Coconut Snowballs

(recipe from the Bread and Chocolate blog)

1 3/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tsp. coconut oil
1/4 cup cashews
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

Pulse 1 cup of shredded coconut and coconut oil in a food processor, scraping down the sides, until well combined.  Add the cashews, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.  Add 1/2 cup shredded coconut.  Pulse again.  Roll into 1-inch balls and coat in the remaining coconut.

Refrigerate for an hour, then serve.

Baked Macaroni & "Cheese"

(recipe from VegNews magazine)

4 quarts water
1 Tbsp. sea salt
8 oz. macaroni
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
2 Tbsp. and 1/3 cup margarine (I used coconut oil)
2 Tbsp. shallots, peeled and chopped
1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. paprika

In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil.  Add macaroni and cook until al dente.  In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 Tbsp. margarine to a medium-fine texture.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil.  Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne.  Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.

In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated.  Spread mixture into a 9x12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.

(This "cheese" sauce is delicious!  I made this with gluten-free pasta and omitted the breadcrumb topping.  Baking really dried out the dish, so in the future I'd probably just serve after tossing the sauce with the pasta.)

Creamy Cashew Macaroni

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

2 cups raw cashews
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp. white miso
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. whole-grain elbow or fusilli pasta
1 can (14.5 oz.) no-salt-added diced tomatoes

Soak cashews with enough water to cover for at least 4 hours. Drain.

Place cashews in bowl of food processor with oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, miso, garlic, salt, paprika, and pepper.  Pulse until cashews are finely chopped.  With motor running, add 3/4 cup water and process until smooth.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F and lightly oil a 9x13-inch shallow baking dish.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and return to pot.  Add cashew mixture and tomatoes and stir to combine.  Transfer to the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and golden on top.

Cashew Sour Cream

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1 cup raw cashews
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. fine sea salt

Place cashews in a small bowl and cover by about 1/2-inch with boiling water.  Let soak for 30 minutes.

Drain cashews, reserving the liquid.  Place cashews in a blender with the vinegar, lemon juice, salt and 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid.  Blend until very smooth, adding more soaking liquid as required to puree the mixture.  Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

(This was fairly good as a sour cream alternative - just making note of it.)

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1 cup raw, unsalted, cashew pieces
2 pitted dates, roughly chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and halved
11 oz. blueberries
1/4 cup roughly chopped mint

Put cashews into a large bowl, cover with water and set aside at room temperature to let soak for 4 hours or overnight; drain well.  Transfer to a food processor (Vitamix works well!); add dates, vanilla and 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. warm water and puree until smooth.  In a large serving bowl, toss together strawberries, blueberries, and mint.  Serve with cashew cream.

(This cashew cream is awesome!  A healthy whipped cream alternative that would be delicous served with anything!  Seriously good!)

Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise

(recipe from fatfreevegan.com)

One 12.3 oz. package firm silken tofu
1/2 cup raw cashews (about 2 oz.)
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. prepared mustard, any variety
1/8 tsp. granulated onion powder
salt to taste

Drain water from tofu and place it and all other ingredients except salt in a high-speed blender.  Blend at highest speed until light and creamy.  Add salt to taste and blend again.  Seal tightly and keep refrigerated.  Stir before each use.

(I tried this recipe because I needed mayo for the neighboring japanese pancake recipe and thought I'd give it a try.  Not crazy about using tofu, as I've been trying to steer away from using so many legume-based products.  But I found this to be a nice mayo substitute.  I did not drain the tofu first.  I also added more onion powder and lemon juice than called for, because I like a tangy mayo.  It kept well in the fridge for about a week, and was good both by itself spread on toast as well as mixed with other ingredients for a spicy dip.)

Broccoli Salad

(not sure where this recipe came from...)

3 cups chopped broccoli
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries (or both)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup raw pecans (optional)

Dressing:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for a couple of hours in water
3 Tbsp. raw honey
2 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup onion
Salt to taste
1/4 cup water

Add first set of ingredients to a large bowl.  Blend dressing ingredients until smooth.  Pour over other ingredients and mix well.  (You could also add purple cabbage, yellow peppers, just to make it more colorful.)

(This dressing is so tangy and delicious!  And healthy.  It would probably be awesome in cole slaw.)

"Creamed" Kale

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1/2 cup vegetable broth, or water
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. mellow white miso
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of red pepper flakes
4 cups chopped kale or other dark, leafy green

Heat broth or water in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a blender or food processor, add milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, onion powder, miso, nutmeg, and pepper flakes and puree until smooth.

Transfer blended mixture back to skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Stir in kale and continue simmering, tossing often until kale is just tender, about 5 minutes.

(This is a nice tasty way to eat more kale!  I made it several times and ate it by itself for lunch.  Just something different, and super easy to make.)