Cashew Scream

Guest recipe by Andrew Weil, MD

SERVES 2

“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” But this scrumptious frozen dessert is vegan. The richness and buttery like flavor of cashew milk are just right for creating a quick and satisfying frozen treat. Use this recipe as a blueprint — the variations are endless.

1 cup frozen berries
½ cup Cashew Milk (homemade or store bought)
1 tablespoon dark amber maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt

Place the berries in the bowl of a mini food prep or food processor. Pulse the berries about 10 times. Then, add the cashew milk, maple syrup and vanilla. Blend until creamy.

Variations to consider: 1 cup frozen cherries and 1 tablespoon finely chopped dark chocolate. Or peach and ½ teaspoon ground ginger.

Note: You can also make this easily with an immersion blender.

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Cashew Milk

MAKES 3 CUPS

I find cashew milk to be the perfect substitute for milk or cream in soups, sauces, and desserts. You can make it rich or lean by varying the ratio of nuts to water. The 1 to 2 ratio below approximates the richness of whole milk. I prefer to use whole raw cashews, as they are of better quality than broken ones. You will want to keep some of this on hand; it will hold in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

1 cup raw cashews, whole or pieces
2 cups room temperature water

Grind the cashews to a fine powder in a blender or food processor, stopping and stirring occasionally to ensure uniform grinding. Depending on the machine you use, this will take 1 to 3 minutes. Stop before the nuts turn into a paste.

Add the water, blend on medium speed for 30 seconds, and then stop and stir up any nuts that stick to the sides of the container. Blend on high speed for 2 minutes. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Shake well before using.

Reprinted with permission from Andrew Weil, MD, Fast Food, Good Food: More Than 150 Quick and Easy Ways to Put Healthy, Delicious Food on the Table. Copyright © 2015 by Andrew Weil, Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group. New York, NY