Now bear with me on this one. Do you trust me? This is delicious. It really is. Honestly it is.
This recipe is for my friend Frederique who came to my inaugural cookery demo and has kindly offered me lots of their courgettes and Sara who doesn’t eat dairy. I hope you both like this.
I know it might sound odd but if you do not eat dairy and you don’t want to eat Tofu, here is a tasty alternative that can be used as cream. Either plain or flavoured with orange zest, a little lemon or lime. It is so utterly yummy.
I discovered the idea in the book “My Beef with Meat” by Rip Esselstyn.
I have changed the recipe a little. If you don’t have or use guar gum then decide how thick you want it, as it acts as a thickener. Plus it stops the water leach out of it. If you store it in the ‘fridge and find it splits (water on top). Just stir to re-combine.
It keeps in the ‘fridge for at least 5 days. Remember this is not fat free so use it as a treat. It is great with fruit, or used in a parfait. If thicker it can be used to frost or ice a cake.
It’s a good recipe for autumn when there is a glut of courgettes. They can also be added to hummus and other dips or salad dressings in a similar way to this recipe, as they really do add a creamy texture when used raw as they do here.
By the way you do not have to soak the cashews but I find that they blend better if you do.
This recipe makes about 3-4 cups of cream that can be stored in the ‘fridge.
Ingredients:
1 Cup of Raw Cashews (soaked for at least 1 hour or ideally overnight and drained)
2 Medium Courgettes (Zucchini for the Americans), thoroughly peeled, topped and tailed.
2 Tbsp of Maple Syrup or Agave
Flavour – 1 tsp Vanilla extract or citrus zest and 1 Tbsp of juice.
1/2 – 1 Cup of Plant Milk (I used vanilla rice milk, depending on how thick you want this).
1/2 Tsp of Guar Gum (Optional – thickens and stops water leaching out when stored).
I combined the vanilla and some lemon to give a tangy yet rich flavour but feel free to flavour as you feel fit. Just thought that rose water might be nice if serving with strawberries.
Method:
Place all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor. Process until thick and creamy. You may need to scrape down the sides a couple of times.
Chill and serve.
Prior to blending:
Now, who knew that courgettes would make a delicious healthy dairy alternative to cream? Here it is being poured into its container.
Earlier this week I served this as a dipping sauce for fruit at a dinner party. It went so well with the strawberries, passion fruit and plums. Delicious.
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