10
in other words
september21
2017
An Unusual Culinary Column: Vegan and Delicious
By Karen Kain
I am really excited to
share a few vegan recipes this
month that are shockingly deli-
cious! I am one of the biggest
critics when it comes to vegan
food. In the past I have tried
a few dishes that have made it
hard for me to even consider
going vegan. I have also tried
some super fabulous meals that
seemed too complex to make at
home. Times are changing and
there are some pretty tasty veg-
an recipes being passed around
that are easy to make.
These shares are all
made with raw cashews. I have
made the first one twice and
happily eaten the leftovers for
days. I cannot say enough about
this recipe; it is easy to make
and filling so you only want a
small amount. You can make it
gluten free by using gluten free
pasta. I think this recipe would
be a big hit with both vegans
and carnivores.
My second share is
another surprisingly fabulous
dish. I am a huge fan of the que-
sadilla. Some might say I have
a bit of an addiction to eating
entirely too many quesadillas. I
have been known to eat one for
breakfast, lunch, as a snack, and
for dinner. I know the cheese
is bad for me, but it is such an
easy meal to prepare and very
satisfying. Before I attempted
to make this recipe I had two
big concerns; a bad cheese re-
placement being the first, and
how will this concoction reheat
the next day? I didn’t want to
make a batch of fake cheese us-
ing cashews only to throw out
the leftovers. Cashews, as you
probably already know, are a bit
pricey.
I was actually impressed
with the outcome. The cheese
sauce has a nice gooey texture,
and in my opinion, makes a
great cheese replacement. I
stored the cheese sauce and
chipotle cream separately, in
sealed containers, and they both
reheated perfectly the next day.
I think this may be a gateway
for many other food adventures.
I also threw in a Ca-
shew Mayonnaise recipe for
you to try. Changing your diet is
hard and finding replacements
for some of your favorite foods
can be a big help. I suggest baby
steps. Altering the way you eat
for just a few days of the week
is a great way to start.
After cooking with ca-
shews, and having such great
end results, I wanted to learn
more about their nutritional val-
ue. I know how fattening nuts
are and wondered how good
eating so many in my diet is?
I did a little digging and found
some encouraging information.
Cashew trees actually
grow in Brazil. The trees are
tropical evergreens. The nut
grows inside a seed that grows
inside the pod called cashew
apple. Portuguese colonists ex-
ported cashews as early as the
1550s. Today cashews have
become the new rage in ani-
mal protein replacement with a
plethora of vegan recipes avail-
able.
We all know that the
nuts are tasty but the shells are
also used in many applications.
Cashew shells are used to make
lubricants, waterproofing, and
paints. During World War II,
the shells were used in making
arms productions. The cashew
apple is a yellow fruit. The pulp
makes a sweet drink which can
also be used to make distilled
liquor.
Cashews contain 553
calories in a 100-gram serving
with 67% of the total daily val-
ue of fat. Cashews have 36% in
daily value of protein, 13% di-
etary fiber and 11% carbs. They
are rich in manganese, phos-
Marie Krahn
Massage Therapy
phorus, magnesium, thiamin,
vitamin B6 and K. It is impor-
tant to know that 5% of people
suffer from cashew allergies.
Another interesting fact is that
cashews have been used to treat
diarrhea.
My question still re-
mains, “With all that fat con-
tent how can eating cashews be
good for you?” There is much
research written which encour-
ages eating more nuts in your
diet. It has also been said that
eating two servings of nuts a
day can actually lower your
risk for cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, and cancer. When you
replace eating animal fat with
nut fat it helps to reduce the
bad cholesterol intake. Eating
cashews is an excellent way to
watch your weight and reduce
the fat build up in the heart.
Because cashews are mostly
monounsaturated and polyun-
saturated fats they help with
vitamin E which is a powerful
antioxidant and aid in healthy
cell growth. Cashews also con-
tain both copper and iron, and
they actually work together to
utilize red blood cells, keeping
the vessels, nerves and immune
system functioning.
I am certainly not sug-
gesting that you eat buckets of
cashews but I am very excited
to have discovered a delicious
cheese replacement that allows
me to enjoy some of my favor-
ite dishes without the worry of
my cholesterol levels. I strongly
encourage all of you who are
skeptical to give these recipes a
try.
MIKE PIHL
LOGGING CO., INC
Delicious Vegan Rigatoni
Ingredients:
• 1 Cup raw unsalted cashews,
soaked overnight
• 1 Vegetable broth cube diluted
in ½ cup hot water
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional
yeast
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Dash of hot pepper flakes
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 5 Cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Cups baby spinach
• ¾ Cup sundried tomatoes
soaked in oil
• 1 / 3 Cup white wine
• 1 Box rigatoni
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook the pasta per the pack-
age directions. While you are
bringing the water to a boil, add
the drained cashews, vegetable
broth, nutritional yeast and
lemon juice to a blender. Blend
on high until you get a nice and
smooth texture, scraping down
the sides as needed. This may
take a few minutes. Add salt and
pepper to taste. Once the water
starts to boil, cook the pasta al
dente, drain and set aside. Heat
the olive oil in a large skillet to
medium high. Add the garlic
and sauté for a minute. Add the
spinach and sun dried tomatoes
and cook for a few minutes until
the spinach has wilted and the
sun dried tomatoes are soft. Add
the wine and simmer for about
5 minutes. Reduce the heat
as needed. Add in the cashew
cream sauce and stir until it is
fully combined. Add more salt
and pepper if needed. Turn the
heat off and add the rigatoni to
the skillet. Toss the pasta in the
sauce and coat completely.
Vegan Quesadillas
Ingredients:
• 8 Medium tortillas
Chipotle Cream
• ½ Cup soaked cashews
• ¾ Cup salsa
• ¼ Teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ Teaspoon salt
Cheese Sauce
• ½ Cup raw cashews
• ¼ Cup tapioca flour, or tapioca
starch
• 1 Teaspoon lemon juice
• 1¼ Cup water
• 1½ Teaspoons nutritional
yeast
• ¾ Teaspoon sea salt
• ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ Teaspoon white pepper
Directions:
Chipotle -
Make the chipotle cream by
soaking the cashews in water
over night. Drain, and then put
all the ingredients into a blend-
er and puree. This might take a
few minutes; you want a nice
creamy texture.
For the Cheese -
Soak the cashews in water
overnight. Drain the water and
put the cashews, tapioca flour,
lemon juice, 1¼ cup water, nu-
tritional yeast, salt, garlic pow-
der and pepper into a blender
and puree until you get a nice
creamy texture, this took me a
few minutes. Put the cashew
mixture into a small saucepan
and cook over medium heat for
5 minutes, stirring constantly. A
gooey cheese ball will form.
To Make the Quesadillas -
Make the quesadillas by us-
ing a tortilla maker or a skillet
on medium high heat. Putting
a layer of cheese sauce on one
side of the tortilla and the chi-
potle cream on one side of the
second tortilla. Put the tortillas
together, cook in the skillet for
almost a minute on each side.
The quesadilla is done when
the tortilla is browned on both
sides and the middle is heated
through. Cut into quarters and
serve with salsa
Cashew Mayonnaise
Ingredients:
• ¾ Cup raw cashews, soaked
overnight then drained
• ¼ Cup avocado oil or flax oil
• ¼ Cup water
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Teaspoons apple cider
vinegar
• ½ Teaspoon salt
• ½ Teaspoon mustard powder
• ½ Fresh garlic clove, minced
or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Blend in a blender until creamy
and serve!
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