Wellynest's Coconut Yogurt

In the Wellynest house, we love whipping up our own fermented coconut yogurt from scratch! This allows us to reduce our environmental footprint by minimizing waste and for me to be in total control of what goes into our food! This recipes leaves so much room for exploration—but we’ll get to more of that soon!

As we’ve talked about in previous posts (coconut bread delight recipe) we adore coconuts for their nutrient dense, hydrating abilities, incredibly healthy fats, and extreme versatility! This is yet another example of how amazing coconuts are—through the process of fermentation, they are now also a powerhouse of probiotics!

Here is a recipe staple we LOVE in our home!

Fermented Coconut Yogurt Recipe

Ingredients:

·      2 cups fresh or frozen organic young coconut meat (Donna Gate’s company BodyEcology makes a great frozen option if scooping out fresh meat isn’t an option!)

·      2-5 TBSP spring water, OR coconut water, OR water kefir, OR coconut water kefir (we recommend one of the kefirs for added gut health benefits)

·      ¼-½  tsp of probiotics (I recommend Custom Probiotics or MoonJuice’s Probiotics)

Instructions:

1.     Place coconut meat and chosen liquid into a Vitamix or similar blender. You can also put your probiotics in and blend as well ~ however, I prefer (and recommend) to hand mix them in after blended to maintain their integrity.

2.     Begin to blend and watch it closely—if it begins to stick, add an extra TBSP of liquid at a time. Keep blending and adding liquid until it reaches your desired consistency—in our house we like it dense but still pourable. We love ours SUPER thick, so this consistency is perfect since it thickens up overnight as the probiotics do their job.

3.     Pour your yogurt into a glass jar. Place this jar in a bowl—this is just in case there is any over flow as it expands and ferments. This is where you add your probiotics and mix/whisk well.

4.     Keep it in a warm place overnight (either on counter if warm during summer or on a heating pad on it’s lowest setting during the winter or even in your oven with the light on if that's a warm place ~ but of course with the oven off!)

5.     The next day, give it a good mix and then store in your fridge (if you don't eat it all first), or freeze in silicon ice cube trays for even more future options!

I love this coconut yogurt because it can be used in so many ways to create a plethora of goodness! Sometimes I blend it up with berries, avocado and a little raw local honey to make a delicious coconut berry pudding (recipe coming soon!), other times I throw a couple pre-frozen cubes in with both our superfood and green smoothies alike. I use in sautéed curry dishes and other times my daughter and I just eat a cube straight out of the freezer together (especially when we turn it into berry coconut yogurt first)! When the magic of coconuts combines with the power of probiotics, there is so much opportunity for exploration, health and fun!

As always, this recipe is best enjoyed in the company of those you love!