(Welcome to Stacie, who is testing a new Wednesday Kitchen column for ATLA. Like The Kitchen in NYC, this is about cooking at home, not restaurants!)
Coconut milk isn't just for curry or cakes and cookies. It's a great way to sex up your morning oatmeal.
Just substitute it for the milk or water you normally use and voila, you've got an exotic treat. Try it in pancakes too. You won't be disappointed and even though it may be a high fat food, justify the caloric intake by noting how much potassium it has to offer. Or try Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk. It's still rich but has half the fat. - Stacie
"Coconut is bad for health" is a highly politicised fact in the US to avoid the consumption of coconuts to decrease the competition.
Generations of my family and my natives have been eating coconut in some form or the other every day. and none of us suffer from any kind of generational cholesterol problems
"No evidence has ever been presented to prove that coconut oil causes coronoary heart disease." Coconut is called the "Tree of life" where it is grown in abundance. "Coconut eating people like the polynesians and filipinos have low cholesterol on the average and very low incidence of heart disease.
To read more follow the link below
http://manangkusinera.blogspot.com/2004/06/coconut-milk-and-coconut-oil-is-it.html
thanks for posting this, stacie. i am a little obsessed with coconuts and had never given a thought to using the milk for cereal. as for high fat content: it's one of those things that is well worth it to me for the flavor (ie. i'd take butter over "i can't believe it's not" any day). people seem more afraid of fat than they do of general excessive quantities, unfortunately.
a weekly food tribute on AT:LA seems like a grand plan...curious what the angelenos have to say on the subject!
I had shredded coconut left over from a cake once. Once, when I was out of sugar I mixed it into my morning oatmeal and it was fantastic! I have done it many times since, sugar shortage or not.