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Heart Healthy Kitchen

Ep 11 Cheesy Cashew Dip

This recipe calls for a bit of pre-planning in that you have to soak the cashews the night before, but after that, it’s just one simple step to a delicious dip.

Cashews are high in minerals, fibre, protein and unsaturated fat, and high nut intake has been linked to lower rates of heart disease. The raw cashews you buy in stores are not truly raw. The oils in the shells of cashews can cause a serious allergic reaction in most people and so deshelled cashews are roasted at high temperatures to destroy any lingering toxic oils before they are sold commercially.

Most raw nuts contain phytates, compounds which prevent certain minerals from being digested properly and absorbed into our bodies. Soaking nuts will reduce the effects of phytates but unsoaked ones are still nutritious and are good sources of healthy fats, vitamin E, B vitamins, protein, potassium and fibre.

When blending the ingredients, you will probably have to stop to scrape the side of the blender jar as the mixture can be quite creamy and sticky. Also, while ordinary blenders will do the job, those that can achieve higher speeds will give you a smoother consistency.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews
1 cups water (to soak cashews)
3–5 tbsp water (or to desired consistency)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2–3 tbsp fresh basil (or 1 tbsp dried basil)
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp oregano
½ tsp salt

Method

1. Soak raw cashews in water for 4–6 hours (or overnight). Drain and rinse.
2. In a blender, add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. You may have to scrape down the sides a few times.
3. Place in a bowl and serve with raw salad vegetables such as celery, cucumber, bell peppers or carrots. Can also be used as a pasta sauce.