Ten ingenious ways to use cashews
Almost everyone loves cashew nuts! That satisfying crack as you bite into it, the wonderfully moreish taste and the fantastic nutrition all contribute to making the cashew one of our very favourites from the nut family.
Cashews aren’t just for snacking, however – they have a huge role to play in the kitchens of adventurous foodies. Not only do they provide a fantastic taste and texture for dishes, they also act as a very useful and effective alternative to milk, cheese and cream, making them essential for vegan cooks and anyone wanting to avoid dairy.
Something special happens to cashews when they are soaked in liquid for a few hours – they soften and swell, and can be whizzed up into a lovely smooth base for many wonderful things. It’s a delightful bit of kitchen alchemy which really opens doors to the clued-up cook! So let’s have a round-up of ten of our favourite, most creative ways to use this wonder-nut!
Pumpkin Gnocchi with Cheezy Cashew Sauce
Here’s a vegan dish which even carnivores won’t be able to get enough of! Beautifully creamy ‘cheesy’ cashew sauce adorns these sunset-coloured gnocchi made with Pumpkin Puree instead of potatoes, and combined with a cornucopia of lovely herbs and spices. This is ideal as a midweek dinner, and is supremely satisfying at the same time as being power-packed with nutrition!
Bean Brownies with Cashew Cream
Who doesn’t absolutely adore a nice brownie? There are too many brownies out there these days made with questionable ingredients and deviating further and further from the wonderful sweet treat we have come to know and love, but this is the real deal, made with robust, nutritious wholefoods such as dates, oats, kidney beans and almonds, and of course topped with that delectable sweet cashew cream. Dive right in!
If you’re posh enough to have a cheese course, watch everyone’s jaws hit the floor when you bring out this ultra-impressive cashew cheese round at the end of the meal. It’s a wonderful ‘umami’ treat and is perfect sitting on top of a decent crispbread with a cheeky glass of wine and some good grapes.
Here’s some real kitchen alchemy – milk, but from cashews! You don’t need a chemistry degree to make this lovely nut milk either – just a blender, some nuts, some water, a couple of dates and a little sprinkle of salt. This milk can be strained if you like, but unstrained is better as more nutrients and fibre are retained for tip-top nutrition!
Oat and Cashew Butter Power Smoothie
We love our smoothies here at Healthy Supplies – you can customise a smoothie to include most anything you want, and when we pack a big load of lovely whole foods into our blender and switch it on, we know we’re in for a taste sensation and some powerhouse nourishment. This recipe’s a great example, and combines nuts, oats and ginger with anti-microbial superfood Manuka honey.
Making pesto’s a brilliantly quick, easy way to enjoy pasta, but for those people who don’t like basil, or shudder at the price of pine nuts, here’s a superb alternative recipe which mixes red peppers with cashews and herbs for some lightning-fast and ultra-tasty suppertime grub.
If you’re put off by that bright yellow, ultra-processed, sugar-stacked stuff that passes for marzipan in the supermarket, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at this more natural, nutritious version made using cashews combined with coconut sugar, coconut palm nectar and a few drops of vanilla. Transform your cakes and desserts with this awesome wonder-stuff!
