Blogger Secret Ingredient Revealed: Cashews!

Last week Kim from Affairs of Living hosted the Blogger Secret Ingredient, which was Artichokes. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t already! I’ve recently gotten to know Kim more through the blogosphere and the twitter-o-sphere. (am I allowed to use that as an actual word?) She’s beyond inspirational and her recipes can stop you dead in your tracks. So when she asked me to host this week’s BSI, I was pretty flattered!

The Ingredient: Cashews

Cashews are a personal guilty pleasure. Not because they’re unhealthy; they ARE healthy if eaten in the right portions. They’re only a guilty pleasure because I have to splurge a little when I buy them; they’re a little more pricey than most other nuts. But aren’t they worth it?!

“The cashew nut is not the only fruit of the cashew trees. Or rather, the cashew nut is only a part of the cashew fruit. The other part is called the cashew apple. (Although pear would suit it much better…) And if I wanted to be super accurate then I’d have to point out that the cashew apple is actually the swollen stem of the fruit. The cashew nut is inside the funny looking, kidney shaped shell that is attached to the bottom of the cashew apple. The cashew nut is jam-packed with nutritional content. It packs 5 grams of protein per ounce and high levels of the essential minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and manganese, which are utilized in holistic health solutions and healthy diets.” (this data is taken from Tropical Permaculture and Organic Cashew Nuts)

This challenge is not limited to the cashew nut itself, however, I’m assuming that not many of us have access to the ‘cashew apple’.

Need some inspiration for creative and fabulous ways to use cashews? Here are a few recipes that had me drooling after a simple search through some blogs I follow:

Maple Cashew Butter, Cashew Sour Cream and Cream Cheese, Cashew Ricotta, Coconut Cashew Frosting, No Bake Coconut Cookies, Homemade Cashew Nut Butter

The Prize:

I wanted to share one of my current favorite spice mixes, Coconut Cream Curry! I actually was given a few of these as a gift, and this is my last one. This spice blend is perfect for the style of dishes that quite often use cashew; Thai and Indian (both personal favorites). But, it goes well with anything I’ve tried so far; especially chicken. I’ve made a lot of rushed dinners the last couple of weeks and this spice blend has been a life saver! (I mix it with a little oil and then saute the chicken bits in it; 15 minutes of cooking tops!)

Once I select a winner of this weeks challenge, I’ll send an e-mail asking for your address and then send out the prize as soon as I can get to the post office. I can’t wait to share this with someone :)

The rules:

I’ve got to be honest here, even though I’m hosting this week, I’m very new to BSI. I discovered it a mere 3 weeks ago, but was excited when I did. As its held once a week, don’t feel bad if you’re too busy not to always participate! (At least, that’s what I told myself last week when I didn’t even have time to go grocery shopping – let alone find some amazing artichokes.) BUT, its a new week! If you’re new like I was, time for a quick education:

1) The host picks an ingredient, preferably one that is in season, readily available, and not too expensive.

2) The host links back to all the other previous weekly hosts.

3) Participants create a unique recipe using the BSI and e-mail the host with their recipes.

4) You do not have to have a food blog to participate, and you do not have to submit a photograph (although it is preferred).

5) If you don’t have a blog, you can submit your recipe directly to me (aubreecherie at gmail dot com), and I’ll hook you up :)

6) The host reviews the recipe submissions by Sunday night of each week.

7) The hosts pick a recipe that is her favorite.

8) The host posts the winner Monday morning and sends the winner a token prize of her choosing.

So here’s a summary for those interested in participating: make something awesome with cashew nuts or cashew fruit, take a photo if you can, and submit both the recipe, photo, your info and, if available, your post URL to aubreecherie at gmail dot com. The deadline for this is 5PM (eastern standard time) on Sunday, May 9. I will choose a winner and announce a new host (please let me know if you’re interested in hosting!!!) on May 10th. Happy kitchen adventures!!!

Be sure to check back over some of the amazing ingredients that have already been done so far!

Week 78: Living Free – Cashews

Week 77: Affairs of Living – Artichokes

Week 76:  One Frugal Foodie - Sunflower Seeds

Week 75: Part of the Whole - Beets

Week 74: Dinner at Christina’s - Sour Cream

Week 73: The Chef in My Head - Goat Cheese

Week 72: 5 Star Foodie - Asparagus

Week 71: Eats Well With Others – Carrots

Week 70: Burp and Slurp - Brussel Sprouts

Week 69:  Fun Fearless Foodie – Parmesan Cheese

Week: 68:  Natalie’s Killer Cuisine - Cocoa Powder

Week 67:  Eat, Live, Travel, Write - Lemon Zest

Week 66: Travel Eat Love - Coconut Milk

Week 65: Run Beans Run - Tofu

Week 64: Chicago Marathon Val - Mushrooms

Week 63: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Cheddar Cheese

Week 62: A Fit and Spicy Life – Balsamic Vinegar

Week 61: Peanut Butter Fingers - Nutmeg

Week 60:  Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now - Garlic

Week 59:  Home Cooked Em – Cinnamon

Week 58: The Balanced Broad – Flax

Week 57: Cookin Fanatic - Blue Cheese

Week 56:  Foodie in the City - Ricotta Cheese

Week 55:  Savvy Eats - Maple Syrup

Weel 54: Sound Eats - Dried Fruit

Week 53: Mega Nerd Runs - Acorn Squash

Week 52: Healthy Tipping Point - Pancake Mix

Week 51: Live, Laugh Eat - Almond Butter

Week 50: Balance, Joy and Delicias! – Cauliflower

Week 49: Healthy San Diego Living - Chickpeas

Week 48: Thought 4 Food - Yogurt

Week 47: London Foodie in New York - Chocolate

Week 46:  Johnstone’s Vin Blanc - Oats

Week 45: Guilty  Kitchen - Figs

Week 44: Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet - Peanut Butter

Week 43: The Sophisticated Gourmet - Brown Sugar

Week 42: My Kitchen Addiction – Lime

Week 41: Nutmeg Nanny – Coffee

Week 40: Chaya’s Comfy Cook – Broccoli

Week 39: Healthy Delicious – Plums

Week 38: Zoe - Feta

Week 37: ChezWhat- Potatoes

Week 36: Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice – Blueberries

Week 35: Girlichef -Greens

Week 34: The Ungourmet – Watermelon

Week 33: Bread + Butter – Bell Pepper

Week 32: Burp and Slurp -Corn

Week 31: Say Yes to Salad – Kabocha

Week 31 1/2: Simply Fabulous Now – Cherries

Week 30: Thinspired – Bananas

Week 29: To Be The Whole Package – Almonds

Week 28: Kristas Kravings – Lemon

Week 27: From French Fries To Flax Seeds – Coconut

Week 26: Plentiful Plants – Avocado

Week 25: Training Fuel – Eggs

Week 24: Dinner at Christina’s – Cabbage

Week 23: Hey What’s for Dinner, Mom? – Strawberries

Week 22: One Bite at a Time – Basil

Week 21: Just Sweet Enough – Black Beans

Week 20: What I Ate Yesterday – Kale

Week 19: What’s for Dinner – Orange

Week 18: BranAppetit! –Spinach

Week 17: Tales of Expansion Dates

Week 16: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Zucchini

Week 15: Sweet & Natural –Peppermint

Week 14: bella eats [and runs] – Ginger

Week 13: Coffee Talk – Walnuts

Week 12: For the Love of Oats – Pumpkin

Week 11: Trying to Heal – Sweet Potatoes

Week 10: The Inner Workings of a College Graduate – Eggplant

Week 9: Itzy’s Kitchen – Pears

Week 8: The Fitnessista – Cranberries

Week 7: Tri to Cook – Lentils

Week 6: Rhodey Girl Tests – Polenta

Week 5: Eating Bender – Butternut Squash

Week 4: Care to Eat – Apples

Week 3: On a Lobster Placemat – Mushrooms

Week 2: Hangry Pants – Tomatoes

Week 1: sportsnutritionliving – Quinoa

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This post is linked to Tuesdays at the Table and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.