I wanted to get this out in time for Thanksgiving. The recipe below is the perfect vegan substitute to make the creamy mashed potatoes we all love. Ditch the butter, cream cheese and sour cream and instead, use this yummy, creamy cashew cream. Add nutritional yeast, garlic, rosemary, sea salt and pepper for more Flavor Flav!
Earlier this summer, I met with a nutritionist to figure out what on earth was happening with my stomach. I was so excited to be pooping solid (sorry for the overshare but everyone poops!) after a brutal eight months of treatment in 2015 that caused up to ten incidents of “pineapples” before 10am each morning.
I was required to report all side effects to a young man named Efrain. I was working fulltime in my company’s New York City Midtown office. Every morning, I’d sneak away to inform poor Efrain of my bowel movements.
“Efrain. I’m at work every day. How can I make this call without using the word diarrhea?” I asked him on day four of recording my side effects after finding a conference room to hide in.
“Pineapples,” he quickly responded, clearly having been asked this before.
“Great! Pineapples it is,” I said, satisfied. My new colleagues are going to think I eat a lot of pineapples.
I’ll dive more into my progression from pineapples to a 30 lb. weight loss to donuts and milkshakes to the diet I now maintain in a later post. In a nutshell, I finally had things under control until earlier this year when I had emergency gallbladder removal. Before surgery, I was, unlike most women my age (based on market research of discussing poop with an overwhelming majority of my girlfriends) finally pooping solid, like clockwork. It was glorious. After surgery, I was dashing for the bathroom before most of my meals were even complete to “pineapple.”
My nutritionist, a lovely woman named Robin Hutchinson with Healthy Nest Nutrition, did some blood work on me to discover food allergies and sensitivities. That’s when we decided I was done with gluten, especially having two of three siblings with celiac disease. I was testing highly allergic to wheat. Robin helped me shift my diet and had me pooping solid again in no time. Thank you, Robin! She gave me recipes and food ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner (vs. the last nutritionist I worked with three years ago who would tell me “just sauté bell peppers with bok choy” with the false and silly assumption that I knew what sauté or bok choy meant…). Robin also taught me to add a cashew cream to my bowl of fruit each morning to add protein. Doesn’t this look yummy? It is!
Today, I want to share the cashew cream recipe I found by Meghan Splawn on The Kitchn’s blog. I use cashew cream daily as a topping on my morning fruit bowl and as a substitute for the sour cream, butter and cream cheese that I used to chuck in my mashed potatoes. It’s super easy. All you need is a couple bowls (medium to soak the cashews and small to store the cream when finished), measuring devices, a colander, a blender (I use my NutriBullet®), and a spatula. When finished, cream can be stored up to one week in an air-tight container.
View approximate nutritional value here.
Ingredients
For basic, all-purpose cashew cream:
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 2 1/2 cups water, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
For sweetened cashew cream add (this is the version I use):
- 1 dried Medjool date, pitted
For “cheesy” cashew cream add:
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Simple!
- Soak the cashews in a medium bowl for up to three hours, but preferably overnight. Add 2 c. of water to the cashews.
- Drain the cashews using a colander. Place cashews, 1/2 c. of water, 1/8 tsp. salt and other ingredients if desired in blender.
- Blend until creamy. If you desire creamier consistency, add more water.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have! What are some of your favorite dairy substitutes?