Review: Coconut Aminos

I'm a huge fan of all things soy sauce, so it was really hard to think that I wouldn't be able to dip my sushi in soy sauce on dates with my boyfriend, or make my Thai-inspired peanut butter sauce when I'm in a hurry and want something yummy, or have some of Dad's stir fry.  I tried tamari and that didn't work so well (it just helped open the flood gates for more rule breaking), so I was at a loss.  Then I saw Coconut Secret's Coconut Aminos in the grocery store.  At first, I was wary and just avoided soy substitutes altogether, having read that there really aren't any good soy substitutes on the market.  After missing soy quite a bit, I thought I would give it a try.  I whipped up some Thai-inspired peanut butter sauce this after noon to put on some me-friendly noodles and yum!  Although I've not run it by my flavor discerning boyfriend (he won't touch my green juice, let alone my substitutes), it's close enough to keep me happy.

A brief guide to c-dfsf milks in coffee

As I said in today's review of Turtle Mountain's Coconut Milk Yogurt, I was in a hurry to get to church and I needed breakfast.  I also bought some of their Cultured Coconut Milk to use in my Starbucks coffee, which, in addition to prompting an interesting dialogue with the aspiring-vegan barista on-duty, made me realize that not all non-dairy milks go well with coffee.  While I like Turtle Moutain's Cultured Coconut Milk straight; as my green powder's reconstituting liquid; or in smoothies, this particular products almost-yogurt like consistency did not work with the coffee at all.  When I tried stirring up the coffee and the milk up to get the milk to dissolve, nothing happened.  Not only that, but the cultured coconut milk did nothing to cover up the bitterness of the coffee and added a yogurt-like aftertaste.  I ended up going home, opening a can of lite coconut milk, and pouring some in (along with some honey and vanilla extract) to get it right.  Thankfully, I wasn't late for church - I had plenty of time to warm up, practice the hymns, meet the guest speaker, and improvise variations - but it made me think that others (particularly those who don't live dairy-casein free AND soy-free) would find the variety of commercial dairy-casein-and-soy-free milks overwhelming, especially when doctoring up something as simple (and delicious) as coffee.

Rice Milk: the most common choice among coffee shops looking to accommodate dairy-casein-and-soy-free folk, rice milk isn't bad flavor-wise, but is the most watery of the options available.  Even so, I do not complain much when that's the only c-dfsf milk option available, since it's mostly the local coffee/breakfast places where I am that have started offering c-dfsf milk, and I'm just grateful to be able to say, "Let's grab some coffee at [insert 'me-friendly' restaurant here]".

Almond Milk:  a common alternative to rice milk in our local natural foods grocery and a growing alternative in more mainstream grocery stores, commercial almond milk generally has a pleasant, nutty flavor and does fairly well texture-wise in coffee. 

Hemp Milk:  another alternative to rice milk, though less common in mainstream grocery stores than almond milk.  Of the commercial nut/seed milks I've tried, I like this one the best in coffee because of the unusual, rich, nutty flavor and creamy texture.  

Coconut Milk:  this is my favorite overall for doctoring up coffee because of it's light, sweet flavor and naturally rich, creamy texture.  I also prefer it hands down because regular, untouched coconut milk from a can is rich and creamy without "food" additives like carrageenan.  Commercial almond, hemp, rice milks - as well as preprocessed coconut milk milks - all have similar "food" additives for similar purposes.  When I make nut/seed milks at home (which I do regularly) I put in some coconut milk in the mix because it adds some good, creamy texture.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Review: Turtle Mountain So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt

I was in a hurry this morning to get to church and needed to grab breakfast on the go, so I took the opportunity to try Turtle Mountain's So Delicious Coconut Milk Vanilla Yogurt.  I'll go on record with the shortest review in existence:  yum.  The texture was right; the flavor was great; my only regret is that it's so expensive - $2 + for an 8 oz carton - and that it has carregeenan - a thickener I try to avoid.  Now that I know that it's possible, I'll just have to figure out how to make my own.  In the mean time, yum . . .

A yogurt substitute!

When I was finishing up high school, my breakfast of choice was vanilla yogurt topped with mixed berries and some granola.  These days, I haven't done much with yogurt, since I've not been bothered to try and make the stuff myself.  It's not that I don't like the stuff - it's just that I'm of the mind that I should eat primarily things that are naturally gfc-dfsf, rather than trying to find substitutes for the things I can't have.  While that's all fine and good when I'm eating on my own, when I'm with company, it makes us both uncomfortable if I can't have some equivalent.  That said, Turtle Mountain has added coconut milk-based yogurt to it's line of dairy alternatives.  They've got 9 flavors to choose from, and the reviews look good.  I've not yet tried it myself, but I intend to by the time school starts.  It's not a perfect substitute - it has carregeenan (a food additive I try to avoid) - but since I don't do yogurt (or yogurt substitutes) very much, I can compromise a little in the event I need a "yogurt".

Cookbook, Edition #5: Using Your Old Cookbooks

While moving, I unearthed my old cookbooks and didn't have the heart to put them in the Goodwill pile. While struggling with a severe bout of food boredom, I started looking through these hand-me-down cookbooks and found that there were a lot of recipes I could have, some with no alterations, and some just a few tweaks. There were some recipes that were completely out of the question (i.e. stir fry recipes requiring soy sauce), but I was surprised how little work I would have to do to get out of my food rut and hop back into the gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free diet I had tackled in March. Of course, when you are cooking gfsfcf, it's always better choose recipes that are naturally gfsfcf compliant.

Some basic, recurring substitutions:
-Heavy Cream, Half-and-Half and Milk, esp. when used to make something creamy: coconut milk in various concentrations *
-Butter: Canola or olive oil
-Refined Sugar: honey, agave nectar, or (in some cases) fruit

I made lists of the recipes I can have with little or no work and hope to give a compilation to my parents so they can see what I can have.

* A word is necessary about using coconut milk as a gfsfcf substitute. There have been conflicting reports on whether or not coconut products are good for you due to their high saturated fat content. There are plenty of resources on the Internet to allow you to evaluate whether or not including coconut milk in your diet is a good idea. Personally, I don't have a problem using coconut milk as a milk substitute every once in while, so long as I know that I have been getting plenty of fruit, vegetables, grains, and beans and not too much meat.