Mum used to make traditional custard a lot when I was younger. So I just had to come up with a dairy free version that would make my mouth water just as much!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of cashews, soaked for 2 hrs
1 cup of water
1/3 cup rice malt syrup
1 Tbsp granulated stevia
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
DIRECTIONS
oak the cashews for at least two hours beforehand. Discard the water.
Place all ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender and blend until very smooth. Scrape down the sides at regular intervals to make sure all the ingredients are well mixed.
Chill in the fridge for half an hour before serving (this will thicken it up), or serve immediately for a warmer custard.
TAMARAS' TIP:
If you have a powerful enough food processor, you can use ordinary pitted dates instead of medjool - just soak them for at least 10 minutes first, drain the water and you're good to go.
This recipe is featured in Tamaras' Sweets & Treats eBook, along with 50 others nutritiously raw snacks.
A Word from Tamara Lee
Vanilla Custard. Just thinking about it brings to mind dozens of childhood memories: Christmas feasts, devouring apple crumble (which mum used to make WITHOUT SUGAR - my brother in law almost spat it out first time he tried it - still brings tears of laughter to my eyes). Or just spooning it straight from the pot was pretty rad too. Mum used to make the instant custard powder out of fancy packets, so we'd have it heaps. With skim milk powder, of course, just to 'make it healthy.' Haha. Come to think of it, we used to eat a heap of dairy in our house. Cheese, yoghurt, milk, - these were all part of our daily duet. And whole blocks of Cadbury's chocolate on the weekend, because mum was a self-confessed chocoholic. We certainly weren't complaining about it. I used to devour dairy because I thought it was good for me. Up until a few years ago, I practically forced it down my kids throats, freaking out if they didn’t finish it in case they became calcium deficient. My opinion on it changed however after reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, who makes such a compelling case about casein (a milk protein) as a cancer-promoting agent that I dropped it pretty much overnight. In fact, his arguments suggesting animal protein as a whole (yep - not just dairy, but meat and eggs too) all contribute towards cancer growth. And this is coming from a man who actually grew up on a dairy farm. The conclusions in Dr Campbell's book are based on a lot of data.They’re not just talking about one small study on mice. The China Study they created included 367 variables, 65 counties in China, and 6,500 adults. “When we were done, we had more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between lifestyle, diet, and disease variables.” (1). I was convinced, and I reckon you would be too if you read it. Interestingly, after ditching the dairy I noticed several other perks. My allergies magically disappeared - which was HUGE for me, because I was the sneezy, snotty girl all through the spring months. Blame those allergies on hay-fever all you like guys - I'm telling you my hay-fever symptoms went after eliminating dairy. The desperate need to gouge out my eyes from itchiness disappeared too. Winning! Going dairy-free doesn’t mean you need to miss out on stuff – nut milks are simple to make yourself and have a really creamy texture. Also - do yourself a favour and make some raw vegan icecream - it tastes even better than the real thing!
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