Cultured Raw Coconut Cashew Butter

This dreamy and very creamy cultured vegan butter gets rave reviews every time! It spreads and softens just like dairy butter, tastes delicious and is made entirely with raw, vegan ingredients. Although it takes a bit of advance planning due to the need to soak and culture some of the ingredients, the finished butter lasts for ages in the fridge or freezer, so you can make plenty to use in future!

Ingredients:

Makes one bar of cultured raw coconut cashew butter.

Raw Cultured Cashew Milk:

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/3 cup spring water

1/2 capsule (about 1/16 tsp) acidophilus culture. You can also use 1 tbsp of a commercial vegan plain unsweetened yogurt with live acidophilus cultures, although that would probably not be a raw ingredient.

Cultured Butter:

1/2 cup raw cultured cashew milk

1 1/4 cup raw coconut butter

1/3 cup first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp raw carrot juice or a small amount of dried ground turmeric for color (optional)

1/4 tsp Himalayan pink or sea salt or to taste

Instructions:

1. Make the raw cultured cashew milk by placing the raw cashews in a bowl and soaking in spring water for around eight hours. Drain off water.

2. Add drained cashews to your blender along with 1/3 cup of fresh spring water and blend on high until very creamy.

3. Pour the raw cashew milk into a small container and stir in the acidophilus culture (or the vegan yogurt). Cover with cheesecloth or a clean towel and place on a counter for around 24 hours to ferment. When ready it should have a slightly sour taste and produce small bubbles. The smell should be reminiscent of yogurt. Bad-smelling ferments should be discarded.

4. Let the raw coconut butter melt in your dehydrator at 117 degrees or less to soften it. Place 1 1/4 cups of softened coconut butter in a blender with 1/2 cup of the cultured cashew milk. Also add the cold-pressed olive oil, salt, and optional coloring agent (carrot juice or turmeric). Blend for around 1 minute on high until all lumps are gone.

5. Obtain a rectangular plastic container, and transfer the mixture to it. Smooth the surface with a spoon.

6. Firm it up by placing the container in the freezer for around an hour or so. To add flavors, just freeze until soft (around ½ hour) and then stir in flavors and return to the freezer to firm. Once firm, transfer to the refrigerator to soften after several hours.

7. This raw vegan butter contains live cultures, and will keep for quite a long time refrigerated and may get stronger smelling as time passes. It will usually keep frozen for several months.

8. Enjoy! :) For more delightful raw vegan recipes like this one, please check out Raw From The Garden's website at www.RawFromTheGarden.com today! Also, Raw From The Garden's featured living food chef and recipe book author Alice Dee is now available for interviews, book signings, talks and weekend workshops this year on the Raw Vegan Diet and Cuisine. Contact Alice here to make a booking.