Coconut Milk Recipe

1. First, drain coconut water from coconut by finding soft eye and pushing small knife into soft eye.
2. Drain coconut water from soft eye into bowl, and set aside for future use in smoothies or when blending coconut meat.
3. Next, secure coconut with one hand. With other hand, carefully hit coconut using hammer or blunt edge of knife along natural fault line between two ends of coconut. Continue hitting and turning coconut along its fault line until it cracks open.
4. To remove meat, use a hand-held coconut grater, a seated grater, or a countertop grater. Or, soak coconut halves in water for 5–10 minutes and wedge knife between meat and shell to separate them.
5. Rinse coconut meat pieces with water.
6. Add 2 cups of water and ½ coconut meat to FourSide or WildSide+ jar. Secure lid and select "Whole Juice."
7. Strain by pouring contents into mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.
8. Allow milk to drain for a few minutes, and then gather ends of cloth and squeeze cloth to extract as much liquid as possible.
9. Repeat process with other half of coconut meat.

Notes: For thinner coconut milk, add additional water to blender; for thicker coconut milk, use less water or boil after straining. Store in refrigerator, and use within 2 days. Without an emulsifier and thickener, such as guar gum, the milk will separate after sitting and will need to be reblended.

Nutritional information will vary depending on amount of water added. Most commercial varieties contain 110 calories and 12 g. fat per ¼-cup serving.