Who needs dairy anyway?
Two out of my three children have an allergy to dairy, one of them severe. That’s right an allergy, not an intolerance. We are talking all out eczema rash, crusty eyes, swollen stomach and nasty phlegm. I can tell within an hour if dairy has been consumed, even in the least amount.
As a lover of all things cheese, this put me at a loss for almost all recipes in my extensive knowledge of food. Even the most basic recipes include milk or cream. I had eliminated casseroles, enchiladas, pizza, yogurt, and many other basic foods in our everyday menu. We had just grown adapt to this lifestyle change, when I decided to start looking for healthy alternatives. Why should my children be subject to missing out on some of life’s simple joys? So it was now sorbet in the freezer and and soy products in the refrigerator. However, cooking certain favorite recipes without the milk or cream was still beyond me; until my 11 year old son was watching TV and insisted that I come in to watch Opera with him. He too was greatly aware of his siblings’ food dilemma. In a matter of moments I had a solution! It may not seem like a big dilemma to most, but when you are in the situation that I was, this was a life changing deal. Here is how it went:
Cashew cream is a vegan-chef staple that stands in for dairy in a variety of ways.
In the raw-food world, where it originated, it's used in lots of desserts. When you cook with it, though, it can be so much more—from cheese filling in ravioli to heavy cream in soups. It can be stored 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to 6 months (although after it's defrosted it can be a bit lumpy, so it's good to give it a spin in the blender to smooth it out before using it).
The trick when making cashew cream is to use raw cashews. They have no flavor of their own; they're just a vessel for fat and creaminess. (It's the roasting that brings out the familiar sweetness in cashews.) Because it has a nice fat content, cashew cream reduces in a pan even faster than heavy cream.
Makes about 2 1/4 cups thick cream or 3 1/2 cups regular cream
Take 2 cups whole raw cashews (not pieces, which are often dry), rinsed very well under cold water. Put the cashews in a bowl and add cold water to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water. Place in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth. (If you're not using a professional high-speed blender, strain the cashew cream through a fine-mesh sieve.)
To make thick cashew cream, which some of the recipes in this book call for; simply reduce the amount of water in the blender, so that the water just covers the cashews.
So there it is! Who needs dairy anyway? Not me.
As a lover of all things cheese, this put me at a loss for almost all recipes in my extensive knowledge of food. Even the most basic recipes include milk or cream. I had eliminated casseroles, enchiladas, pizza, yogurt, and many other basic foods in our everyday menu. We had just grown adapt to this lifestyle change, when I decided to start looking for healthy alternatives. Why should my children be subject to missing out on some of life’s simple joys? So it was now sorbet in the freezer and and soy products in the refrigerator. However, cooking certain favorite recipes without the milk or cream was still beyond me; until my 11 year old son was watching TV and insisted that I come in to watch Opera with him. He too was greatly aware of his siblings’ food dilemma. In a matter of moments I had a solution! It may not seem like a big dilemma to most, but when you are in the situation that I was, this was a life changing deal. Here is how it went:
Cashew cream is a vegan-chef staple that stands in for dairy in a variety of ways.
In the raw-food world, where it originated, it's used in lots of desserts. When you cook with it, though, it can be so much more—from cheese filling in ravioli to heavy cream in soups. It can be stored 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to 6 months (although after it's defrosted it can be a bit lumpy, so it's good to give it a spin in the blender to smooth it out before using it).
The trick when making cashew cream is to use raw cashews. They have no flavor of their own; they're just a vessel for fat and creaminess. (It's the roasting that brings out the familiar sweetness in cashews.) Because it has a nice fat content, cashew cream reduces in a pan even faster than heavy cream.
Makes about 2 1/4 cups thick cream or 3 1/2 cups regular cream
Take 2 cups whole raw cashews (not pieces, which are often dry), rinsed very well under cold water. Put the cashews in a bowl and add cold water to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water. Place in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth. (If you're not using a professional high-speed blender, strain the cashew cream through a fine-mesh sieve.)
To make thick cashew cream, which some of the recipes in this book call for; simply reduce the amount of water in the blender, so that the water just covers the cashews.
So there it is! Who needs dairy anyway? Not me.
Comment
-
Comment by Ty Mellon on January 28, 2010 at 10:13pm
-
That is a great post!! Thanks for posting and I really like Wendy's idea for a "Mom's Healthy Cooking Corner" :) You guys are really doing what FOOGS is about!
Thanks!
Ty
-
Comment by Rachel Butler on January 28, 2010 at 9:08am
-
wow! GREAT post Yvone! Keep'em coming! We are kinds of light on Diet and recipe content here on the site. We want everyone to grow...but once you have bushels of spinach....what do we do with it all!
-
Comment by Wendy Butler on January 27, 2010 at 4:20pm
-
Your blog is amazing! We need to start a group for alternative cooking Mamas- your dairy and my gluten. We were so destined to be a pair. Love Ya Dear xoxo
© 2024 Created by Ty Mellon.
Powered by
You need to be a member of For Our Own Goods - FOOGS to add comments!
Join For Our Own Goods - FOOGS