base recipes

Braised Garlic

Base recipe - to be used as ingredient in other recipes on this blog, or get creative on your own! Braised garlic is great blended into soups, pasta sauces and dips...

4 heads garlic

1 cup veggie or mushroom stock

2 tsp herbs - rosemary and/or thyme is nice

With a large, sharp knife, slice off the tops of the garlic bulbs - taking off about 1/4", or enough to skim off the tips of each clove. Place the bulbs in a baking dish, and add stock and herbs. Cover dish loosely with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, a little more if needed (slice into a clove to check, knife should slide in easily). Remove from oven, and when cool, squeeze the garlivc out of each clove into a clean container. Can be stored in fridge for up to a week.

Cashew Cream

Base recipe - to be used in other recipes on this blog, or get greative on your own! Cashew cream thickens sauces, and is a great alternative to dairy or soy cream alternatives.

1/2 cup unsalted cashews
1/2 cup water

In a blender, process cashews and a little of the water until a smooth cream forms. This can takes several minutes, be patient, the lumps will eventually disappear! Add more water as needed, just enough to get the nuts whirling around properly - I find starting with less water mashes up the cashews faster. Keep processing until you get the consistency of dairy cream, then add remaining water. Store in fridge for up to 4 days. Slightly older cashews may require soaking in water for a few hours, if you decide to try this use the 1/2 cup of water in the ingredient list to so this, and add a little more water while blending if needed. Note that the photo to the left has been partially blended, try for an even smoother consistency.