Have you ever heard of cashew sour cream?
I have to confess that I love cashews before I go on. It would be unfair to not get that out in the open. I’m already biased, you see. Nuts are my best friend. They make me feel so much better about giving up dairy. I feel like I can indulge in their healthy fats and fiber, and I do each and every day.
Let’s get back to cashew sour cream though because it’s really cool. As I’ve been reading up on various vegan staples, I came across a few recipes for dairy-free sour cream. I am not a huge fan of morphing vegan food to make it taste like non-vegan food. You know, vegan cheesecake made from silken tofu? That kind of thing? Honestly, I’d rather just have a piece of the real thing and suffer with a tummy ache.
I don’t really need soy-based sausages or TVP (textured vegetable protein) flavored like chicken, beef and pork. That’s just not my thing. (I am on a mission to try really good nut cheeses though. I hear Dr-Cow products are IT.)
I do not want sour cream made from silken tofu. I can’t.
This sour cream is different. It’s amazing to me that certain nuts (mainly cashews and macadamia nuts) can be whipped into a cream when you add water. And what’s more? The taste is unbelievable. No, of course it doesn’t taste like dairy sour cream. It’s not quite as smooth; there’s a bit of texture. But when you need a little extra oomph on top of chili or whatever your heart desires, it delivers.
I’m not interested in totally replacing dairy in my life. There are some things I’m choosing to go without. But when I dolloped a bit of this cashew sour cream on my veggie enchiladas last week….whoa. I’m not going to miss dairy sour cream on my Mexican food.
Even if you still eat dairy, you’ll like this.
I finished the last spoonful of my cashew sour cream last night. I’ve dolloped a spoonful on quite a few things this past week–curries, stews and soups. I’ve seen it used as a base for dips and spreads. I have yet to try it out in something sweet, but when I do, you’ll be the first to know. Look for raw cashews in the bulk bins at your local health food store.
Cashew Sour Cream
from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
salt, to taste
Instructions:
Blend cashews, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water and a little salt in a blender or food processor gradually moving from low to high speed. While the machine is running, add a little more water as needed until you have reached a consistency that is like whipped cream.
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. (I actually kept mine longer and it was still great.)
Yield: 1 cup
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P.S. I’m on my way to San Francisco this afternoon. I can’t wait to tell you all about it next week when I get back. I’m taking two borrowed lenses from LensRentals.com— a 70-200mm f/2.8 VR and 105mm f/2.8. I’m having way too much fun with them. I can’t wait to land in favorite city (sorry, NY) and start shooting. And tell you more about LensRentals.com when I get back. (They are awesome.)
8 Comments
Interesting! I didn’t know nuts could produce such a creamy substance! Very nice!
Weird — but cool! Can I come to your house and try it?
This looks great! There are a ton of things you can do with cashews for raw food diets and dairy substitutes. Looks like you have it all figured out.
I never knew you could make something like this. I just might have to try it! (And it’s about time I made it over to your blog…and subscribed!)
What an interesting was to prepare sour cream ! It’s innovative recipes like this that inspire bloggers to try to create something out of the ordinary, thank you for sharing ! Thank you for your sweet comment as well several days ago. It had truly made me very happy : )
so, you probably couldn’t use it in baking. Is that right?
I’ve never seen cashew sour cream (so clever!) but have made cashew cream before to replace the heavy cream in ganache. It works like a dream, just the cashews and water blended to perfection. Can’t wait to try these- we’re always trying to add more vegan things to our diet.
I like to soak the cashews in hot water for an hour, drain & rinse them before blending. Makes it even creamier! Love this ease vegan recipe!