By Lyra Bloom

Lately, we’ve been getting into nut milks. Nuts are a wonderful source of protein, of course, but they’re also a great source of other nutrients, including vitamin E, calcium and magnesium, a powerhouse of cancer-fighting phytochemicals, and they’re a source of healthy cholesterol-lowering dietary fats. And they’re MUCH healthier for you than dairy. (What’s wrong with dairy? See the sidebar below.)
Now, you can get your nut milk pre-packaged at the market; but it tastes so much better to make fresh, whole nut milk yourself. There are no extra ingredients or preservatives, it’s more cost-effective in the long run, and it cuts down on packaging and trash. Plus, it’s fun, and the taste is so much richer!

Recently, I decided to try making a cashew cream. Cashews are among the creamiest of nuts, and I’ve been seeing more and more recipes that take advantage of that. (Come back next month, when I show you how to make a dairy-free mac & cheese that is light years beyond Kraft Dinner!)

Visit Lyra’s blog for many more tasty recipes:
www.glutenfreehippie.blogspot.com

Why are Canadians (and Americans!) becoming so obese?

It could be the cheese.

Consider this: milk is full of healthy hormones designed to promote incredibly rapid growth and weight gain in infants. Cow’s milk is designed to turn a 100-pound calf into a 1,000 pound cow in less than a year-and cows use pretty much the same hormones as humans do. That doesn’t even begin to address the issue of artificial hormones-which makes it even worse!

Adults simply aren’t designed to drink milk. Most adult humans are “lactose-intolerant”-our bodies stop producing the enzyme to digest milk sometime during childhood. That should tell us something.

What happens if adults keep drinking milk and eating dairy products? Weight gain. There’s also evidence that dairy hormones promote growth in breast, colon, and prostate cancers.

Yuck. Are there good alternatives? You bet!

Recipe:
Jasmin Green Tea with Cashew Cream

Ingredients:
1 Tb. Jasmine green tea
Zest strips from half a lemon
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water splash of vanilla maple syrup

Cut the lemon rind off in strips with a sharp paring knife (with as little pith as possible) - I find the acidity of lemon juice detracts from the subtle nuances of the tea, but this gives you the fragrant aromatics and essential oils of the lemon without the tart bite.

Preheat the teapot by adding some boiling water, and drain. (This is called “scalding”) Fill a tea ball, and put it in the teapot along with the lemon zest. Pour in the hot water and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Remove the tea ball; leaving the zest in is fine.

While the tea is brewing, add the cashews, water, and vanilla to a high-powered blender. Let it go until it’s not gritty anymore, about 3 minutes. When it’s creamy, you’ve got cashew cream, missus!

When making up the tea for yourself, you could just add a mere dollop of cream... or you could make it half-tea-half-cream. Sweeten with maple syrup to taste.

Restraint is overrated. Nuts are good for you!