Hello lovelies, I continue with the basic recipes and today I have 3 new ones for you: 3 basic recipes with cashews - milk, sweet cream and sour cream. These are all based on cashew nuts. Cashews are probably one of the most important ingredients in vegan cuisine, because they are insanely versatile. You can make both sweet and savory sauces, milk, dips, cakes, pasta sauces and much more.
We should take a closer look at the cashew, because even though it is often referred to as such, it is not a nut.
Cashews
From a botanical point of view, cashew nuts are not nuts: they are kernels of the cashew tree fruit. This up to 15-meter-high tree forms pear-shaped, thickened fruit stalks, which are referred to as Cashew apple, but are only fake fruits. Because unlike all the other fruits of the world they do not carry their seeds inside. Instead, at the bottom of these fruit stalks grow the actual fruits of the tree, the kidney-shaped cashew nuts. Botanically, these are actually stone fruits. In the wooden shell of the stone fruit is then the 2-3 cm large cashew nut.
Cashew kernels contain a lot of high quality vegetable protein. They have many unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and can help regulate high cholesterol levels. Cashews are very good magnesium and phosphorus suppliers. Source: utopia.de
But you should make sure that you buy organic cashews and fairtrade, because the harvest of the seeds is very expensive and the conditions for the workers are not always good.
The cashew kernels are not only delicious, they are also very healthy. But as with everything, you should just enjoy them in moderation. That's why we do not have cashew milk every week, I like to switch between the different nut and oat milks.
But today I would like to show you 3 simple basic recipes which contain cashews. On the one hand a delicious cashew milk, a sweet cream that is suitable as a frosting for cakes (a recipe will follow soon) or for a parfait and a sour cream, which we love very much. The sour cream is suitable as a basis for dips, but also in wraps or in sauces.
All 3 recipes are made very quickly - the only thing you have to think about in advance is to soak the cashews the night before (but do not worry, even if you forget that, there is a solution too).
Recipe
Here are the 3 basic recipes with cashews - milk, sweet cream and sour cream:
3 basic recipes with cashews – milk, sweet cream and sour cream
Ingredients
Cashew milk:
- 100 grams of cashew nuts
- 500 ml of water
- Pinch of cinnamon
- a little vanilla paste/extract
- optional: dates
Sour cream:
- 200 gr cashew nuts
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 10 tablespoons water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pepper
Sweet cream:
- 150 grams of cashew nuts
- Juice of 1 - 1 1/2 oranges
- 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup
- cinnamon
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Cashew milk:
- Soak the cashew nuts overnight, then pour the soaking water the next day and wash it off again
- Add to a high-speed blender with the other ingredients and mix for 1-2 minutes
- Put in a clean bottle and keep in the fridge for about 3-5 days
- Sour cream:
- Soak the cashew nuts overnight, then pour the soaking water the next day and wash it off again
- Add to a high-speed blender with the other ingredients and mix for 1-2 minutes until you get a smooth cream
- Put in a clean bottle and keep in the fridge for about 3-5 days
- Sweet cream:
- Soak the cashew nuts overnight, then pour the soaking water the next day and wash it off again
- Add to a high-speed blender with the other ingredients and mix for 1-2 minutes until you get a smooth cream
- Lasts about 3-5 days in the fridge
Most important is a good mixer, because you need to get the cashews really smooth. Everything becomes so creamy with the right blender, you can barely guess what the creams are made of.
I love the sour cream, we use it for wraps, mexican food, but also in salad and as a basis for dips. You can refine it as you wish, e.g. with fresh herbs, garlic or Tahini.
The sweet cream is perfect for frostings on cakes or also as a component of a dessert, e.g. with a fruity compote. You can already find a dessert recipe with cashews here. I used it for a delicious orange cake this time, the recipe will follow next week. Instead of orange juice you can of course also use cashew milk, then the cream will be more neutral.
I hope I was able to inspire you with these 3 simple recipes. It is so easy to make your own plant based milk, you can already find my basic recipe for almond milk here. The sour cream is really my favorite, I almost always have it in the fridge and it is a 100% substitute for traditional sour cream (I also used it to bake my bread).
Which other basic recipe do yo want on the blog?Please let me know, I am looking forward to your feedback.
Love Verena
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This post is also available in: deutsch
