Tag: cashew sour cream

Healthier {& Tastier!} at Home: 12 Ideas to “Make It Yourself” & Save Money

I had the opportunity to teach a workshop today for the University of Maryland’s Center for Integrative Medicine Annual Health & Wellness Conference in Baltimore. It was held at the Institute for Integrative Health in Harbor East, where I will be teaching a two-part Eating Empowerment Workshops in May (if you want to have a judgment-free, joyful relationship with food and learn to connect with, savor and nourish yourself sign up here!). 

During the workshop, I focused on making common recipes that we buy at the store at home. Since Cinco de Mayo is coming up, I thought I would put a Mexican spin on my recipes and share how to make my Chipotle-style bean burrito bowl, dairy-free cashew sour cream, and no-bake Mexican brownies.

RNK Chipotle Burrito Bowlwords sourcreamIMG_4708

In addition to the recipes I made in the class, I shared how much cheaper it is to buy bulk foods (beans, grains, nuts & seeds), whole foods (carrots, cabbage), and condiments (salsa, salad dressing, sour cream, hummus) instead of canned, bagged, frozen or pre-shredded versions.

Let’s take a look at some simple math that makes the case for why we might want to consider making some basic food ourselves rather than buying the premade versions in the store.

Two cups of dry brown basmati rice costs about $2.30 and triples in size once cooked, yielding SIX cups of cooked rice. Compare that to ONE frozen or precooked bag of brown rice, which typically contains only two cups of cooked rice…for the same cost as six cups! I’m not a mathematician, but I’d say it’s a much better deal to get six cups of rice for $2.30 than it is to get two cups of rice for the same price. The same ratios and similar savings hold true for dry beans vs. canned beans.

Another food worth making yourself at home is shredded carrots. One 10-ounce bag of organic shredded carrots costs about $2.99. BUT you can get 32 ounces of whole carrots (2 pounds) for only $2.29 per pound and shred them yourself using a box grater or your food processor. Then, you can take your carrot scraps and add them to your frozen bag of other veggie scraps to Make Your Own Vegetable Broth. The savings definitely add up over time! 🙂

I mentioned one of my favorite books about the basics behind how to cook everything, so if you want to check it out, visit your local bookstore or Amazon.

bittman

In addition to using the great tips, tricks and recips in Mark Bittman’s book, here are some other tips, how-tos and recipes to try that are easier (and cheaper) to make at home than to buy at the store:

How to Cook Brown Rice by The Kitchn. (The key is NOT to stir it or uncover it while it is cooking. It will make your rice gummy!)

How to Cook Beans on the Stove by The Kitchn. If convenience trumps cost for you, try precooked canned beans in BPA-free cans by Eden Organics (my #1 fave!) or Field Day Organics.

How to Make Your Own Vegetable Broth from Scraps by Rachel’s Nourishing Kitchenveggie broth banner

Easy Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa by Averie Cooks

Basic Hummus Recipe from Inspired Taste

Easy Tangy Apple Cider Vinaigrette by Rachel’s Nourishing Kitchen

How to Make Salad Dressing from the Academy of Culinary Nutrition

How to Make Your Own Granola {Recipe & Video} from Rachel’s Nourishing Kitchen

Super Food Trail Mix by Rachel’s Nourishing Kitchentrail mix

What are your favorite storebought-inspired recipes to make at home?

Feel free to share below!

Walnut Tacos with Dairy-Free Sour Cream

I originally wrote this post in February 2014, but since then I have made some tweaks to the recipes to make them my own and improve them. I served these at a workshop I did today, and my coworkers LOVED them. One person even said she likes them better than regular tacos 🙂

——————————————————————————————————-

My husband Bill and I saw The Lego Movie last week, which inspired me to bring a raw taco recipe to work this week for our Real Food Challenge and to celebrate Taco Tuesday!LEGO Taco Tuesday Guy Set 71004-12

When I think of tacos, I think of the crunchy, salty Old El Paso shells filled with seasoned ground beef and variety of other toppings, like cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Some of those toppings are healthy, but others aren’t. Instead of giving up tacos, why not put a new, healthier spin on them?!

One of the things I enjoy most about what I do is reinventing our favorite comfort foods, so they are healthier but just as (if not more!) delicious and flavorful.

I prepared the “meat” and “cream” for today’s Taco Tuesday lunch for my coworkers, and it was a HUGE hit! Skeptics and believers alike raved about these tacos and dairy-free sour cream, so I’m going to share with you the recipes for how to make them!

The secret ingredient in the “meat”? Walnuts!

raw walnut tacos taco meat closeup

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Pinch cayenne powder
  • 2 tablespoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) – You can find this in the Asian section of most grocery stores or online. Use coconut aminos to make this dish paleo.
  • 1 head of baby Romaine lettuce (use one leaf as the taco “shell”)

Add your own toppings, including but not limited to the following:

  • Dairy-free sour cream (below!)
  • Black or pinto beans
  • Brown rice
  • Diced onions
  • Salsa
  • Guacamole
  • Diced avocados
  • Diced tomatoes

Directions

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it resembles the size and texture of ground meat!

Now, on to the sour cream! 🙂

whole taco

Since I stopped consuming milk products a few years ago for health reasons, I’ve had to find alternatives to the creamy goodness of dairy, and I’ve been happy with the recipes and options I’ve tried. I will be devoting several blog posts in the future to some of my favorite deliciously dairy-free recipes, but for today, we’re going to spotlight a recipe for sour cream…without the cream.

The secret ingredient? Cashews!

Cashews can be used as a base for creamy, dairy-free sauces, dips, spreads, and even cheesecakes (Zia’s makes the best!). When you soak cashews overnight in water, they get really soft and can be blended together with savory ingredients to create a delicious, dairy-free alternative to sour cream.

words sourcream

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and then rinsed and drained
  • 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/3 cup water

Directions

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. I had to use the tamper for my Vitamix to push it down.

**If you don’t have a high speed blender, you will likely need to stop a few times to scrape down the sides and might need to add a bit more water to thin it out.

The taco “meat” should be able to last a few days in the fridge, since there are no cooked ingredients in it, and the sour cream will likely be good for up to a week.

Enjoy!

It’s Taco Tuesday! Walnut Tacos & Dairy-Free Sour Cream {Vegan, Raw, Gluten-Free}

I originally wrote this post in February 2014, but since then I have made some tweaks to the recipes to make them my own and improve them. I served these at a workshop I did today, and my coworkers LOVED them. One person even said she likes them better than regular tacos 🙂

——————————————————————————————————-

My husband Bill and I saw The Lego Movie last week, which inspired me to bring a raw taco recipe to work this week for our Real Food Challenge and to celebrate Taco Tuesday!LEGO Taco Tuesday Guy Set 71004-12

When I think of tacos, I think of the crunchy, salty Old El Paso shells filled with seasoned ground beef and variety of other toppings, like cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Some of those toppings are healthy, but others aren’t. Instead of giving up tacos, why not put a new, healthier spin on them?!

One of the things I enjoy most about what I do is reinventing our favorite comfort foods, so they are healthier but just as (if not more!) delicious and flavorful.

I prepared the “meat” and “cream” for today’s Taco Tuesday lunch for my coworkers, and it was a HUGE hit! Skeptics and believers alike raved about these tacos and dairy-free sour cream, so I’m going to share with you the recipes for how to make them!

The secret ingredient in the “meat”? Walnuts!

raw walnut tacos taco meat closeup

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Pinch cayenne powder
  • 2 tablespoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) – You can find this in the Asian section of most grocery stores or online. Use coconut aminos to make this dish paleo.
  • 1 head of baby Romaine lettuce (use one leaf as the taco “shell”)

Add your own toppings, including but not limited to the following:

  • Dairy-free sour cream (below!)
  • Black or pinto beans
  • Brown rice
  • Diced onions
  • Salsa
  • Guacamole
  • Diced avocados
  • Diced tomatoes

Directions

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it resembles the size and texture of ground meat!

Now, on to the sour cream! 🙂

whole taco

Since I stopped consuming milk products a few years ago for health reasons, I’ve had to find alternatives to the creamy goodness of dairy, and I’ve been happy with the recipes and options I’ve tried. I will be devoting several blog posts in the future to some of my favorite deliciously dairy-free recipes, but for today, we’re going to spotlight a recipe for sour cream…without the cream.

The secret ingredient? Cashews!

Cashews can be used as a base for creamy, dairy-free sauces, dips, spreads, and even cheesecakes (Zia’s makes the best!). When you soak cashews overnight in water, they get really soft and can be blended together with savory ingredients to create a delicious, dairy-free alternative to sour cream.

words sourcream

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and then rinsed and drained
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice (start with 2 T then taste and add a third if needed. I prefer just under 3 tablespoons)
  • 3 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup water (or more for desired consistency)

Directions

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. I had to use the tamper for my Vitamix to push it down.

**If you don’t have a high speed blender, you will likely need to stop a few times to scrape down the sides and might need to add a bit more water to thin it out.

The taco “meat” should be able to last a few days in the fridge, since there are no cooked ingredients in it, and the sour cream will likely be good for up to a week.

Enjoy!

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