Speaking of cashews, did you know that they (in their raw state) contain a toxic oil called cardol? The "raw" cashews that you can purchase from the store have been cracked and roasted already to release this toxic oil. Even after this process, these delicious nuts still contain enzyme inhibitors that prevent your body from digesting them fully and absorbing their many nutrients. Eaten in excess, nuts can put real strain on your system!
I have discovered recently that soaking nuts and drying them can neutralize these pesky enzyme inhibitors... which I'm going to show you how to do today :)
Here is a batch of "raw" cashews that I purchased online from http://www.bulkfoods.com/ . Their store has many different kinds of raw nuts that can be soaked and dried in this same fashion! You will need about 4 cups cashews (or other nut), enough filtered water to cover them and 1 T sea salt.
Once you have your cashews covered with filtered water, add the salt. I am using Celtic sea salt, a high mineral grey salt from northern France. I also got this from Bulkfoods. For cashews, soak them for no more than 6 hours. They tend to get slimy if you soak them too long or dry them out too slowly! Any other raw nut (peanuts, filberts, almonds, pine nuts, pecans or macadamia) should be left to soak for 7 hours to overnight.
When your cashews have soaked for 6 hours, drain them and place them onto a cookie sheet and into an oven, pre-heated to 200F. **Any other raw nut shouldn't be heated to more than 150F**
They need 12-24 hours to dry out, but they are well worth it!
Here is my finished batch of cashews- YUM! I have melted a teenie bit of coconut oil on them and sprinkled them with more sea salt. Keep finished nuts in air-tight containers and enjoy them with your family this Christmas season :)
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