Cashew Nut Cream, Two Ways

Cashew nut cream is a byproduct of home made cashew nut milk. To make the milk, soak 100g cashews in 1 cup of filtered water overnight. Transfer the nuts and water to a larger jug, add another 750ml filter water and blend with a stick blender until the cashews are fine. Use a cheese cloth bag (or just a large piece of cheese cloth) to strain the milk into a large glass jar. The pulp that remains in the cloth can then be blended with a little water to make a smooth cream.

I have been struggling to find nice dairy free options for my toast, so have made a sweet and a savoury topping using the cashew nut cream.

For the sweet one, I used the cream as is and just added a generous drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon and chia seeds.

For the savoury, I  made a tasty cream cheese and topped with thin cucmber slices and chia seeds.

Cashew Nut Cream Cheese:

2 tbs cashew nut cream
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 pinch Himalayan salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
a squeeze of lemon juice

 Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl. This is just enough for one portion, but you could make a larger batch to keep.

Almost Raw Pizza

This was an accidental pizza.

The base was originally intended to be a loaf of sprouted bread, but it's fate changed and this beauty was born. A sprouted lentil and buckwheat base with all raw toppings: glorious.

Ingredients:

For the base:

1 cup sprouted buckwheat
1 cup sprouted lentils
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
2 tbs nutritional yeast

Buckwheat sprouts aren't generally available in stores, so I grew my own. I have a sprouting kit, but there are many ways to grow them using what you have at home. For instance, I have heard that you can put your 'seeds' in a sieve over a pot and they will sprout. The key to sprouting is to rinse them often (about twice daily) and to let them drain well. There is a tonne of information on sprouting here.  

Place the sprouts in a medium sized bowl and use a stick blender to blend into a smooth-ish paste. Add the nutritional yeast and salt and mix in with a spoon. Grease a non-stick pizza tray with a little coconut oil and spoon the mixture in the middle. Rub some coconut oil on your hands and press the dough into a pizza base. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for approximately 20 minutes, then flip using a spatula. Bake for a further 20 minutes until it is crisp and brown on each side.

For the cheese:

100g raw cashews
1/4 cup soy milk or water
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp himalayan salt

Place all the ingredients in a bowl (a cereal bowl is big enough) and blend with a stick blender. I pulse it until most of it is a paste and then I sort of push the ingredients in a circle around the bowl to make sure everything is well blended. You can add more or less liquid for a firm cream cheese or a softer sour cream texture.  

Toppings:

sliced avo
sliced tomato
garlic stuffed green olives
dried italian herbs
fresh oregano
salt + pepper

 Of course with pizza you could do anything with the toppings. I used what I had around the kitchen and it turned out fabulously. I just used small dollops of the cashew cheese as it is quite rich and flavoursome, but you could spread it over the base if you wanted more coverage.

xxx