A Vegan's Best Friend: Cashew Cream

A few days into my Vegan Challenge, in the course of just a few hours, I had an email from both my mother-in-law and a college friend encouraging me to check out this book:


I took this as a sign, so I picked up a copy of the cookbook and found a recipe inside that has significantly curbed my dairy cravings: Cashew Cream

Cashew Cream is the easiest recipe you've never (I'm betting) made. All it requires is water and raw cashews, but the resulting pureed cream is pretty darn close to heavy cream, but without all the dairy and saturated fat.

I've been using the cream in all sorts of applications, but my favorite is my Spring Risotto, which I made vegan last night. SPH responded when he tasted it,

"Is this vegan? It's fantastic!"



Woo hoo! A vegan victory for the whole family. Thanks Chef Ronnen.

Cashew Cream

Raw Cashews (preferably whole, but I've used pieces and they work good too)
Water

Cover the cashews with water. Place in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours.


Pour the cashews and water into a blender. Process until creamy, scraping the sides if necessary.

Unless you have a super-powerful blender (ie, a Vitamix) you will want to strain the cream through a fine sieve.


Voila! Cashew Cream ready to be seasoned or used just plain as it is.


I've found myself drizzling it onto risotto, using it as a base for dressings or sauces, and even on my pizza instead of cheese.

Like I said, it's a vegan's best friend, especially if that vegan happens to lust after dairy like a fool (I resemble that remark).

Life is sweet,
SPC