Coconut Milk of a Very Different Kind

By Jordan Wright

Toss out the notion of a sticky, sweet drink mixer for pina coladas or the other kind that comes in a can and is used as a cooking ingredient for Thai curries.

This new product, in plain, unsweetened and vanilla flavors made by So Delicious, is used straight from the carton on your morning cereal or drunk by the glass and is found in the refrigerated section beside the soymilk.

About coconut, the carton explains, “It is a rich source of medium chain fatty acids (MCGAs) which are recognized as “good fat”, and it is naturally cholesterol-free.” That should be good news for cardiologists and their ice cream-deprived patients.

In our house, kid-tested and highly approved, coconut milk has replaced the soy, almond, oat, rice or hemp milks previously consumed. We especially love the vanilla flavored, but the unsweetened version is better for savory cooking or baking. Not inconsequentially it is vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO and organic. Smoothies using the vanilla flavored coconut milk are divine with this brand new product.

So Delicious is an Oregon company that had previously produced only soy-based products. Their wonderful Soy Delicious ice creams like Green Tea and Awesome Chocolate are family favorites.

But in April of this year they rolled out their new line of coconut-based products called “Purely Decadent Made with Coconut Milk.” There are nine different flavors, sweetened with agave syrup.

Think ice cream without the milk…really rich and creamy, with a smooth mouth feel.

Under the So Delicious brand name there are eight coconut-based frozen ice creams by the pint and five types of “novelties,” Banana Split Sandwich and Coconut Almond Bar are two of these grab-and-go bars.

They also make a “cultured coconut milk,” which is a yogurt-style product that comes in six flavors and has all the benefits of yogurt.
Passionate Mango, anyone?

Their web site www.turtlemountain.com reminds us that “40 million Americans are lactose intolerant while many others have reduced or eliminated their intake of dairy products due to religious, philosophical or health reasons.”

Turtle Mountain has always focused on customers with allergies and other health concerns and has a comprehensive allergen prevention program with an allergen identification table described on their web site.

Julie Berner, a customer relations spokeswoman at Turtle Mountain told me the company has been contacted by a PKU group lately. People with PKU have a very low tolerance for protein, an excess of protein can actually prove to be fatal, and they must limit their daily intake. For that reason these new coconut-based products are of particular interest to the PKU community.

Look for So Delicious coconut-based kefir to appear in markets in the months to come.

In our area, Whole Foods, some Safeway stores and My Organic Market are your best bet to find these heavenly treats.

For comments, queries or recipe submissions contact [email protected].