delicious homemade coconut yogurt

we do lots of fermenting in our house.  the standard american diet is desperate for fermented foods.  fermented foods help our digestive system thrive which in turn boosts our immune system and even elevates our mood and brain capacity.  making your own fermented products is cost effective and quite simple.  beyond that, it's actually more beneficial to make your own fermented foods rather than buying for two reasons.  one is that commercial fermented products are often not fermented for very long, which means they have less beneficial bacteria.  secondly, when you ferment in your own environment, you are adding your own natural microbes to the fermented foods, in turn making it even stronger for your own immunity.

i love making coconut yogurt at home.  it's so simple and so delicious.  i often add coconut yogurt to savory dishes such as a dollop in soups or as a base for a tzatziki.  coconut yogurt is tasty mixed with fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, maple syrup or honey.  the possibilities are truly endless.

for my recipe i use the "let's do organic" coconut cream.  i like this coconut cream because it's measured out into the perfect quantity of coconut butter and it's super easy to just open the package and put it in the vitamix, you can use any coconut cream you prefer.  i also add a tablespoon of gelatin into my coconut yogurt so that it is firm.  without the gelatin (or another thickener) the yogurt will have more of a consistency of kefir or milk, however you will still have a delicious fermented food!  if you do use the gelatin, i recommend mixing your tablespoon of gelatin with a little water first to keep the consistency smooth.  i also use maple syrup in my recipe instead of honey or sugar.  this is all about personal preference.  one note. . .if you wish to flavor your yogurt, do this after fermenting, not during the process.

a few other things to consider. . .i use a yogurt maker.  i make yogurt about every ten days and to me it was worth it for the $35 investment.  some people make yogurt in a dehydrator or an oven.  experiment and see what works for you.  also, the amount of water you use can vary depending on how rich and creamy you want the yogurt.  i usually make about 40 oz of yogurt with every batch.

 
coconut yogurt recipe
1.  take one package of "let's do organic" coconut cream and empty contents into your vitamix or high speed blender.

2.  add about 12 oz of hot water to vitamix and begin to blend coconut cream into milk.  bring water level up to approximately 38 oz of water (this will include your coconut cream).  blend the coconut cream totally, making sure it's smooth.

3.  add 1 tbsp of sweetener of your choice, 1 tbsp of gelatin and 2 tbsp of previous batch of coconut yogurt or entire contents of your package of yogurt starter culture into vitamix.  blend again.

4.  pour your mixture into your yogurt maker and set for 15 hours or desired fermentation time.

5.  once fermentation is complete put lids on your jars and shake really well.  let set in fridge. . .the yogurt will firm up in about 12 hours.


enjoy~~