I love coconut milk!

Even when I was eating dairy, I have never liked milk. I think it smells. I only used it to wet my cereal or to dunk cookies in. I never drank it. Yuck! When I was nursing my oldest child, I used rice milk as an alternative (nut milks are off limits to my nut-allergic child). I found it tolerable, especially since I never drank it. But to cook with and to wet my cereal, it was acceptable.

Nearly 2 years ago, I found SO Delicious Coconut Milk. The difference is like night and day. I'd used coconut milk before in Asian dishes, but it always came from a can. I didn't know you could actually drink the stuff. Anyway, coconut milk is the closest thing in consistency to dairy milk that I've found. It's not sweet like rice milk. It doesn't leave a funky aftertaste in your mouth. I love this stuff!!!

Anyway, the point of my coconut milk love story is that I made green bean casserole tonight - you know, the stuff that calls for condensed cream of mushroom soup from a can, dairy milk, and french fried onions? Well, I made a version tonight that was not only delicious (tasted like the crap-from-a-can version), it was healthy, dairy-free, and Paleo friendly. Woot! I also roasted a chicken and smothered it with fresh herbs from my friend Rhonda. Parsley, sage, and thyme made a tasty bird! (Are You Going to Scarborough Fair? oh wait. I'm forgetting the rosemary...) ((I'm hoping that someone gets that!))

So here's the recipe, if you're interested. It's an approximation, because I stink at measuring. I used canned green beans from my parents' garden, but you can use whatever you have. 2 quarts green beans, 1 container fresh mushrooms, chopped (or 1 can mushroom pieces), coconut milk - maybe 2 cups? Oh, and don't forget the onions!

Sautee the mushrooms in half dairy-free margarine and half olive oil until slightly golden. Add coconut milk. Normally, I'd make a roux using flour; however, since flour is a no-no, I went with a slurry (of water and cornstarch) after I had already added the milk. It thickened up quite nicely, and was the exact consistency it should have been for my green beans. Next, thinly slice an onion and fry it until it's crispy. Dump all the ingredients together, put it in the oven, and bake. The great thing about making the mushroom "soup" from scratch, is that it's already hot when you put it in the oven. So instead of waiting an hour for the Campbells Soup Version, you just need to wait about 20 minutes or so. Voila!