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Weekly Spotlight: Exploring the Versatility of Nuts in Vegan Recipes!

Nuts are a versatile food when it comes to eating plant-based. They add nutrition and texture to foods, and when you soak them and blend them, they can take on many flavors and uses. Cashews are used the most, usually to create cashew cream which can be used to make dips, sauces, and even as a soft cheese substitute, like a substitute to bechamel in lasagna. If you’re looking for more about cashews and using cashew cream, check out this Weekly Spotlight: Creating Recipes with Cashew Cream.

There’s much more you can do with nuts when it comes to creating vegan recipes. You can use everything from almonds, pecans, and walnuts to create delicious meals and this guide is here to help you get started.

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And don’t forget to check out our Weekly Meal Plan Archives!

This week, we’re bringing delicious, fully vegan, and plant-based ways to use a variety of nuts in vegan recipes!

Cashew Cream

Source: Savory Breakfast Tacos

When you soak cashews, they get softer and easier to work with and can be blended into a creamy sauce. You can turn this cream into anything from vegan cream cheese to vegan soft cheese depending on the spices you use and the consistency of the sauce. But in these recipes, cashews are added to the sauce to create a creamy and runny sauce that goes wonderful over tacos, into lasagna as vegan ricotta, and even in ice cream to provide a creamy base. Cashew cream is extremely versatile and it’s handy to keep cashews on hand if you’re able.

Nuts Paired with Dates

Vegan Salted Maple Pecan Pie Energy Balls — Salted Maple Pecan Pie Energy Balls by Angelina Papanikolaou

Source: Salted Maple Pecan Pie Energy Balls

Nuts are wonderful to pair with dates to create no-bake bars or energy balls. These bars and balls come together easily and are perfect for snacking on while you’re on the go. In these recipes, you can use pretty much any nut you have on hand, but cashews, almonds, and walnuts all work well in these recipes.

Dairy-Free Milks

Vegan Cherry Almond Milk — Cherry Almond Milk by Carol Clayton

Source: Cherry Almond Milk

You can use nuts to make plant-based milk! These recipes are easy and simple, and you can add whatever flavoring you’re craving. For instance, you can add a pinch of vanilla or cacao powder, or even try out making this Cherry Almond Milk by Carol Clayton

Cherry Almond Milk by Carol Clayton
Almond Milk by Taryn Fitz-Gerald
Almond Milk by Tori Cooper
Chocolate Hazelnut Cashew Milk by Kristen Genton
Brazil Nut Milk by Desiree Rodriguez
Cashew Milk by Helene Maj

Cheesecakes

Source: Mini Vegan Chocolate Cheesecakes

These cheesecakes are wonderfully creamy and all of them use cashews to create a creamy cheesecake. Cashews, when softened and blended create a wonderfully cream. But instead of using the cashew cream in savory recipes, here it’s used for cheesecakes. These cheesecakes pair well with a date and nut crust, or with a graham cracker crust, as seen in these Mini Vegan Chocolate Cheesecakes by Katia Martin!

Vegan Cheese

Vegan Extra Sharp Raw Cheddar Cheeseball — Extra Sharp Raw Cheddar Cheeseball by Somer McCowan

Source: Extra Sharp Raw Cheddar Cheeseball

You can also use nuts to create vegan cheese. Depending on how solid and firm you want your cheese, you may need to refrigerate it for a firmer texture. But you can also enjoy a wonderfully soft and spreadable cheese, like the one made of macadamias in these Zucchini and Horseradish Macadamia Cheese Rolls by Solla Eiriksdottir. If you’re looking for something firmer, check out this Extra Sharp Raw Cheddar Cheeseball by Somer McCowan!

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