My friend Toby and I have this joke and it goes something like this:
Him: "E, this is amazing! What's in it?"
Me: "Cashew cream."
It's not so much of a joke as a true story. Cashew
cream can be savory (lasagna!) or sweet (peach cobbler!) and is a nutritious, delicious substitute for cheesy, creamy anything.
Ingredients:
1 c raw cashews, powdered (they must be raw and unsalted - look in bulk bins at the health food store)
1 c filtered water
Powder cashews using a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or magic bullet is best
for this, but a blender will work in a pinch but it's best to then soak the nuts for 4 or 6 hours beforehand to make sure you get a very creamy (not gritty) result.
Blend the powdered cashews with water until creamy and
Voila! you have cashew cream. You can add savory spices (salt, pepper,
basil, rosemary) for things like stuffed shells, or you can add agave
and lemon zest for sweet things like blueberry pie.
1 lb plum/roma tomatoes (or, really, whichever kind you like best)
big handful of fresh basil leaves
3-4 sundried tomato halves
juice from ¼ of a lemon (or half if it’s small)
¼ cup olive oil
1 medjool date, pitted
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 t salt
½ t black pepper
¼ t red pepper flake
First chop all of your tomatoes very small. Then blend together everything save for the tomatoes in a food processor. Add a small handful of chopped tomato and pulse that for a minute. Then combine the mixture with the rest of the chopped tomatoes.
