Whipped Cashew Coconut Cream (Dairy Free); and Some Good Reasons to go Light on Dairy
Most of us have been taught that milk does a body good. Well, cow milk does a baby cow body good, but not humans. There are issues with the fat, sugars, and proteins of cow milk, and it should be avoided by humans. I do eat some dairy, but usually as a small garnish to a meal (can’t bring myself to eat soy cheese).
I’m not going to tell you all the reasons why I avoid milk, but I will explain 2 here. One is in the fat. Did you know that animals store toxins in fat? Think about all of the toxins going into cows these days (hormones, pesticides, etc)…ew. Plus, animal fats are composed of saturated long chain fatty acids, which wreak havoc on your heart, circulation, and weight!
The other reason for avoiding dairy that I want to share here is that it has an acidifying effect on your body. Guess what your body does when something causes it to be acidic? It pulls calcium from your bones to neutralize the acid. Um…wait…I thought milk was fortified with calcium. Well, even fortified milk doesn’t usually give you enough calcium to undo the damage to your bones. Why do you think America has such a high rate of osteoporosis, even though Americans drink a ton of milk? Clearly it doesn’t make sense to use milk for calcium, especially when you learn that it doesn’t naturally have that much, compared with other foods. If you want calcium supplementation, don’t drink it in milk. You can get lots of calcium from beans, nuts, and vegetables (especially bok choy). If you don’t believe me, do some research. I read it in Dr. Fuhrman’s books, and you can probably find it on his website (he’s vegan, so I don’t totally agree with everything he says, but I do learn a lot from him). http://www.drfuhrman.com/
Here’s my recipe for the cashew cream. It’s also low glycemic and gluten free, of course! I made it a few weeks ago, and it has kept well in the freezer in a glass jar (formerly an almond butter jar). When I want a scoop I just remove the lid, microwave it for 15-30 seconds, take a dollop, and put it back in the freezer. So easy!
1.5 to 2 Cups Raw Cashews
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/4 to 1/2 Cup Light Coconut Cream
1/4 Cup Coconut Flour (optional)
1-3 Tbsp Xylitol (optional)
Place all of the ingredients in your food processor, but hold back 1/4 cup of the cream. Process, until it becomes thick and creamy. Add more liquid to get to the desired consistency. Note that you need to process it for a few minutes to get it to the correct consistency. You could probably put this in a piping bag with a large tip to make it look pretty on your pies, or whatever you’re using it for!
