Things to do with nuts

Things to do with nuts. Nuts are a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Eat them plain, add them to dishes or turn them into something wonderful. Just be careful while nuts are loaded with nutritional benefits including protein, fiber and unsaturated fats they also high in calories so I use them in place of eating meat.

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How to make Almond milk

If you’re lactose intolerant and are substituting fortified almond milk for regular milk then drinking homemade almond milk isn’t probably a good idea because it isn’t fortified with vitamins A and D. If you get all those vitamins from other dairy products then using your own almond milk for things like overnight oats is amazing. It’s so much better than the boxed stuff. Keep in mind that almond milk only lasts a couple days so only make what you can consume.

You can use this recipe from The Kitchn

Ingredients

This makes 2 cups of Almond milk. Fresh almond milk only lasts a few days so I only make 2 cups at a time.

1 cup raw almonds, preferably organic. COTC: I use unsalted Blue Diamond almonds that I buy on sale at Walgreens for $5.99 for a 16 ounce bag and store in my freezer. They are not organic. You just want to buy unsalted.

2 cups water, plus more for soaking

Sweeteners like honey, sugar, agave syrup, or maple syrup (optional)

Instructions (Read details here)

Soak the almonds overnight or up to 2 days. COTC: I always soak my almonds for two days. I put them up to soak on Friday AM and then I make the milk on Sunday AM and then make overnight oats.

Soak the almonds for two days covered and in the fridge.
Drain and rinse the almonds. COTC: Always throw away the soaking water.
After 2 days strain, rinse and throw this liquid away.
Combine the almonds and new water in a blender or food processor. COTC: I nnly use a blender. The milk will come out grainy in a food processor because the blades don’t move fast enough.
Combine with water and blend for 2 minutes.
Blend at the highest speed for 2 minutes. COTC: I use the stopwatch on my phone.
Strain the almonds. Line a fine-mesh strainer with either an opened nut milk bag or cheesecloth, and place over a measuring cup. Pour the almond mixture into the strainer. COTC: You can try it with strainer to see if you want to keep making your own milk and then invest in a nut milk bag. If the strainer is too fine nothing will go through and if it’s too large too much nut pulp will go through. Start with the larger strainer and then use a finer strainer. I also strain into a 4 cup measuring cup for easy pouring later.

Strain into a measuring cup for easy pouring. This is a nut bag. $10 from Amazon. It’s discolored from years of use.
Press all the almond milk from the almond meal. Add any flavoring you like such as maple, honey, vanilla.

Finished product.

I add vanilla to the milk and then make overnight oats. 3/4 cup Old Fashioned oats and 1 cup almond milk plus whatever else you like to add.

I buy bags of these from Walgreens when they’re on sale for $5.99 and store them in the freezer. I use them straight out of the freezer and soak them.

How to make Cashew cream

You can use this recipe from The Kitchn

Once, long ago, I had a ton of cashews left after a party and I didn’t want to eat them. I found a recipe and made cashew cream and a recipe to make it into dip and it was fantastic. Since then I mostly use it to make vegan salad dressing which I also use on vegetables. I’m not vegan but I try to get protein from other sources besides meat. Cashew cream doesn’t last more than a few days so I only make a half cup at a time. Also the pictures on The Kitchn post show the cream as white. Mine is always yellow.

Ingredients (Makes 1 cup)

For basic, all-purpose cashew cream:

1 cup raw, unsalted cashews

2 1/2 cups water, divided (2 cups for soaking, 1/2 cup to make cream)

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt COTC: I leave the salt out because I add some later when I make a dressing.

Instructions (Read details here)

Soak the cashews overnight or up to 2 days. COTC: I always soak my cashews for two days, covered and in the fridge.

This is 1/2 cup after soaking for 2 days.
Drain and rinse the cashews. Drain the cashews from their soaking water and rinse them thoroughly under cool running water. At this point, the cashews should feel a little squishy if you pinch them. COTC: Always throw away the soaking water!
Combine the cashews and new water in a blender. COTC: I use the smallest container so it’s easier to scrape down.

3. Blend on high speed until completely smooth. You will have to stop a couple times and scrape down. COTC: I use a small blender container so it’s easy to scrape down.

Finished cashew cream.

I found these at CVS for 40% off. I find them on sale and store in the freezer.

Cashew cream Caeser dressing

You can use your favorite recipe and substitute the egg yolks and most of the oil with cashew cream. I like my dressing lemony and garlicky so I use extra. If I have anchovies I throw one in to taste.

1/2 cup cashew cream
1 lemon, zested
1-2 lemons, juiced
1-2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Few cracks of pepper to taste
Siracha or hot sauce (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan or grana padano cheese. I toss the dressing into the greens, add the grated cheese and toss again.

In a blender, combine the cashew cream, lemon juice and zest, garlic, mustard, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.