Cashews – A Plant-Based Culinary Treasure

You may have grown up in a home where cashews were strictly “fancy nuts” for company. Fast forward to your current dairy-free lifestyle, and you discover that cashews are arguably the most versatile of all nuts when it comes to creating a wide range of items you might once have thought possible only with cow’s milk products.

Not only are foods made from cashews highly ethical options, they are also great for you, with none of the saturated fat, cholesterol, hormones, antibiotics, and mucus-forming qualities inherent in cow’s milk options.

Cashews are a nutritionally dense food packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, and essential minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, and iron. They also contain antioxidants, which help fight inflammation and protect cells from damage.

For many would-be vegans, cheese and other dairy products are the hardest thing to give up, as many of us grew up on these foods. Nor were there many high-quality commercial dairy alternatives until recent years. Happily, we have come a long way since, thanks largely to the valiant cashew.

Delicious, creamy, and nutrient-packed, cashew cheese variations typically have a rich, mild, and savory flavor and gloriously creamy texture, and they stand up beautifully in entrées and other recipes that traditionally use cow’s milk cheese.

Many forms of cashew cheese are easy to make, and there are also fabulous commercial product options, from lines like Violife, Rebel Cheese, Follow Your Heart, and more. Miyoko’s Creamery gets special mention, as founder Miyoko Schinner was an early pioneer in creating sophisticated cultured vegan cheese variations, which she shares in her great book, Artisan Vegan Cheeses.

Miyoko