Vegan Creamy Tomato Shells Recipe - with cashews (2024)

FAQs

What happens if I use roasted cashews instead of raw? ›

RAW AND ROASTED CASHEW NUTS

The number of nutrients and calories will only be altered if roasted cashews are seasoned with ingredients such as salt or honey. Some nutritionists argue that raw cashews are slightly better because they are unmodified and retain all their initial minerals and nutrients.

Cashews– raw cashews will blend into a fully creamy paste (use water or the soup broth.) Add it at the end of the soup's cooking time and keep an eye on the soup after adding it because cashew cream can separate and get lumpy with too much heat.

But what about cooking with this ersatz dairy? It turns out that you need to take care in how viscous you make the cashew cream. While true cream gets thinner and more fluid when you heat it because the tiny fat globules that make up more than 35 percent of its bulk melt, cashew cream gets thicker.

Cashews contain a natural toxin called urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state. The toxin is found around the cashew shell and can leach out onto the exterior of the nut itself.

The soaking cashews will swell, especially the ones that sit overnight. However, if they have turned purple-ish it is a sign they have soaked too long and you should start over.

Blend 1½ cups cooked beans, lentils, or chickpeas with ½ cup water or broth until completely smooth. Add 2 tablespoons bean puree per 1 cup soup or stew, then stir until fully incorporated.

Nutrition Notes

Compare this to the nutrition information for our Cashew Cream recipe, and you'll see that cashew cream has fewer calories, total fat, saturated fat and sodium. Going by these numbers, cashew cream is healthier than heavy cream.

In many recipes for butter chicken, copious amounts of butter and heavy cream supply richness, but we do as we were taught in India and use cashews pureed with a small amount of water until smooth. The nut puree adds creaminess without making the dish heavy.

Usually 2 parts cold water is mixed with 1 part cornstarch until an opaque mixture is formed. For example, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cool water to thicken about 2 cups of hot liquid. More slurry can be added for a thicker sauce.

Why Soak Cashews? Any recipe that calls for cashew cream or cashew puree requires you to soak the nuts first. Soaking in water makes the cashews softer, which results in a smoother cream. The longer you soak the cashews, the softer they become, the smoother your cashew paste is going to be.

Is cashew cream better than dairy cream? ›

From a nutrition standpoint it is a high-calorie and high-fat food, just like dairy cream. But most of the fat in cashew cream is the heart-healthier unsaturated type, and dairy cream is a significant source of saturated fat.

When it comes to nutrition, both raw cashews and roasted cashews are excellent choices; the ways that the two types of cashews are processed do not change the other nutritional properties of the cashews. Both types are rich in nutrients, and both have the potential to be low in sugar, depending on how they are roasted.

Cashews are prepared for consumption in one of two ways: raw and roasted. The phrase “raw cashew” is misleading, as all cashews fit for consumption have been roasted once to remove both the cashew shell and the shell's harmful oils. Roasted cashews are roasted a second time to alter or enhance the cashews' flavor.

Raw cashews contain a substance called urushiol, which is also found in poison ivy and can cause skin irritation and other symptoms in some people. The process of roasting cashews removes this substance, making the nuts safe to eat.

The Bottom Line. Both raw and roasted nuts are good for you and provide health benefits. Both varieties contain similar amounts of calories, protein, carbs and fiber. However, roasting nuts may damage their healthy fat, reduce their nutrient content and lead to the formation of a harmful substance called acrylamide.