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Our lives,
so seemingly small, ripple out to the whole universe as tiny whispers like the sounds of butterfly wings, and the clear voice of the living truth. -J.L.D. |
Looking for something sumptuous to pour over fresh fruit for breakfast? Almond cashew cream may be the perfect treat.
 We first made this cream when, over twelve years ago, I was writing a vegetarian/vegan cookbook, Almond Essence: How to make nut milk from sprouted almonds and other nuts and seeds, to help people who were allergic (like us) to milk, dairy, eggs, wheat, and sugar. We got hooked on pouring the thick nut cream over bananas and dates. This is a bit too rich for us these days, so we make it with other fruits, such as apples, pears, and berries. Ingredients:
1/3 cup raw cashews1/3 cup raw almonds 1 date 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional - to taste) 1/16th teaspoon Celtic or Himalayan salt Note about raw almonds: it's hard to find raw almonds these days because of a law recently passed (under contention) that requires pasteurization of almonds. They can be labeled "raw" even though they aren't. For a list of places that, as far as we know, supply truly raw almonds, Click Here. Directions:
Put nuts in glass jar, or non-metal bowl.Cover with 2 cups pure water. Soak overnight or for 6-8 hours. Drain, then rinse in pure water and drain again. Put into blender and pulse to break up nuts. Add 1 cup water, along with the date, salt, vanilla, and blend on highest speed until smooth and creamy, about one minute. (A Vitamix work beautifully.) If you want to remove the small amount of almond skins in the cream, pour through a strainer (a tea strainer has mesh that is too fine) stirring and pressing with a spoon to help cream pass through. Pour over fruits and enjoy! A Little Story: The Living Consciousness Before we moved to Friday Harbor, a big box arrived at our Santa Rosa, California, doorstep from Azure Standard, one of our mail order suppliers for food. We unpacked the box, stacking up bags and bags of fresh nuts and seeds—almonds, walnuts, cashews, sesame seeds, and so forth. The nuts appeared to be glowing, but I thought, well, maybe it's just me. When I held a few bags, I was sure I could feel a distinct energy moving into my body, but set it aside as "just one of those things". 
That same day, a husband and wife, dear friends of ours from when we lived in Connecticut, arrived for a visit. The nuts and seeds had been stacked on the counter, but not put away—I just loved the feeling of bounty I received when looking at them. The next morning the four of us were sitting in our sunny kitchen enjoying each other's company and the views in the garden of the butterfly bush and roses undulating in the summer breezes. Rex and I made a fruit salad for breakfast topped with some raw granola made from oats, coconut, dates, cashews, and almonds, ground in the food processor. We'd been getting into raw food and were eating about 70% raw at that time. The husband couldn't imagine how he would get enough to eat with those simple foods since he was accustomed to a heartier breakfast—yet to his surprise and delight, by the time we'd finished every last bite, he was completely satisfied and full. I thought it might be fun to have him hold a few bags, just to see if he could feel anything. I told him what had happened to me earlier, and his interest was piqued. He was the perfect test person with a nature that was discerning, gentle, compassionate, and curious. Yet you couldn't "pull the wool over his eyes" either. He was up for the game, and with a twinkling smile, sat down on the sofa in the living room with a bag of almonds in each hand. We got to chatting with his wife and forgot for awhile about our experiment. About five minutes passed, and he'd been quiet most of the time. Then he began to look uncomfortable, and asked, "is it okay to let go of the almonds? The energy is so strong it's radiating up my arms, going into my chest, and it's starting to hurt!" His unexpected comment amazed us, and moved us into a state of wonder because he had unmistakably and indisputably felt what I had experienced earlier! Of course we said, "Yes! Put the bags down!" And he did so with a huge sigh of relief. This was another confirmation that the energy flowing from the almonds was true. It taught us about the inherent life force in raw foods, of energy that is living, palpable and real, which is there for us to receive into our bodies, hearts and minds at any time—the pure and awesome living consciousness of life! 
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