Who doesn't love receiving packages in the mail? And when it is food, I truly jump for joy. Yesterday I received my big coconut stash in and couldn't have been more pleased. My coconut oil supplies were running low, and I had already run out of my newest love, unsweetened shredded coconut.

All too often I hear how coconut products are too expensive, but with some shopping around, this couldn't be further from the truth. I picked up Nutiva Extra-Virgin Organic Coconut Oil for just $5.20 per 15-ounce packed container, and Let’s Do Organic Unsweetened Shredded Coconut for just $1.50 per 8-ounce package. These are brands I have come to love over the years for quality, taste, and price. For both I use the Subscribe & Save ordering option for an extra discount and free fast shipping.

In the dairy-free diet, coconut products have many uses. I use the oil to make buttery spreads, for cooking Asian meals or where a little richness is in order, as a binder in no bake goodies, and in baked treats like scones (recipe to come). The coconut is a new addition to my pantry, but it is wonderful in cookies, granola, and more. Read on for more details and to share your thoughts on coconut ...

Afraid you might miss a good recipe or news article? Want a quickly scannable list of additions to GoDairyFree.org sent right to your inbox? You are in luck. Go Dairy Free has added a new email subscription that will send an automated email to subscribers once per day. The daily update will include the titles and links of our latest additions to the site, including recipes, recommended dining, product reviews, news, and articles. That's it ... easy to glance through in seconds, with the ability to click through and read more should something catch your eye. Consider it our new daily newsletter brief.

In addition to our email subscription, you can now interact with us and other readers on the Go Dairy Free Facebook Fan Page and via Twitter.

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Below is a sample of the what the daily email will look like for subscribers:

Who better to make a deliciously indulgent (but healthy) pancake recipe (that is optionally sugar-free!) in time for mother's day than one of our favorite gluten-free / dairy-free moms, Sarena ...

Tonight is breakfast for dinner!  I have some almond flour from JK Gourmet that I got a while back and I made pancakes with it in the past, but I wanted to see if I could make them even better.

When I am looking at gluten free flours, I always start reading the nutritional information [see below].  Since JK Gourmet's Almond Flour is just blanched ground almonds it is loaded with vitamins and minerals!  I was really excited to get in the kitchen and play with some pancakes knowing I was about to make some super high protein vitamin packed goodness.  I know, I am weird like that...I have to make something healthy even if I think I am splurging on something as simple as a pancake.  This time I was focusing on making them fluffier, so I added some beaten egg whites along with buckwheat flour to give it some chew ... 

It wasn't long ago that masses were turning to soymilk as an alternative to dairy milk. Then along came the soy-free* revolution and almond milk emerged. For several years Pacific Almond Milk and Almond Breeze have pushed and shoved their way onto store shelves in those quart-sized aseptic packages. Finally caving to demand, Almond Breeze added a double-size refrigerated version that is being met with many raves.

But they may have been a bit slow to jump on the refrigerated bandwagon, as Silk Pure Almond and Earth's Own Almond Fresh are now rivaling them for chilling space. According the folks at Silk, "Just like Silk Soymilk, our almondmilk is 100% dairy-free ... Silk Pure Almond almondmilk is also free of lactose and soy... but loaded with great taste."** Each 8 ounce serving of Silk Pure Almond contains just 60 calories, but has as much calcium and vitamin D as dairy milk. Almond Fresh boasts a similar profile, but with just a few more calories per serving.

Moving back to the shelf-stable selections, Hain Celestial has added Almond Dream to their Taste the Dream milk alternative product line. Hain has added their popular Rice Dream non-dairy milk to the refrigerated section, but it seems they are proceeding cautiously with new non-dairy milks ...