Sun-dried Tomato Cashew Cheese

Every year for Christmas Eve my family and I gather at my mom's house in Virginia and put on a big dinner. All the women (because we're pretty much all women) choose one thing to make whether that be a cocktail, starters, main meal or dessert. Inspired by this amazing cheese plate at Avo, a raw vegan restaurant in Nashville, I decided to make a cashew cheese with sun-dried tomato. It was bomb and everyone loved. Makes 2-3 cups 

Ingredients.

• 1 cup of roasted salted cashews
• 2-3 large sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 large raw garlic clove
• 1/4 cup of olive oil (I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar)
• sea salt & pepper to taste
• water

First you want to soak the cashews overnight in water. Not only does this soften and bloat your cashews for easy blending, but it also makes cashews easier to digest. Nuts and seeds have higher amounts of phytic acid, which prevent our body from absorbing minerals because of the way the acid binds to minerals in food and interferes with enzymes. By soaking the cashews, you can reduce or remove the phytic acid in the nuts.

Drain your soaked cashews and rinse with clean water. Place all the ingredients, except the olive oil, into a food processor or high-speed blender and start blitzing. Gradually add in the olive oil until you reach the desired consistency. At the time I was working with a small food processor with low horsepower so my cheese had lots of texture, but it could also be as smooth as soft goat cheese. 

And voila! Super easy to make and there's a whole lot of goodness here. The cashews offer a host of benefits including minerals copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and vitamin K as well as healthy essential fat along with the olive oil. Also cashews contain proanthocyanidins, which contain flavanols that help reduce colon cancer. Garlic is anti-inflammatory and it contains sulfur compounds, which is great for cardio health. And last, but certainly not least, the sun-dried tomatoes provide antioxidants vitamins A, C, E and lycopene. Add extra health by forgoing chips and serving with raw veggies like sliced cucumber and carrot knubs.

In the Kitchen: Strawberry, Mint & Collard Greens

My new health plans says to have one green juice or green smoothie daily and I've been a bit shit about this one. The first two weeks I was all gung ho, downing semi-tasty smoothies in the morning and and then I got lazy. I'm now back on track and I WILL have green smoothies for breakfast moving forward. There's something positive and motivating in statements like "I will" as oppose to "I'll try." It yields better results and eventually I'll become one of those moody bitches if I don't get my green juice. That's my goal!

Dark leafy greens are at the top of the list of alkalizing foods, which is perhaps why they are the most potent superfood. However, we're terrible about eating volumes that pack a punch on a daily basis and this was definitely a weak area for me. Leafy greens are dull on their own, they require a good rinse plus pat dry, and they go off quickly! The great thing about green smoothies is the convenience, I like that I can just wash the leaves and whack them straight into my bullet blender. Plus the added fiber from the intact greens, as oppose to extracted juice, is great for colon health. 

I've been playing around with lots of different greens, herbs and fruit and finally found a low-sugar smoothie that I actually look forward to. Makes one meal serving or two snacks.

Ingredients

2 large raw collard green leaves • 500ml unsweetened natural coconut water • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves • 1/3 raw cucumber, chopped • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries • 2 tbsp flaxseeds • 1 tbsp organic coconut oil

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. The frozen strawberries with fresh mint are so refreshing and the coconut water is hydrating because it contains electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium. Since eating low-carb, I've been adding more fats into my diet like healthy coconut oil. Sometimes I'll eat a tablespoon straight or add it my smoothies like this one. It's absolutely delicious especially when you get a little chunk! The flaxseeds add a boost of omega-3 fats and fiber, which comes in handy with low-carb health plans. 

Strawberry, mint & collard greens is a bit high in natural sugars, but I like to have it as a breakfast/pre-workout meal because of the carbohydrates. With diabetes I have to be mindful not only of the quality of my carbs and the amount, but timing as well. When exercising it's good to have carbs before and after your workout, so the sugars from the coconut water and strawberries actually help me build muscle. Yes!

Nutritional Breakdown
Calories 376 • Carbs 45g • Dietary Fiber 9g • Protein 6g • Fat 21g