Holiday Recipe: Vegan Cashew Cream

Easy, Dairy Free Whipped Cream Dessert Topping

This simple cashew cream recipe was adapted from the UK site Uncaged, an international animal protection organisation based in Sheffield, England.

They also have simple recipes for homemade soy cheese, cream cheese and yogurt, which I thought was great, as those items are expensive to buy.

Cashew cream is a delicious topping for fresh fruit salad, stewed fruit, pumpkin or fruit pies, fruit crumbles and crisps.

You'll need a good blender to make cashew cream. If you want to double the recipe, make it in two batches so you don't overtax your blender.

A blender stick could work better, to make a thick cream. It would also mean you don't have to work hard to get it out of the blender! Plus you can make a double batch in one go. If you feel the need to run out and buy a blender stick - I recommend Braun as a strong but reasonably priced model.

This recipe makes about 2 cups of cashew cream. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 qt filtered white grape, pear or apple juice
• 2 Tbsp sunflower seed oil, or melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar or to taste
• 1 tsp vanilla or to taste

Directions:

1. Bring the cashews and juice to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the cashews soften (5 - 10 minutes)
2. Cover, and leave to cool for a couple of hours, or overnight in the fridge
3. Drain the cashews, reserving the liquid
4. Blend the cashews with the oil and vanilla, adding a small amount of the reserved juice as needed to help things along. Use as little liquid as possible - the cream should be thick
5. Add the sugar gradually, testing until it has the right amount sweetness for you
6. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the cream from the blender to a covered storage container, and refridgerate until needed