After spending months cutting dairy out of my regular diet, I still couldn’t kick my half-and-half-in-my-coffee habit. Almond and soy milk didn’t have the same mouth-feel, and all the plant-based creamers in the stores have extra gunk/preservatives in them (which is why I started making almond milk, now a habit that requires hardly any thought at all).
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Tag: cashew
Almond Cashew Butter
Our house is empty of both peanut and almond butter. No Trader Joe’s runs are in sight for the next few days. Easiest solution? Make my own. This was ridiculously easy. I don’t know why this doesn’t happen more frequently! It’s bound to happen a lot, now that I’ve done it once. Enjoy.
Almond Cashew Butter (good photos and more of a recipe found here)
Heat your oven to 300. Dump about 3-4 cups worth of an assortment of nuts and seeds on a cookie sheet. (I chose raw almonds, raw cashews and a handful of coconut.) Roast for 15 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes, then pour into a food processor. Let it run for 8-10 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. You’ll know its done when its warm and runny.
Store in the fridge until you’ve licked every last bit out of the jar.
“Creamy” Spaghetti Squash
Last week I tried out a recipe for creamy kale and millet that knocked my socks off, no kidding! The sauce was glorious, and I loved the creaminess of it. It uses nutritional yeast, tahini, cashews and lemon to give it a thick tangy flavor. On first taste, Matt could not believe it wasn’t cheese. I think I liked it even better than most cheese sauces, because it doesn’t weigh you down. I couldn’t even get a photo of it, we ate it so quickly.
Well on Sunday, I was tired of getting a guilt trip every time I passed one of the numerous spaghetti squashes we still have from last summer. So I decided to bake one up. And then was inspired to concoct a creamy dish using that same sauce, but incorporating asparagus and broccoli in addition to the kale. And to top it all off – the roasted carrots, rutabega and parsnips that I already had going in the oven.
Sound like a lot? It is definitely the product of a late Sunday afternoon at home. But its also a recipe that is flexible and could be done on a weeknight with a bit of planning (especially if you leave out the root vegetables). The spaghetti squash can be done ahead of time, and usually a bigger one will last us through at least two meals.
“Creamy” Spaghetti Squash and Vegetables
*The root vegetables are definitely not a required element to this dish. But I liked the crisp texture they added.
Assortment of root vegetables (carrots, rutabega, turnip, parsnip, beet, potato, etc), chopped into 1/2″ dice
Spaghetti squash, split in half and seeds scooped out
1/2 bunch kale, cut into 1/2″ slivers
approx. 1/2 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped into similar size pieces
Creamy sauce:
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 small clove of organic garlic
1 cup water
3 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil (I bet olive oil would be a fine substitute)
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp organic tahini
1/2 cup organic cashews, soaked (I did not soak mine)
Toss the root vegetables in olive oil, and spread out on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 oven for 45 minutes (check after 30). Put the spaghetti squash in a brownie pan, cut side down. Bake alongside the vegetables for 45 min- 1 hr. Once its done, take out to cool for a few minutes, then scrape out the strands.
Put all the sauce ingredients into a blender to blend. Saute the vegetables in a saucepan for a few minutes (put in asparagus and broccoli first, then the kale in the last 2-3 minutes) until bright green. Put into a big bowl. Heat the sauce in the same saucepan for 2-4 minutes until it begins to thicken. Mix in the with the vegetables. Add in the spaghetti squash (I used almost all of the squash) to desired coating. Top each serving with some of the roasted root vegetables and a sprinkling of fresh pepper.
Garden Eats 