3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community - Cashew Cream (Substitute for Heavy Cream in Recipes)

I noticed this on an Oprah where the chef was showcasing vegan recipes. I think this would be a healthy substitute for heavy cream in any phase!

Quote:

Cashew Cream
Recipe from The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen
From: http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/rec...n-cashew-cream

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 such as a Vita-Mix, which creates an ultra-smooth cream, 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.