Ginger Carrot Cashew spread

Deb January 5, 2017

This recipe is my adaptation of one I came across on Steemit.

The original recipe is raw and vegan, and you can see it here. I encourage you to check it out.

My version is no longer raw, which I think is more suitable for a GAPSster or anyone with digestion issues. I also tweaked amounts of some of the flavourings, including increasing the extra virgin olive oil for added GAPSy goodness.

Ingredients

(makes about 2 cups)

  • 2 cups (about 285 gms or 3 medium) carrots, roughly chopped, and cooked
  • 1 cup (135 gms) raw unsalted cashew nuts (soaked for at least 1 hour, max 6 hours)
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh or frozen ginger (or 3 tsp if you like a strong gingery taste)
  • 4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Juice of one lemon (or two limes)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ¼ tsp sea salt (or to taste)

Optional extras

The original recipe included black pepper, and parsley in the mix and was garnished with spring onion. I didn’t use any of these and thought the recipe was flavoursome enough.

Forward planning

Soak the raw cashew nuts for at least 1 hour in water. I soaked mine for about 2.5 hours. Raw cashews are not truly raw, according to Sally Fallon, and she recommends not soaking them for longer than 6 hours. Up to that point, the longer you soak them the better, for a smoother, creamier spread.

The rest of the method

Peel and chop your carrots. I steamed mine for about 10 minutes, but they weren’t cooked enough to process finely in my food processor. Next time, I’ll cook them longer, and possibly boil instead of steaming. If you wanted to plan ahead and roast them, that would be even more delicious.

Drain the water off the cashews, and put all ingredients into the food processor. Process until it’s a smooth, spreadable paste. Add more water if needed.

I found I needed to stop and scrape the sides down regularly, to get even mixing.

You can see that my first trial here isn’t completely smooth. It was still nice, but next time, I’ll completely cook the carrots which I think will improve the texture. If it still isn’t as smooth as I’d like, I’ll assume my food processor isn’t up to the job, and  use the hand held blender wand instead.

Serving suggestions

  • Spread on whatever bread or toast is suitable for your dietary plan
  • A dip for raw veges, biscotti or crackers
  • A dollop of extra flavour on cooked vegetables
  • Or just eat some off a spoon for a snack

Note

If you want to make a smaller batch, you will need to use a mini processor or a hand held blender wand to get everything blended smoothly.