Drinkin’ Friday: So Delicious Chocolate Coconut Milk

Perhaps it is my half Caribbean (Trinidadian!) heritage or just my picky nature growing up, but I never liked coconut. I disliked mangoes too. It still astonishes me how taste buds change as you get older. I’ve said it before and I will just keep repeating it: Veganism will alter your palate and change the foods you crave.

People often ask me what dish I am working on or thinking about. When I tell them, they often make a face. They ask, “How does it taste? Does it taste the same?” Of course it doesn’t taste the same! When you completely alter the ingredients and take out the animal products it isn’t going to taste the same. You shouldn’t expect it to.

My seven-year old niece has this amazing palate for food. When I asked my brother about her penchant for eating all kinds of foods, he told me that her palate was the result of my sister-in-law. He said it takes about 20 times for a baby or child to decide if they like a food. He said my sister-in-law kept trying with different foods over and over again. It paid off! For her birthday, two days ago, she requested sushi! The kid can eat and she loves so many different kinds of foods . . . it is impressive.

We are the only species that drinks the milk of another animal. I always thought milk was gross. It tasted funny. Don’t even get me started on my thoughts on yogurt! Blech! Thankfully, part way through my childhood, my mother switched to soy milk. While soy milk tasted so much better than cow or goat’s milk to me, I never really took a liking to it.

I stumbled upon almond milk while browsing in a London grocery store. It paired beautifully with my afternoon English Breakfast tea (and biscuit!). When I started going vegan I tried it in some of my homemade cookies. I was shocked at how well it enhanced the flavors or ingredients like chocolate or oatmeal. It was a match made in heaven.

As my taste buds changed, I reluctantly decided to revisit some of the foods I had once detested. While standing in the plant-based milk aisle at Whole Paycheck, my eyes settled on a carton of So Delicous’s Chocolate Coconut MIlk. I purchased it along with a carton of Hazelnut chocolate milk. Chocolate. Coconut. MIlk. It was love at first sip. Months later and the Hazelnut Chocolate Milk is still unopened in my pantry. So Delicous’s Chocolate Coconut Milk is fantastic! I often drink it with cookies in the afternoon or in lieu of a little hot chocolate before bedtime. Did I mention it is also high in vitamin B12? Vegans tend to be vitamin deficient in B12 so it is an excellent no-brainer option for extra B12.

No, it doesn’t taste like animal chocolate milk. It is impossible to compare the two. For me, it is not only delicious, but guilt-free! I can’t tell you how many cartons I have purchased for people or convinced others to buy. Have you ever had a homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie or brownie made with Chocolate Coconut Milk? You should. You may never look at a cookie or brownie the same way again . . .