A handful of cashews may be a nutrition-packed snack food, but did you know the popular kidney-shaped nut doubles as a dairy substitute in a variety of scrumptious recipes? They also grow in the most unusual way!
Cashews: A Nut or a Seed?
Cashews are derived from a tropical evergreen tree originally native to Brazil. The top cashew producing countries today include Vietnam, Peru, India, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire. What is strange about the cashew is how it grows. Although the cashew is considered a culinary nut, botanically it is actually a seed. The cashew (seed) comes from the cashew apple. The apple is yellow and bell-shaped and slightly resembles a bell pepper.
The cashew is encased in a crescent-shaped shell which grows from the bottom of the cashew apple on the tropical cashew tree. Wonder why you haven’t heard of the cashew apple before? The juice within the cashew apple is used locally when harvested, as a fruit drink. The exterior of the fruit, however, is very fragile and not able to withstand shipping. So, until you travel to a cashew orchard, there is the tasty cashew nut to enjoy. This delicious nut is rich in vitamins and minerals: potassium, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, protein, iron, copper, vitamins K, and B-6, dietary fiber and healthy fats. Cashews contain no cholesterol.
In the tropical regions of the world, the cashew is used extensively and is served in a wide range of culinary dishes such as stir-fry, meat stews, soups, savory sauces, and milk-based desserts. Cashews are extremely versatile and have unlimited potential of recipe applications, including cheese spread, ice cream, nut butter, cashew milk, cashew cream, cheesecake, vegetable lasagna, and the list goes on!
Cashews as a Dairy Substitute
So what makes the cashew so creamy and the perfect dairy substitute?
- High in Fat. The cashew’s high-fat content makes it the perfect cheese, peanut butter, milk, and cream alternative.High in Starch. The second quality that makes the cashew especially versatile in preparing dairy-like foods is its high starch content. Cashews contain more starch than other oily tree nuts, up to 10% of their weight. The starch in cashews makes it superior to other nuts and seeds as a thickening agent in water or milk-based soups, beverages, or desserts.Subtle Flavor. Cashew’s mild, buttery flavor complements and blends well with other ingredients, instead of masking them. Cashews taste great when paired with fresh basil in pesto recipes, layered as a cheese replacement in vegetable lasagna, and when combined with fresh fruits in ice cream making.
If you haven’t added cashews to your diet beyond fancy mixed nuts or trail mix, here are three yummy recipes featuring cashews used in place of dairy products.
Cashew and Sun-Dried Tomato “Cheese” Spread
Once you taste this scrumptious spread, you’ll never go back to traditional cheese spreads.
Yield: 2 cups
Cashew Ricotta
This is a perfect substitute for ricotta in lasagna without the dairy. Also makes a perfect dip or spread!
Cashew and Sun-Dried Tomato “Cheese” Spread
Yield: approx. 2 cups.
Cashew Ricotta
- Deborah Tukua
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