As I've gotten older my tolerance for dairy has decreased dramatically. And this year, the year of 2020, the year of utter chaos, my tolerance is seemingly nonexistent. I went through the typical stages of grief:
Denial: I can't be lactose intolerant, I just can't! (Despite the overwhelming evidence that I am and have been for years.)
Anger: How is this even fair? I love food. I'm a foodie. Food is such a huge part of my life!
Bargaining: Okay, God, maybe after my pregnancy I will be able to have dairy again. (Then proceeds to research cases of pregnancy curing a small subset of women's digestive issues) If you give me the ability to digest dairy again I promise I will be healthier and work out every day!
Depression: This isn't fair. No more yummy desserts. No more froyo. What's the point?
Acceptance: Okay...I can either avoid dairy altogether or be smart and have it in moderation, with medication and find dairy-free alternatives for my favorite foods and drinks. This will be a fun way to challenge myself in the kitchen.
If you've been following me you know that I go all out for the holidays. About 6 years ago I decided to try my hand at making my own coquito (click here for the original post) and every year it's a hit with family and friends. Unfortunately between the fat in the coconut milk, the lactose in the regular milk, and the alcohol I've had to limit myself to just a few sips before putting down the glass.
This year was no different and around Thanksgiving between lack of sleep, prepping, cooking, decorating, eating, and drinking such rich foods and still recovering from the birth of my son, I had what was probably the worse IBS flare-up of my life. It was a truly painful wake-up call and I realized either I was going to live my life in pain or I had to adjust. My body was changing and I could either accept it and make adjustments to have an enjoyable life or continue like I had been doing and stay on medications and in doctor's offices.
I decided this year I wanted to enjoy a glass or two of coquito without fear of consequences. Since only two ingredients in coquito are nonvegan (the sweetened condensed milk and the evaporated milk) I figured it wouldn't be too hard adjusting my original recipe. I began doing some research and found this quick and simple recipe for vegan sweetened condensed milk. You can check it out here. In my version, I use coconut sugar because I wanted to get the maximum coconut flavor possible but you can use any sugar of your choice. I also used oat milk because it's what I normally buy when I go grocery shopping but you can use any unsweetened plant-based milk.
KITCHEN TOOLS I RECOMMEND FOR THIS RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS :
2 ½ cups of unsweetened oat milk (you can use any unsweetened plant-based milk of your choice)
1 (15 oz.) can cream of coconut
2 (13.5 oz.) cans of full-fat coconut milk
½ cup vegan sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup Cruzan® Aged Light Rum (optional)
½ cup Cruzan® Coconut Rum (optional)
⅓ cup of coconut sugar (or any sugar of your choice)
½ tsp. ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish, if desired
Cinnamon sticks (optional)
Ingredients you’ll need: coconut milk, oat milk, coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and cream of coconut.
Steps:
First, you'll need to prepare your vegan sweetened condensed milk. To do so bring 1 can of full-fat coconut milk and ⅓ cup of coconut sugar to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for at least 45 minutes or until thick. Allow to cool completely.
Note: Don't be alarmed. Your condensed milk will be dark because of the coconut sugar but once you add all the other ingredients the color will lighten up to regular coquito color.
In a large bowl, pot or blender, add oat milk, cream of coconut, coconut milk, vegan sweetened condensed milk, rum (if using), vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. Blend on low speed until mixture is well combined, 1-2 minutes.
Pour coquito into glass bottles; cover. Transfer to refrigerator. Chill until cold.
To serve, stir or shake the bottle well to combine. Pour coquito into small serving glasses. Garnish with ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks, if desired.
Vegan sweetened condensed milk
TIPS:
Invest in an immersion blender! I usually make this recipe in large batches and having an immersion blender helps immensely. Sometimes you will also notice that the coconut fat in the milk solidifies and separates (see my photos below) which can create a lumpy textured coquito. Using a large stockpot along with an immersion blender allows you to make gallons of this at a time. Alternatively, you could use a blender for smaller batches.
Buy an electric can opener. They are very inexpensive and will save you and your hands from the pain of manually opening dozens of cans.
Use empty rum bottles. This is also a great time to use any empty rum bottles or mason jars you have laying around. I find that storing in glass containers is best. Because coquito is so popular be sure to buy your glass containers early. I can’t count how many times I have waited to purchase my glasses only to other coquito makers lurking the aisles of stores in search of glass containers. This year I purchased mine from Ikea. You can find them here.
