Thursday, October 15, 2009

Cashews & my Vitamix: The perfect marriage

We removed most of the dairy from our diet a couple of years ago. It was one of the best things we ever did.

I'm always on the look-out for ideas on how to make the usual dairy based yummy foods without dairy. There are some really GREAT recipes out there...and some really bad ones too ;-) Over the past year I have been experimenting a lot with cashews, and during that time I have discovered how wonderful they are when it comes to making creamy dishes/sauces that would normally include a lot of dairy. I do have to attribute a lot of my success to my Vitamix. It gets my concoctions super creamy and smooth. I'm not sure a regular blender of food processor could do the same. (Just more reason to invest in a Vitamix. If you know me, you know that I ADORE my Vitamix!!! I bought it 8 years ago and have used it almost every single day since then. It's such a great investment! I will save this topic for a future post.)

I've included a couple of my cashew based recipes on previous posts: "Nacho Uncheese" and "Garlic Uncheese Dip/Sauce". Since then, I've tried a couple of other combos that have been equally delicious. I'm not the best at measuring things when I cook, so unfortunately, I don't have specific amounts of the ingredients that went into each one, but I'll give you the a rough idea of what I did, and you can play around with the ingredients to see what works for you. The base is always 1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 3 hours...then I build from there.

Chocolate Pudding: 1 cup soaked cashews, about 1 tbsp cocoa (preferably raw, but it doesn't have to be), honey or agave to taste, pinch of salt, filtered water. Start by blending everything in the Vitamix (on high) with some water...then keep adding water (little by little) until it blends easily. Adjust cocoa and honey/agave to taste. The final consistency is pudding-like...and so delicious. I think it tastes just like chocolate pudding!!!

Pumpkin Pudding: 1 cup soaked cashews, approx. 1/2 can of pumpkin (you can add more if you'd like), water, pinch of salt, honey or agave nectar, cinnamon, nutmeg...all to taste. Start by blending everything in the Vitamix (on high) with some water...then keep adding water (little by little) until it blends easily. Adjust seasonings and honey/agave to taste. The final consistency is pudding-like.

* and of course, try to get as many organic ingredients as possible :-)

Both my kiddos LOVED these puddings. I love the fact that they're getting a treat that they enjoy AND that nourishes their body at the same time.

Peace!