This creamy probiotic coconut panna cotta is fresh, light and super easy to make, utilising some of this seasons sweet strawberries. Rich in gut healing compounds, probiotics and healthy fats, it’s decedent enough for dessert and nourishing enough for breakfast too.
I love cooking with coconut milk because it’s naturally sweet and high in healthy fats. These fats provide a quick source of energy for kids bodies and brains and also have potent antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. Coconut kefir is a delicious, tangy drink that contains a much-higher and broader range of probiotics than yoghurt, but this recipe works well with either.
Gelatin is what makes our panna cotta jiggle. It’s great for healing the gut, supporting healthy joints, bones and skin and promoting restful sleep too. In order to receive all the health benefits, it’s important to choose a good quality gelatin from a health food store as the chemically-treated packs of gelatine powders at the supermarket don’t offer the same health advantages.
Strawberries top the Environmental Working Group’s list of produce that contain pesticide residue, so to reduce this, wash your strawberries by adding 1 tsp of baking soda to 4 cups of water and soak for 5-minutess. Then, rinse with cold running water and pat dry.
Serves: 6 – Prep time: 10 minutes – Cool time: 2+ hours
Ingredients:
• 250ml canned coconut milk
• 250ml coconut kefir (or yoghurt)
• 250g strawberries
• 2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp gelatin
Instructions:
1. Lightly grease 6 ramekins with a little bit of coconut oil
2. To a small bowl add gelatin and 1 Tbsp water, mix and leave to “bloom”
3. Blitz strawberries in a blender until smooth then press the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds, reserving the liquid
4. In a small saucepan, gently warm coconut milk over low heat
5. Add vanilla, honey and bloomed gelatin stirring to combine then turn off heat
6. Allow the mixture to come to room temperature – this is important as heat will damage the probiotics – then add the coconut kefir and strawberry liquid and whisk to combine
7. Pour mixture into ramekins and place in the fridge for 2-4 hours or until set
8. Once set they can be served as is or turned out. To remove from ramekins, dunk in hot water for a few seconds, then run a sharp knife just around the edge to loosen it from the sides. Place a plate over the top and holding the ramekin and plate together invert the ramekin and the panna cotta should plop out on to the plate – it may need a little jiggle of encouragement.
9. Serve with extra sliced strawberries
