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Non-Dairy Cashew Cream

July 13, 2017 Rachel Sherwood

I recently shared that I over the years I have had quite a few successes getting children to try and enjoy eating new foods by serving them with a dip. Many of my simple go to options at home are yogurt based. When I had a request for a few non-dairy options I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try something new. I am so glad she asked because I think we found a new family favorite! I love experimenting to find the best and easiest way for amazing healthier options. You can read about other dip options here

but Cashew Cream hits the spot for an easy non- dairy, gluten free, vegan creamy substitution to some of the classics.

Cashew cream is a thick, creamy, pale in color dip. It has a similar consistency of yogurt but could be thinned with more liquid for a sauce texture. It may have a little visible graininess depending oh how long the cashews soaked and how well they were blended. It has a very mild favor making it perfect to take on a variety of seasoning options to fit your needs and tastes.

Cashew cream can be lightly sweetened for a wonderful whipped cream substitute or seasoned to be savory for non dairy ranch dip, creamy dressing or add body to soups.

Try it on toast instead of butter, or use it on a sandwich as you would mayonnaise. Stir it into oatmeal, mashed potatoes, even coffee! Drizzle the cream over scrambled eggs or add it to your morning smoothie. You can even freeze it and turn the cubes into a creamy, dreamy vegan milkshake with the help of some cashew milk.

Basic Cashew Cream

1 cup raw cashews

2 cups water for soaking

½ cup water for blending

1/8-1/2 teaspoon salt depending on taste and application.

*Lemon juice and other flavorings are optional see below for ideas

Soak the cashews: Place the cashews in a medium bowl and cover with 2 cups water. Set aside uncovered at room temperature for a minimum of 5 hours but best if you let them just sit overnight. The cashews are ready when they break apart when pressed between two fingers. I find the longer they soak the smoother and creamier your end product will be.

If you want sweetened cashew cream, throw 1-3 dates into the soaking liquid or sweeten with honey or maple syrup as you blend it.

Drain and rinse: Discard the soaking water and rinse the cashews in fresh water.
Blend into cream: Blend rinsed cashews with ½ cup fresh water, salt and your desired flavorings. Blend on high speed until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender and process again until mixture is thick and creamy. Add more liquid, salt or other seasoning to fit your desired needs and tastes (see notes below)
Store or use: Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Interested in more? Here are the notes from my testing and other easy flavoring options for items like whipped cream, ranch dip, southwest dip and creamy salad dressings.

Cashew Cream: The Basics

For basic cashew cream you really only need cashews and water and salt, lemon juice, dates, honey or other flavoring ingredients are optional for your desired flavor.

Equipment: For success you will want to have these tools on hand.
Measuring cups and spoons
Medium bowl
Colander
Blender
Rubber spatula

Airtight container, preferably glass as this is non porous material.

The Best Way to Buy and Store Raw Cashews.

As with most foods you will get the best taste with good-quality products. Look for raw cashews in the bulk bins at your local store or you can order them online. Bulk and online shopping typically is less expensive then the pre bagged options. Make sure they are fresh and don’t have a strong funny smell this often mean the oils have gone rancid. It’s easily to tell if nuts are bad just take a bite, your mouth will tell you, they taste strong, stale and musty. A fresh nut should taste mildly sweet with subtle undertones. If still in doubt, go with my general phrase, “when in doubt, throw it out”.

Raw nuts typically last longer than toasted nuts, as their oils are still intact. Store nuts at room temperature ideally in a cool dark panty in an airtight container for up to 6 months, in the refrigerator for 8-10 months or in the freezer for a year or longer. Nuts can easily pick up other odors and they more you expose them to air the faster they will deteriorate.

How and Why you need to soak the cashews?

soaking cashews is important for them to blend smoothly

When researching I found the suggested soaking times varied greatly for cashew cream recipes everything from 1 hour to 2 days, cold water and hot or boiling water. Some suggest that using cold water makes for a milder-tasting cream, perfect or faux whipped cream while boiling water destroys health qualities. I am only interested in the easiest way for the best results so I tested a few options.

In my experience the minimum soaking time for best creamy results is 5 hours. I did not notice a difference in taste and very slight difference in texture. It was not significant enough to tell if they were not side-by-side. As for cold, hot or boiling water. I am not a nutritionist so I am not going to explain properties to you but yes, heat kills things so I do not recommend using boiling water. If you want to use hot water to “help speed the process” go for it. I did not notice a significant change in either method. Using hot water may help them soften a little faster but feel time is really the best ingredient here for a smooth consistency. Try both if you like and make the call that work for you and the time you have available.

The longer you soak the cashews, the creamier your cashew cream will be. An hour in water works but I found the texture to be better when they sat a little longer. Different blenders may make this process easier or smoother as well. A properly soaked cashew should break apart when pressed between two fingers.

A properly soaked cashew should break apart when pressed between two fingers.

Discard the soaking liquid. Soaking pulls out the cashew’s phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. making the end product mild in taste easier to digest. Drain and rinse the cashews in fresh water before continuing with the recipe.

Why a Blender Is Better for Making Cashew Cream.

After the nuts are soaked, drained and rinsed a blender is the best tool for making cashew cream. Blender cashew cream is silkier and lighter in texture. Use a high-powered one for best results and make sure you are blending enough to partially fill the blender so it have enough substance and liquid to blend. For small batches I really love my Nutribullet. The food processor would still work just expect a slightly less smooth cashew cream. When blending scrape down the sides at least once while blending the cashew cream for best results.

How to Turn Basic Cashew Cream into Vegan Whipped Cream, Dairy Free Ranch Dressing, No-cheese, cheese dip and other wonderful dairy free sauces.

So you may be like my son and I who have no problem eating the entire blender full of cashew cream with a spoon. However because the cashews cream is so mild it is really easy to make it in to a variety of other tasty sauces, dressings and dips.

You can use it as a replacement for butter or cheese on toast or a bagel.

Garnish a dessert with whipped cream; even add it to your coffee.

Here are a few fun options to get to started. It such a great creamy non-dairy base I think you can flavor cashew cream with almost anything your heart desires. Feel free to add more or less of the items below to make it fit your tastes. Enjoy!

Non-Dairy Cashew Cream Ranch and Sweet Cinnamon flavors.

Non-dairy Ranch

Basic Cashew Cream Recipe

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Thin with water for a smoother dressing if desired

Southwest Dip

Basic Cashew Cream Recipe

½ teaspoon Chili powder

½ teaspoon Ground cumin

½ teaspoon Paprika, (for a smoky flavor try Smoked Paprika)

½ teaspoon Ground coriander

½ teaspoon Garlic powder

Garlic Dip

Basic Cashew Cream Recipe

With 1-2 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon lemon juice

“Cheese” Dip

Basic Cashew Cream Recipe

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon paprika or cayenne for spice

Caesar Dressing

2 tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 garlic clove

¼ teaspoon paprika or cayenne for spice

Sweetened Cream

Basic Cashew Cream Recipe

1-3 dates in soaking liquid

or 1- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

Sweetened Cinnamon Cream (we love this one for fruit)

Sweetened Basic Cashew Cream Recipe

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Chocolate Cream

Sweetened Basic Cashew Cream Recipe

1 tablespoon coco powder

Whipped Cream

Sweetened cashew cream can be chilled and then lightly whipped with a hand or immersion blender for a vegan alternative to whipped cream.

Really I could keep going try a curry powder, or honey with Dijon mustard. Have a favorite give it a go; Let me know what you think.

Creamy Cashew Cream Milk Shakes/Smoothies

Freeze Basic cashew cream in ice cube trays, with frozen blend a few cubs with you favorite non-dairy milk and desires flavorings fruit, veggies, chocolate etc. . .

Storage: Store cashew cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. oh yes, best part it can be frozen too. I think if stored well it would last about 3 maybe even 6 months. If frozen you may want to run it through the blender after you defrost for a purely smooth texture.

I would love to know your thoughts on this? Do you struggle with food sensitivities? Let me know if you are looking for something special I am happy to help.

Recipe for a Happy Marriage

June 29, 2017 Rachel Sherwood

It’s wedding season! How I love a wedding it is such a beautiful symbol of love and commitment. My cousin is getting married this summer. I recently went her wedding shower. Part of the invitation was to share your favorite recipe with the bride for her to make in her new home. Well, this proved to be a harder task for me than others. I have many favorite recipes. As I was digging through my best of the best, the ones I use all the time, I just could not decide.

She is allergic to nuts so thankfully that helped narrowed down a few but I was still so torn. I thought maybe a good “family recipe” would be nice, you know something my grandparents use to make that has sentimental value. Well, that was just as hard sorting though scraps of paper, partial recipes and the ones that seemed the best all contained nuts. I was at a loss. I did find some really great recipes in the process.

I finally decided to do something different. I started compiling my favorites in to mini menus that I will make a book of my favorites to start her new family off with. This process is taking a bit longer than expected so I am not quite done yet. I still needed something for the shower. I thought I would write her a recipe for a happy marriage.

Marriage is wonderful but just like being a mom it has its challenging moments. When getting married everyone always thinks it will last forever but statistics show much different. Most things that are good take effort to maintain. Commitment, love, understanding and forgiveness are needed in all healthy relationships. Here is my simple recipe for a happy marriage. Hopefully it will bring a smile to your face and help get you through those moments when you think, why did do this, I can’t handle this, and this is not what I signed up for. Life is not all sunshine and rainbows but if you do it right you have more sunny days than cloudy ones.

Recipe For A Happy Marriage

2 open hearts
4 cups of Love
2 cups of Loyalty
1 cup Faith
1 cup Kindness
1 cup Understanding

3 spoonful’s respect

3 spoonful’s trust

½ cup compassion

1 cup forgiveness (no substitutions)

½ cup thoughtfulness (not optional)

1 barrel of laughter

Hugs and kisses as needed

Combine two hearts in one home. Melt hearts with love and loyalty. Mix thoroughly with faith, kindness and understanding. Fold in respect and trust. When the mixture gets a little sticky or hard to handle add compassion and forgiveness while staying committed to the process, everything will smooth out with honest communication. Leave out blame and judgment, as these never taste good. Pour mixture into a healthy community with friends and family who love and support you. Sprinkle thoughtfulness on top. Bake for as long as you both shall live. Serve daily with heaping spoon of laughter, garnish with hugs and kisses as desired.

With Love from Rachel’s Kitchen

Basic Bolognese, gifts they never return

June 22, 2017 Rachel Sherwood

I don’t know about you but do you ever get to the point where you feel you just have too much “stuff”. With Father day last weekend I am reminded of this as my dad always says, “No gifts, no gifts. I have everything I need”. He is sweet and really think he just doesn’t likes us spending money on him. However, I think he has a good point. “I have everything I need”

Over the years we do accumulate a lot of stuff myself for example with a toddler in the house we have loads of stuff. Although at the time, I am sure I felt we needed the “stuff” and people give thoughtful gifts. There comes a point where enough is enough. But just like last weekend when I heard my dad say once again as he dose every Fathers day and birthday, “no gifts please” I still want to give him something. Gifts are not about just spending money but they are a way to show we are thinking of you, we care, a way to show love and appreciation.

So last week as I was making a big batch of Bolognese, my dad’s favorite, getting ready to host a nice Father day dinner celebrating the dads in my life my husband, father and two brothers. However, things just did not work out. I had to cancel dinner. I was a little bummed not to be able to celebrate with them but it gave me a great idea for a gift I knew my dad would not refuse. I packed up the Bolognese sauce and when I saw him later that week surprised him with my gift. You see no matter how old we are or how much stuff we have we all need to eat.

A gift of quality food made with love is by far one of the best and most appreciated gifts I can give. Who in your life could benefit from a simple gift of food? Give it a try make a favorite sauce, jam, bread, cookies or pack a full meal for someone sick or just had a baby. These gifts are the ones they really need but will seldom ask for.

Basic Bolognese

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

2 large onions small dice, about 2 cups

2-3 carrots small dice, about 1 cup

1-3 garlic cloves minced about 1-2 teaspoons

1 pound ground beef

1 pound mild/spicy ground Italian pork sausage

½ red wine optional (Shush, I like to drink a little while I am cooking)

2, 28oz. can tomatoes (whole, diced or crushed will all work and give different textures)

2 cups beef, chicken or vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

1-3 Parmesan rinds optional (these add a subtle saltiness adding to the depth of flavor)

1-2 teaspoons salt

1-2 teaspoons pepper

Heat butter or oil in a large a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over medium heat. Cook onions, carrot, and garlic stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. While vegetables are cooking season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Add meat, stirring and breaking up lumps cooking until browned about 5 more minutes

If using wine add and cook 5 more minutes until slightly reduced. Stir in tomatoes, broth, bay leaf and Parmesan rind if using, gently simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, 2-6 hours. Adjust seasoning if necessary remove bay leaf and remaining pieces of Parmesan rinds if it has not completely broken down.

A note on this recipe: My Italian Grandma never used a recipe for her Bolognese or “gravy” as she would call it. I developed this recipe as a basic starting point for a basic Bolognese but feel free to adjust it as you wish. She would say just use good quality basic ingredients and let them simmer on the stove. The real key to a good basic Bolognese sauce is time. Start it in the morning and let it simmer all day long. Add more or less liquid or tomatoes depending on how thick you like your sauce. Taste it as you go and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve with pasta or spaghetti squash noodles a bottle of wine and family or good friends.

Healthy Popcorn Favorites, Skinny Pop

June 15, 2017June 15, 2017 Rachel Sherwood

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Baby's First Business — Baby’s First Business

This week has been loads of fun! My husband has been out of town so I have been a single mom all week. Sometimes it is challenging but I am always learning new things to help myself and my clients. It has truly been fun spending extra time enjoying the summer with my little one. We even took a go at his first “business”. The neighborhood kids were delighted with the ice cream.

I have been busy developing new content for a few private events coming up and creating new ways to simplify quality food with little kids. It has also been a popcorn feast the past few days at our house. I was recipe testing for Skinny Pop Popcorn Brands. They contacted me looking for some new healthy twists on classic popcorn. Although I think my favorite is the Salted Carmel Coffee glazed popcorn I didn’t really feel like it fit the “healthy snack” criteria Skinny Pop was looking for.

The winner of the popcorn wars, the one my mommy friends and I could not stop eating was the Peanut Butter and “Jelly” Popcorn. Is the perfect sweet and salty comfort food snack with a little crunch and a little chew. Really, it has something for everyone. Now, it doesn’t really have jelly in it but the flavors are classic comforts. Try this quick recipe for a simple twist to your favorite popcorn snack. It has a velvety peanut butter glaze with salty popcorn crunch and sweet chewy raisins. So much better than a peanut butter jelly sandwich. Take it up a notch with this peanut butter and “jelly” Healthy Popcorn Favorites featuring Skinny Pop Popcorn. Looking for something even more interesting try it with one of their flavored brands like Sea Salt and Pepper, Naturally Sweet, or Dusted Dark Chocolate! Get your Skinny Pop Popcorn here and see all they have to offer here on the Popcorn Page.

Peanut Butter and “Jelly” Popcorn

1 package Skinny Pop Microwave Popcorn (sea salt or butter flavor) or about 6-7 cups pre popped Skinny Pop Popcorn try Original, Naturally Sweet or Dusted Dark Chocolate flavors

¼ cup peanut butter

1 Tablespoon coconut oil or butter

2 Tablespoons natural honey

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Prep time 10 minutes

Bake time 10 minutes

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Make popcorn according to package directions or measure 6-7 cups of pre popped popcorn in to a large bowl. In a small saucepan or microwave safe bowl heat the peanut butter, coconut oil or butter, honey and salt stirring just until melted and smoothly combined. Pour mixture over prepared popcorn. Add dried fruit and mix well to lightly coat all pieces. Spread popcorn mixture evenly on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes stirring half way though just until popcorn is no longer sticky. Allow popcorn to cool slightly on pan. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Popcorn is best eaten right away but can be stored in an airtight container.

Happy Popping!

What’s your favorite Skinny Pop Popcorn Flavor? Share your thoughts below.

Life Lessons from a Toddler, NO!

June 8, 2017June 8, 2017 Rachel Sherwood

My life as a mom is constantly evolving each day I feel I am learning something new. I am often surprised at how much my toddler is learning from me and also the life lessons I can learn from him. Alexander just turned 20 months old. He is a full speed toddler and so much fun. He latest favorite word is the discovery of no. I am not sure he fully understands what is means to say no as sometimes he says, “no” to things I know he loves and wants like bananas and Elmo. With this new discovery he has me thinking about this word more. I find it interesting that I have a tendency to teach him not to say the word. I notice myself coaching him to learn other possible words like, yes please and thank you.

As I have been observing him I got to thinking that the word no although typically used in a negative sense could also have positive meaning as well. We use the word no to help protect ourselves; to distinguish between what we want and don’t want. Yet somehow we are conditioned not to use this word too often. Everyone always wants to hear “yes” we don’t like being told, “no” at any age it seems.

The other day as Alexander was walking around the house chanting, “no, no, no, no, no, no” I thought to myself maybe he is on to something, maybe I should be saying no more. Maybe we would all be happier if we used the word no in a more constructive and conscious way. We all have the same amount of time each day yet most of us run around so busy. Why? Well, because we all have stuff to do, too many things we said yes to keep us so busy we are tired and unhappy. This revelation has me thinking, What if I used the word no more freely? What would it open up for me and by saying, “no” what do I get to say, “yes” to? If I say, “no” to volunteering at the day care do I get to say, “yes” to yoga and time for myself? If I say, “no” to a social event do I say, “yes” to a date night with my husband? If I say, “no” to caffeine do I say, “yes” to a better nights sleep?

Use your words. Say, "No" like a toddler. — Use your words. Say, “No” like a toddler.

What amazing things could happen if I used the word no like my toddler does? Well, maybe not quite as often as my toddler. I think the possibilities for more of what I want and what I say matters and less needless runaround is in my future.

What do you think? What could you say, “no” to and what does this action allow you to say yes to? I challenge you to consciously choose to say, “no” to something in the next week and see what it opens up for you. Wishing you the best.