Try This Raw Vegan Raspberry Vanilla Cashew Cream Recipe

Cashew cream is a smooth, delicious food that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Depending how it’s made, it can be either savory or sweet, which makes it incredibly versatile. It’s the perfect dip for fruit. Use it to flavor smoothies or add a cashew cream layer to parfaits. It even works wonders for thickening soup. Cashew cream makes a delicious, vegan-friendly mayonnaise substitute and can be used to make spreadable vegan cheese. I make cashew cream nearly every single week. Today, I’ll show you how to make the best sweet cashew cream you’ve ever had. This raw, vegan, raspberry vanilla cashew cream is as nutritious as it is tasty. Even better, this recipe requires no cooking! All you need is a blender.

Raw Vegan Raspberry Vanilla Cashew Cream Recipe

• Prep time: overnight
• “Cook” time: 5 minutes
• Makes: 3-4 cups of cream
• Serves: 2-4 people

Equipment

• Medium sized bowl
• Blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw, whole organic cashews
• ½ cup organic, unsweetened cashew milk
• 2 tbs raw agave (or substitute raw, organic maple syrup)
• 1 tsp organic, fair-trade vanilla bourbon extract
• ¾ cup fresh organic raspberries
• Pinch of Himalayan Crystal Salt to taste

When selecting ingredients, choose raw, organic, fair-trade, and locally-sourced food options whenever possible.

Directions

1. Soak the cashews in distilled water overnight, making sure they are all completely submerged. This will soften them and make the next steps much easier.
2. Drain the water from your cashews.
3. Add cashews, agave, bourbon extract, raspberries, salt, and 2 tablespoons of cashew milk to blender. Be sure to add only 2 tablespoons of cashew milk at this point. Save the rest for later.
4. Turn blender on low.
5. Slowly increase blender speed from low to high. Each time you move to the next setting, add another 2 tablespoons of cashew milk. Change settings according to consistency.
6. Occasionally turn off blender and scrape the sides with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are mixed.
7. Once you’ve added all your cashew milk, run your blender on its highest setting for 1-2 minutes.
8. Your cashew cream should thicken. You’re done when its consistency is similar to Greek yogurt.

Enjoy Your Delicious Cashew Cream

Cashew cream can be enjoyed in a number of ways. No matter how you choose to serve yours, it’s an excellent, nutritious snack with all the benefits of organic food. This recipe has the additional benefit of being made from cashews— a nutritious little nut. Let’s take a closer look at what makes cashews so good for your body.

Cashew Nutrition: What Really Makes Cashews Great

Cashews are delicious and offer impressive nutritional benefits. Below are just some of the essential vitamins and minerals found in cashews.^[1]

Cashews also contain arginine, an a-amino acid necessary for the biosynthesis of protein.^[2] They have carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect the skin and eyes from light damage.^[3] Athletes love cashews because they support natural energy production, have the highest carbohydrate content of all nuts^[4], and are a great source of antioxidants.^[5] Cashew cream is not just delicious, it’s good for you. You may have heard that cashews are high in fat. That’s true, but to leave it at that is a bit misleading. There are good fats (monounsaturated) and bad fats (saturated). Cashews are a source of monounsaturated fats.^[6] Monounsaturated fats seem to help reduce the rate of coronary heart disease^[7] and are a great heart-healthy addition to your diet. Cashews encourage normal blood pressure^[8] and promote healthy cholesterol levels.^[9] Cashews are more than a tasty treat. I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe even more now that you see exactly how nutritious these delicious nuts really are! Try it out for yourself and let us know what you think.

References

1. “Basic Report: 12087, Nuts, Cashew Nuts, Raw.” USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 28. United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
2. “Nutrient Lists: Nuts.” USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 28. United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
3. Panda, H. The Complete Book on Cashew (Cultivation, Processing & By-Products). N.p.: ASIA PACIFIC BUSINESS, 1993. 528-29. Print.
4. Margel, Douglas L. The Nutrient-dense Eating Plan: A Lifetime Eating Guide to Exceptional Foods for Super Health. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, 2005. 134. Print.
5. Doria, E., L. Galleschi, L. Calucci, C. Pinzino, R. Pilu, E. Cassani, and E. Nielsen. “Phytic Acid Prevents Oxidative Stress in Seeds: Evidence from a Maize (Zea Mays L.) Low Phytic Acid Mutant.” Journal of Experimental Botany 60.3 (2009): 967-78. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
6. Ziegler, Toni E et al. “Using Snacks High in Fat and Protein to Improve Glucoregulatory Function in Adolescent Male Marmosets (Callithrix Jacchus).” Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS52.6 (2013): 756–762. Print.
7. Pérez-Jiménez, Francisco, José López-Miranda, and Pedro Mata. “Protective Effect of Dietary Monounsaturated Fat on Arteriosclerosis: Beyond Cholesterol.” Atherosclerosis 163.2 (2002): 385-98. PubMed. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
8. Mohammadifard, N., A. Salehi-Abargouei, J. Salas-Salvado, M. Guasch-Ferre, K. Humphries, and N. Sarrafzadegan. “The Effect of Tree Nut, Peanut, and Soy Nut Consumption on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 101.5 (2015): 966-82. PubMed. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
9. Gobbo, L. C. Del, M. C. Falk, R. Feldman, K. Lewis, and D. Mozaffarian. “Effects of Tree Nuts on Blood Lipids, Apolipoproteins, and Blood Pressure: Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Dose-response of 61 Controlled Intervention Trials.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 102.6 (2015): 1347-356. PubMed. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.