{"id":15,"date":"2008-06-26T15:34:36","date_gmt":"2008-06-26T15:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/?p=11"},"modified":"2017-11-08T16:08:10","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T16:08:10","slug":"cashew-butter-pleasant-surprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/cashew-butter-pleasant-surprise\/","title":{"rendered":"Cashew Butter: Pleasant Surprise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a new rule from Mary\u2019s Daily Life Playbook: <\/span>When the rut on our daily grind gets below grade level, check out another path. <\/span><\/p>\n

I know that could be a metaphor for some deep spiritual truth, but I\u2019m not venturing past the grocery store. <\/span>A couple days ago I took the radical step of shopping at a different store and was treated to a pleasant surprise: <\/span>Freshly ground cashew butter (from the Safeway health food section, in case you want to try some.)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing: <\/span>I had tried cashew butter before, from a jar. <\/span>It was hard and bland–almost rancid\u2014tasting. <\/span>Later, our longtime dentist told me how his nutritionist had recommended cashew butter but he pitched the jar after one try. <\/span>As a healthy eating coach, I didn\u2019t want to contradict his nutritionist, but in secret I had to agree with him.<\/p>\n

But now my Safeway experience has me seeing cashew butter in a whole new light. <\/span>Freshly ground it is soft, creamy and rich. <\/span>That shouldn\u2019t come as a huge surprise. <\/span>Fresh is almost always better, whether it\u2019s green beans, freshly baked bread or nut butter. <\/span>Of course, fresh sometimes has to give way to frozen (as with green beans in the middle of winter), but happily, freshly ground cashew butter can be had year round\u2014and also almond and peanut butter (which are similarly delectable)<\/p>\n

There are some nutritional advantages to be had from branching beyond the peanut butter jar, which is why our dentist\u2019s nutritionist recommended it. <\/span>Likely as not it had something to do with increased nutritional variety. <\/span>Americans tend to eat a lot of peanut butter. <\/span>(Skippy reports that the average kid eats 1500 PB&Js during their school years.) <\/span>Mixing things up a bit with cashew and even almond butter brings some different nutrients to the table. <\/span><\/p>\n

Without a doubt, cashew butter is pricey at $8.99 per pound (or $4.85 for a 12-oz. tub.) <\/span>But here\u2019s another way of looking at the cost issue: <\/span>First, $8.99\/lb. pays for an organic variety, so you\u2019re avoiding whatever environmental damage is packaged with cheap peanut butter. <\/span>Second, it\u2019s very<\/em> rich, so you eat only small amounts at a time. <\/span>Third, how much do you spend on pain relievers and other drugs? <\/span>Buying a rich diversity of foods makes us feel good, too, just in a different and more long-term way. <\/span><\/p>\n

Also, in case you\u2019d like to try before you buy, Safeway has a nice arrangement: <\/span>taster cups allow you to sample before you invest. <\/span>You can also grind whatever amount you want and can afford. <\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, what do you do with it? <\/span>That\u2019s where the fun begins. <\/span>Trying new ingredients offers a sure path out the daily grind. <\/span>So far, I\u2019ve just been eating small spoonfuls as a snack. <\/span>I also spread it on toast. <\/span>But the creative cooking brain is definitely churning. <\/span>Maybe some kind of sauce with Asian-type flavors? <\/span>Maybe something with chocolate? <\/span>I\u2019m open to suggestions. . . .<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Get out of the peanut butter rut with freshly ground, rich and creamy cashew butter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[98,210,255],"class_list":["post-15","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-ingredients","tag-cashew-butter","tag-food-boredom","tag-good-nutrition","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2791,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15\/revisions\/2791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}