Cashew Butter

While almond butter was crazy popular last year {along with almond meal, almond milk and almond lattes}, I think the humble cashew nut is far more tasty, creamy and versatile. 

While almonds are a healthy nut that is good for the general population, they are unfortunately very rich in salicylates and amines making them largely unsuitable for people with chemical intolerances and eczema. And if you are prone to oily skin and breakouts, almonds can give you crazy teen-like acne. 

This is why raw cashews are the nut-of-choice in the Eczema Detox, which is a book that features on our Eczema Life website. Note I said raw cashews, not roasted, as the raw ones are the only nut low in itch-promoting salicylates, amines and MSG, which are natural chemicals that can be problematic for many eczema sufferers.

• The following recipe works well as a butter or margarine alternative,
• it can be used for filling celery sticks,
• spreading onto toast,
• or add a spoonful to your favourite eczema-friendly smoothie.

The health benefits: 

Raw cashews are rich in important skin minerals including manganese, magnesium, zinc and copper.

• copper is a vital part of the DAO enzyme that deactivates histamines in your body
• copper plays a role in maintaining collagen and elastin in your body
• copper contains antioxidant properties that may help to slow the ageing process when combined with other antioxidants 

Disclaimer: If you have a nut allergy of any kind, please consult with your health practitioner before trying this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 cups of raw (unsoaked) cashews, depending on how much cashew spread you want to make (tip: the more cashews you use, the easier it is to blend)
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt (optional, do not use salt if you have high blood pressure)

METHOD:

Add the cashew nuts to a high-speed food processor and blend on high until your nuts turn into a nut meal as pictured below. This process takes a little time, so be patient as the nuts will go through various stages before becoming a lovely soft spread. We have provided photos of each process so you can see what to expect.

Turn the food processor off and scrape down the side, then continue the processing, stopping when needed to scrape down the sides several more times.

The nut meal will begin turning a little clumpy like thick little balls, as pictured below. 

Continue processing and scraping down the sides until the meal begins to turn into a thick spread (it may turn into a ball). 

Continue to process the ball - it will begin to thin out the spread as pictured below. Scrape down sides when needed. It does take a little time and patience!

Once the spread has thinned out and is fairly smooth, you can transfer the spread into a clean/dry jar or container, seal it tightly with a lid and keep it in the refrigerator.

NOTES:

If your jar is sterilised and the jar and spread is completely water free, you could store it in the cupboard. 

Variations: add 1/2 teaspoon of real vanilla or 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup or brown rice syrup to make this a sweet spread.

Cashew butter can be kept for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator, or maybe longer if sterilised correctly. But it probably won't last long... I eat mine pretty quickly! 

Products 

At Eczema Life, we recommend nutritionist Karen Fischer's low food chemical program (The Eczema Detox) along with additive-free supplements for skin health and wellbeing. Click on the images to view more details:

    

Food photos and recipe by Katie Layland, product photos by Noel Mclaughlin.