We were hosting The Book Club, and I was in need of some munchies that were suitable for one member’s dietary restrictions: no wheat, no sugar, no (or so I thought) dairy.
Hmmm.
Tricky.
But! I had a few ideas, and after a quick search of da Google, I came up with a couple of things that I thought might just fill the bill, and still be tasty, too!
But first, I needed to make some cashew butter. Fortunately, da Google also provided me this wicked simple version from Emeril, who, I must confess, has grown on me as I’ve worked with his recipes.
INGREDIENTS
•2 cups roasted cashews*
•2 or 3 tbsp veggie oil
•1/4 tsp salt
•1 tsp sugar (optional)
*Emeril called for using roasted unsalted cashews, but my market only sold them with sea salt added. It worked out fine.
Add the cashews (one entire 10 oz. bag) and two tablespoons of the oil to the bowl of your food processor fitted with the metal blade and process for 30 seconds or so, until the mixture is smooth.
Give it a taste, then add the salt and sugar, if you are planning on using it, and pulse to combine – even tho’ I had started with salted nuts, I still thought my cashew butter could use a bit more, so added that 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.
If the mixture seems too thick, add the additional tablespoon of veggie oil and pulse to combine.
Nice cashew butter – and very popular with all the members of The Book Club, who enjoyed it on crackers (for those who didn’t need to avoid wheat) and celery and carrot sticks.
Of course, I had additional plans for some of the tasty butter – as well as a second use for the food processor before washing up.
Check out those details, tomorrow.