Cashew Yogurt

This creamy, non-dairy yogurt just takes a few seconds to mix up. The incubation period will be 8 to 24 hours depending how warm you keep it. Cashews are lower in fat than other nuts plus and are high in magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.

1 cup raw cashews

1 cup water

Place cashews in blender and grind to a coarse powder. Add water and blend until smooth. It should have a consistency of heavy cream. Pour mixture into a jar and place in warm location (at least 70ºF and up to 100ºF. Cover with light towel or napkin.

Start checking the yogurt after 6 hours. First you should notice bubbles forming. When it has formed thick curd with a layer of whey on the bottom, cover and transfer to refrigerator. Chill for at least one hour. When ready to eat, stir the whey and yogurt together.

Add a little honey, maple syrup, molasses, fruit, or jam if desired. Yogurt will keep refrigerated up to a week.

Yield: 2 cups

Note: Choose a place where the temperature will remain constant to incubate your yogurt. I like to fill a small cooler with warm water and place the jar in the water (make sure the water is below the level of the jar). Another good place is on top of the pilot light in a gas stove. As long as the temperature in your house is at least 70º, you can place the jar anywhere. Keep in mind, the lower the temperature, the longer the incubation. At 70º, it will take about 20 hours.