Why am I making my own cashew butter?
One: I love cashews.
Two: cashew butter is kind of expensive.
Three (and the real reason): most cashew butters are made with other oils that I can’t eat for now.
I’m following an immune calming eating plan that lowers inflammation in my body. For some time, I’ve been dealing with too many headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, foggy brain, gas, and bloating–all of which can be symptoms of food sensitivities.
So I tested myself using mediator release test (MRT) and found that I’m sensitive to:
- Banana
- Watermelon
- Lettuce
- Eggplant
- Beet
- Cow’s milk
- Cumin
- Cane sugar
- Parsley
- Corn
- Wheat
- Rye
- Kamut
- Shrimp
- Turkey
- Hazelnut
- Pistachios
- Garbanzo beans
Long list! But it makes sense. I eat many of these foods on regular basis. Without the test, there’s no way I would’ve been able to guess which ones are causing problems. Cumin? Who would’ve thought.
What to eat:
The first phase starts with eating 20-25 foods that I know my body doesn’t react to–these are my OWN low inflammatory foods. So my menu for the first 7-10 consisted of:
Chicken, tilapia, tuna, buckwheat, rice, sweet potato, tomato, zucchini, string beans, asparagus, strawberry, avocado, honeydew, mango, tea, sesame, cashew, basil, lemon, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and honey (in addition to salt, baking soda, and distilled vinegar).
Learn how to identify the REAL causes of your gut problems.
Eating those foods has to be in their purest form. Canned tuna? Must find a can without vegetable broth (many do, just read labels). Chicken? Have to add my allowed seasonings. Cashew butter? Can’t have other oils, except the ones I reacted low to, which is sesame oil.
Read about how I can help you get tested and started on your own anti-inflammation diet.
More foods are added after the first 10 days, but only one at a time, to know which ones are ok and which ones aren’t. I will be writing another lengthy post on my experience and the meals I ate in the next week or two. For today, I wanted to share this amazingly delicious cashew butter recipe.
Roasted Cashew Butter Recipe (and cashew flour)
I was so excited to see broken cashews on sale in my local ethnic grocery store. They’ll be processed anyways, so the nuts need not look perfect.
To make cashew flour: process until you get a fine cashew powder. You can use it in baking to lower the carbohydrate content, as substitute for wheat, or to add protein and healthy fat to your recipe.
Learn how to identify the REAL causes of your gut problems.
I made the butter with sesame oil because it scored low on my food sensitivity test. You can make your own with any other oil. If you don’t want to add oil at all, the butter will be a bit too dry.
| Roasted Cashew Butter |
- 2 cups cashews (whole or broken)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- Heat oven to 350 F. Place cashews on a baking sheet and toast until golden, about 15 minutes. Make sure they don’t burn.
- Remove from oven and cool for 2 minutes.
- Place cashews in a food processor and process for 8-10 minutes. They will form a powder (cashew flour) and then turn into a sticky butter.
- Add the oil while processor is spinning. Process for 1 more minute until it’s combined.
- Store in a jar and enjoy!
Snack time! Had cashew butter on a rice cake (made of rice only) and a cup of cherry tomatoes.
Do you make your own butters at home? What’s your favorite?
