Colada Hydrator & Coconut Milk & Coconut Chia Pudding

I whipped this up the other day when I was totally hungover from too many vodka crans. Between lots of cheese and this hydration shake I was good to go. I usually make my own coconut milk but you could substitute a high quality coconut milk if you don't want to bother.


Colada Hydrator for 2 or 3

2 cups ice
2 cups coconut milk (homemade or canned from mature coconuts, recipe follows)
1 can pineapple juice (8.45 oz Trader Joe's)
1 cup frozen pineapple tidbits (Trader Joe's)
1 tbs agave syrup (Madhava)

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Makes about 4.5 cups.


Homemade Coconut Milk

5 cups distilled/filtered water
meat from one whole mature coconut (The brown shelled not Thai kind)
1 tbs Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste (Nielsen-Massey)*
2 tbs agave syrup
Small dash of sea salt (don't leave out, makes a big difference)

Place all ingredients in blender, preferably high speed and blend until meat is completely pulped with water. Pour mixture through a nut milk bag and into a bowl, squeezing all the liquid out of the pulp. Use right away or place in mason jars. Makes about 5 cups. Lasts about 3-5 days. This coconut milk is great for smoothies, for drinking straight and for making Coconut Chia Pudding.

*A note about vanilla bean paste: I've tried many brands and like Nielsen-Massey the best. As well, I use so much that it gets very expensive so it's handy that I can buy a 32 oz container off amazon for about $40 or so. I actually go through one or two of these a year easy! Vanilla as well as coconut are food groups for me. :)


Coconut Chia Pudding

 2 cups homemade coconut milk*
1/3 cup chia seeds (food grade- I buy mine off of Amazon)
2 tbs agave syrup

Place all ingredients in glass bowl and whisk together to incorporate. Let sit for about 15 minutes and stir again before placing in fridge. Let sit in fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight for flavors to fully incorporate and for chia to fully gel.

Coconut Chia Pudding has a texture similar to tapioca pudding but is very good for you because of the chia and coconut. It's great on its own or served with fresh sliced fruits like strawberries and banana. I love it but it's not for everyone. I suppose if you don't like slimy foods like tapioca you won't like this. But it's awesome if you do.


*note about substituting coconut milk: if you decide to substitute the homemade coconut milk with another coconut milk make sure you compensate by adding some vanilla bean paste and agave syrup if the milk you're using doesn't have these. Also, make sure the coconut milk is smooth and not too thick to hydrate the chia. Chia seeds absorb a lot of fluid!