It is good to minimise the use of margarine type spreads because none of them are very healthy. Still use them, of course, but aim for moderation. It is easy to replace margarine at times with pureed avocado or hummus or other bean-based spreads (home made). Check out our growing list of purees of all sorts, dips too, that can be used in place of butter. Nut butters are another alternative.
Cashew butter, almond butter, pistachio butter and peanut butter can all be made – all so very delicious and useful in many ways, not just for spreads. For example, try cashew butter on porridge with some coconut oil and fruit. Very good! Use almond butter with sherry vinegar to make a salad dressing. They can be used for dips, or spooned into soups and wet curries. They good well over steamed vegetables. You can mix them with lemon juice or vinegar and thinned with water to make a great dressing.
Are you a peanut butter addict? The peanut butter is so fresh and vital made this way, I urge you to try it and compare the taste with your purchased one.
It is so easy to make them. Imagine the kids coming home from school and you say “let me whip you up a fresh batch of peanut butter for your snacks!”
Similar recipes include Fava (Split Pea Puree), White Bean Puree with Harissa, and Spiced Tomato Puree.
Also try Fig Salad with Almond Butter Dressing and Chickpea, Almond and Sesame Spread.
Check out our growing list of purees of all sorts, dips too. Browse some more How To recipes here. Or find inspiration in our Late Spring recipes.
Nut Butters
Take a cup of raw, unsalted nuts (cashews, walnuts, peanuts, macadamias, pinenuts, pistachios, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, or a combination) and place into the food processor. Let the processor run for 2 minutes or so until the nuts are ground and forming a paste. They will look a little grainy. At this point, add a little oil and a pinch of salt (optional), and then continue to process until ground and creamy.
Use a tasteless oil if you can – grapeseed or peanut oil would be fine. Cashews will take 1 – 2 Tblspns of oil, but peanuts, being oilier nuts, may take less. Pistachio butter is quite dry and grainy but can be combined with thick yoghurt or cream cheese.
Nut Butters in the vitamix
Nut butters are especially easy to make if you have a high speed blender like a Vitamix. Place 1 – 4 cups of nuts in the Vitamix – use the smaller jug if you have one for smaller amounts. Blend on high for 1 minute, using the tamper to keep the nuts moving. Switch the machine off if it begins to labour – it is time to add the oil. Almonds will take 2 minutes of grinding.
Add the oil (canola, grapeseed or peanut), according to the nuts, and blend on high again for 30 seconds.
As a guide, use 15-20ml oil per 1 cup nuts for almonds, and vary the oil level according to the oiliness of the nuts. Pistachios might need more – 15-25ml per cup nuts, less for peanuts – about 0.5 Tblspn per cup nuts.
What is the best way to clean a Vitamix after making nut butters? Make a smoothie.
recipe notes and alternatives
A little sugar or honey can be added with the oil, but is not strictly necessary.
Nuts can be roasted or toasted prior to blending into butter for a deeper taste.
A pinch of salt can be added per cup of nuts, but is also optional.
Try making peanut and sesame seed butter.
This is cross posted to our sister site, Heat in The Kitchen. It appears there as part of the Tips and How To’s series.
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