I was recently in Portland, Oregon on a girls' weekend where we spent several days exploring the city’s surprisingly empty streets and eating.
I had several good meals but there was one that outshone everything. It was breakfast at the Blossoming Lotus – a casual café-cum-yoga school serving raw and vegan meals. Sounds appetizing? Perhaps not for some but after several days of sheer gluttony sometimes a bowl of slow oats, rice milk and fresh fruit is what you need.
The dish I had was more of a 'breakfast dessert'. It was a cashew cream parfait served with live buckwheat, apples and kiwis. Dazzling.
On the way back to Vancouver I was mulling over in my head how to re-create it. I tried it the next day and met with success.
The best thing, apart from getting to eat this every morning for breakfast, is that it’s healthy. The "cream" is simply a combination of raw, organic cashews, water, pure vanilla extract and raw honey. I blend the ingredients until they’re smooth and resemble a silky mousse-like cream and that’s it. I’ve been eating it everyday for almost 10 days and I can't imagine tiring of it anytime soon.
The small triangular grains you see in the picture is buckwheat, and incidentally, they're actually seeds from the same family as rhubarb and sorrel. This was my first experience with whole buckwheat. I've only ever used the flour in cookies and blinis. The buckwheat seeds don't have a strong flavour, but they add a great texture and crunch with added health benefits.
Cashew Cream Parfait
(Makes 1 cup)
Cashew Cream
1 cup of raw cashew nuts
1 1/8 cup of cold water
1 1/2 Tbsp of raw honey
1/4 tsp of pure vanilla extract
Fruit Salad
(Serves 2)
10 strawberries, washed, hulled & quartered
2 kiwi fruit, skinned & cut into small pieces
1 crispy red apple, washed & cut into small pieces
4 Tbsp of buckwheat seeds
Method:
- Place cashews, 1 cup cold water, raw honey and vanilla extract into a blender. Blend on high speed for about 1 minute. Add a little more water and blend again until smooth. Taste cream and add a little more honey if necessary. If you want the cream to be a little runnier, add another 1-2 tablespoons of water. Blend for another minute until completely smooth. The cream may seem watery but once refrigerated it settles and thickens.
- Place fruit in serving bowls. Top with buckwheat seeds and spoon or pour on the cashew cream.
- Cashew cream should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
OH MY! Haven't thought to make creamy cashew. This will pass the muscle test, I suppose hehehe... wow great idea, thanks!
Posted by: arfi | 12 March 2009 at 06:18 PM
How did you like Portland? Where'd you go? What'd you see? Curious (Portland) minds want to know... :-)
Posted by: darlene | 12 March 2009 at 06:25 PM
This sounds great - It looks delicious and healthy to boot.
Posted by: William | 12 March 2009 at 06:56 PM
cashews are always such a great treat and the cream is pure decadence! i love tghis!
Posted by: Meeta | 12 March 2009 at 06:58 PM
I can't believe my eyes when I read about the ingredient for the "cream" is made up of only a few ingredients. It is definitely my kind of dessert: Simple, healthy and delicious!;)
Posted by: lk | 12 March 2009 at 07:03 PM
HOLY YUM GOODNESS!!
Posted by: VeggieGirl | 12 March 2009 at 10:48 PM
It sounds very interesting. I need to try this out.
Posted by: amanda B | 13 March 2009 at 01:08 AM
This looks like something that could be served as dessert! So good! Will have to try this weekend.
Posted by: Mia | 13 March 2009 at 01:10 AM
It truly looks "dazzling" and very tasty and healthy. It's funny how we rarely tire of fresh, healthy foods, but heavy ones are quick to wear out their welcome. At least for me.
Posted by: Julia | 13 March 2009 at 02:10 AM
I have enjoyed cashews forever so when I saw this entry, my eyes lit up in excitement. This is a must make for sure! Thanks for a great, unique idea!
Posted by: shane | 13 March 2009 at 02:03 PM
Perfect. I got yelled at for buying cashews at the expensive store around the corner, but it tastes perfect so I don't care. (My only suggestion is that I would start with no more than a cup of water, and then add from there.)
Posted by: Lisel | 13 March 2009 at 03:12 PM
Super yum!
Posted by: Stephanie | 14 March 2009 at 03:19 AM
This looks divine!Cashews are perfect for creaminess specially if you soak them for a bit first!
Posted by: Veggie Wedgie | 14 March 2009 at 03:19 AM
Syrie, this sounds as a wonderful dessert to my ears & mouth,.....
MMMMMM.... what a beautiful picture!!!
Posted by: Sophie | 14 March 2009 at 03:26 AM
That is awesome! Cashews don't get enough love, especially in dessert/sweet-land, so this is so charmingly unique. Looks delicious too!
Posted by: Manggy | 14 March 2009 at 06:51 AM
oh my, gorgeous, and i must try this!!
Posted by: ttfn300 | 14 March 2009 at 06:58 AM
Looks and sounds wonderful. Love the nutty and creaminess of it!
Posted by: pigpigscorner | 15 March 2009 at 09:37 AM
This sounds wonderful! Cashews are my favorite, and I've never done anything like this with them. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Hayley | 15 March 2009 at 01:50 PM
Wow does that look FRESH or what! Beautiful pic :)
Posted by: A&N | 17 March 2009 at 12:33 AM
Sounds very interesting.
Posted by: Cynthia | 18 March 2009 at 11:40 AM
Wow I'm fascinated does it taste anything like almond milk? I'll have to see if I can find raw cashews anywhere as I think most of the ones I've seen here are roasted once.
Posted by: Marc @ NoRecipes | 26 March 2009 at 04:07 PM
fyi
the buckwheat they use is sprouted. it takes about 1-2 days and is pretty easy. be sure to use raw buckwheat and not kasha- the roasted version of buckwheat.
also, agave nectar is a good alternative to honey.
Posted by: ilvs | 14 September 2009 at 02:00 AM
Sounds like a very tasty recipe, but unfortunately I can't stand cashews... I ate too much of them when I was in Thailand last year. Can't even look at them now =\
Posted by: Casta Darian | 10 January 2010 at 12:33 AM
Nice Blog..i really appreciate it..
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Jenifer
Posted by: Cooking | 21 May 2010 at 04:33 AM