down – if it feels too dry, add a tbsp of oil to it.
- Step 5: Now keep the dish in the oven and bake it for 10 minutes, uncovered. Once the time is over, remove the dish from the oven and let it cook properly. Let it sit till your lemon filling is ready to pour.
Stage Two – Lemon Filling
- Step 1: Take a blender – the more high power, the better. Add all the ingredients for the lemon filling in the blender – add very little amount of turmeric in the beginning and see if you want to add more.
- Step 2: Blend all the ingredients until you think the mixture is smooth. If your blender isn’t high-power, you might have to rotate the mixture around and blend it a few more times to make all cashew pieces are blended and the mixture feels smooth.
- Step 3: Now, take the mixture out of the blender in a bowl and check if the crust we prepared previously is cooled down.
- Step 4: Now pour this mixture on top of the crust and spread it across evenly. You can also tap the baking dish on the counter a few times to remove the bubbles and make sure it is evenly set.
- Step 5: Now place the fish in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes and let them bake properly.
- Step 6: Once it bakes, allow it to cool, and cut the filling into even-sized bars. Top the bars with powdered sugar, and you are ready to serve!
Coconut Milk – Vegan’s Most Preferred Milk
As a vegan, you must have to make conscious food choices and see whether you are using the right ingredients or not. This is one reason why most vegans don’t prefer food from someone else and prefer cooking their own food but this requires a lot of time and skill. This is why it’s always best to know some easy and quick recipes that you can whip about when you are short on time or energy. We hope the recipes mentioned above will be those recipes for you so you can have a fun meal time with tasty vegan dishes!