Not a fan of coconut.......other options?

[peg27]

Hello everyone! I am a newbie here on the forum and to Whole30. I have not started yet, will do so in 2 weeks after dropping my oldest off at college. Right now I doing alot of research and have purchased the book. My question (I'm sure I'll will have a ton!) is about coconut milk. I see many recipes calling for coconut milk. Recipes that I love such as Butternut Squash soup. I REALLY dislike the taste of coconut. I have never used coconut milk in anything. Does it have a strong flavor? Is there an alternative to it that would be good in those recipes calling for coconut milk? Thank you!

[scoakley13]

I'm not a fan of coconut either but have been using it because of recipes. I haven't had any yet that had an overwhelming coconuty flavor. I have discovered that scrambled eggs made with coconut milk are divine! Maybe start with something like (meaning inexpensive in case you have to throw it out) to see how your taste buds react.  

[SugarcubeOD]

3 hours ago, peg27 said:

Hello everyone! I am a newbie here on the forum and to Whole30. I have not started yet, will do so in 2 weeks after dropping my oldest off at college. Right now I doing alot of research and have purchased the book. My question (I'm sure I'll will have a ton!) is about coconut milk. I see many recipes calling for coconut milk. Recipes that I love such as Butternut Squash soup. I REALLY dislike the taste of coconut. I have never used coconut milk in anything. Does it have a strong flavor? Is there an alternative to it that would be good in those recipes calling for coconut milk? Thank you!

Usually when people don't like the taste or smell of coconut, they're thinking of the really weird sweet, overly cloying scent/taste of synthetic coconut or 'coconut flavor' .. the taste in a soup or other recipe is not that... The thing with subbing out some other type of milk for a soup is that coconut milk is very high in fat which makes it creamy... You can definitely skip the things that have coconut milk as a main player, but I honestly think maybe try and make a batch of the soup for instance and see how you like it... I"m sure that if it's not palatable to you, someone in your family/friends/work friends group would snap it up in a second! 

[WholeCourtney]

I'm going to go against the grain. Personally i do not care for coconut in most recipes. Even if its not a main ingredient I can still sense its sweetness which I think is what I dont care for. I use nut milk (cashew or almond) as a substitution and Ive had mostly success. 

[Bellmaestra]

I would rather have coconut milk only in things that seem like they should have a little taste of coconut, like Thai or Indian dishes. Other things, not so much, such as Ranch dressing. On occasion I'll use some of a plain container of Nutpods to add some creaminess to a soup or sauce; that way I don't have to buy a huge container of some kind of nut milk and have it go to waste.

Another way to get a tasty sauce is to boil chicken or beef stock until it reduces, and then turn off the heat and add a tiny bit of coconut milk. The reduced stock intensifies in flavor and makes a tasty "gravy."

Stephanie

[ultrarunnergirl]

YMMV, of course, but if you don't like coconut before starting W30, you might begin to like it along the journey. So give it a try if that's the case.

[2plus2]

One of my friends from Brazil told me they make milk from really green bananas. You cook them in a pressure cooker for about an hour (in the skin), after they cool, peel and liquefy them in a blender with enough water to make milk. You could probably find a recipe by googling it. I did it once and it was pretty good and no coconut flavor. I can't eat potatoes, but boiled green bananas are a great substitute. While they're green they have a surprisingly neutral flavor.