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Homemade Raw Vegan
Organic Cashew Butter |
I love raw vegan nut butters. There are so many delicious options: cashew butter, almond butter, pecan butter, walnut butter, hazelnut butter, pine nut butter, macadamia nut butter, hemp seed butter, pumpkin seed butter, sesame seed butter (tahini), and more. Raw, vegan, heavenly, nutritious, and delicious. I use raw nut butters in many different ways... from using them in dressings (ehem the
4-Ingredient Magic Dressing I posted last week), to spreading them on fruit and veggies, using them in dips, nut milks, smoothies, and more. Raw vegan nut butters are a nutritious whole food fat that are also extremely satiating.
But. When you buy them in the grocery store (or even online) they can be friggin' expensive. Not when you make your own though. I can make my own raw, vegan, and organic nut butters for a fraction of the price. Seriously, a fraction. And, when I realized I was going to save so much money by making my own... well, I treated myself to a brand new, kick ass food processor to make those creamy dreamy butters.
(Check this bad boy out - Cuisinart Elite 14-cup! I named him Toruk - also known as "Last Shadow" the orange and red Great leonopteryx from Avatar.). It kind of made it a "free" food processor, if you ask me, in that it pays for itself quickly. Don't forget, I also make my own crackers most of the time and I use my food processor for that, too. Money saver. Ch-Ching.
Do you want to make your own fresh raw vegan organic nut butters? It's easy! First you need to stock up on organic nuts and seeds. The best way to do this is buying in bulk so you can save more money. For example, when you go to
Blue Mountain Organics and buy in bulk, you'll see that the price goes down per pound. I buy the 5lb bags, and sometimes I split them with my mom. They have a great shelf life and I store mine in the freezer to protect them more. So, even if you don't have someone to split them with, they'll last you many months if you want.
Take 3-4 cups of (dry,
not soaked unless you soak and dehydrate them) raw organic nuts or seeds, and place them in your food processor, fitted with the "S" blade. (If you're using a nut or seed with enzyme inhibitors like almonds or walnuts, for example, you might opt to soak them and then dehydrate them before making them into butter. This makes them extra healthy and easier to digest. It's believed that for cashews, Brazil nuts, hemp seeds, and pine nuts you don't need to soak and dehydrate for that purpose.) You can add a pinch or two of Himalayan crystal salt, but I don't. Also, if your nuts (or seeds) just don't seem to be getting creamy for some reason, and they need a little help, you can add a tablespoon or two of raw olive oil. Personally, I have never done this because I have never needed to, but if you're food processor isn't cutting it for ya, then this could help. Alternatively, some people use their
high powered blender to make nut butters. I find it easier to do so using a food processor.
Process them until they turn into butter. This can take anywhere from 3-7 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. That's it! It's that easy.
Put in an air tight, glass container and store in your refrigerator for up to one month.
