Holiday Eggnog – without the eggs!
If you’re following a whole food plant based diet, you’re egg-free. If you’re not 100% plant based but just read my blog Are Eggs a Good Food Choice? you may be thinking of eschewing eggs. Regardless of your reasons, eliminating eggs from your diet doesn’t mean you have to avoid yummy eggnog.
I well remember my early plant based days when the holidays came around and I began to lament the loss of eggnog. I stumbled on a pre-made version at my local grocery store made with coconut milk and I was ecstatic.
Once I got it home though I realized the sugar content was ridiculously high and I was in a bit of a sugar-coma after a very small portion. Of course, like most individuals who like to cook, I decided it couldn’t be hard to make a healthier version and this recipe was born.
Initially I used only coconut milk but the addition of cashew milk reduces the calories and it’s just as delicious and creamy. As long as you own a blender, making your own cashew milk couldn’t be easier. Unlike almond milk that requires soaking, skinning and straining, cashews are naturally “naked” and very easy to turn into creamy, delicious milk.
Please let me know how you enjoy this and if you come up with any variations, let me know!
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
2 cups homemade organic cashew milk (recipe below)
½ cup full fat coconut milk [Optional: replace coconut milk with 2 ripe bananas to eliminate saturated fat from the recipe]
4-6 pitted organic Medjool dates, soaked for at least 15 minutes in hot water
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground organic cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground organic nutmeg (freshly ground nutmeg makes a big difference in flavor)
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
Method
Place all ingredients into your blender and blend for about 30 to 60 seconds until thick and creamy and serve. You can store it in the refrigerator for an hour or two and simply re-blend before serving. Taste and add some maple syrup if you like your nog sweeter. For an adult beverage you can add a splash of brandy or rum as desired.
Homemade Organic Cashew Milk
Homemade cashew milk is incredibly easy to make. Cashews are high in protein, healthy fats and are incredibly filling.
Depending on the amount of water you use, it can be the consistency of regular milk or a thick cream. We are opting for a creamier thicker consistency for this recipe, but the choice is yours.
For each cup of cashew milk, take ¾ cup of raw organic cashews, cover with water and place in the refrigerator for about an hour. Longer is fine but if 30 minutes is all you have, that’s probably fine.
After soaking, drain and rinse the cashews and place them into your blender (I use a Blendtec) with about ¾ cup of filtered water. Blend on high for a minute or until completely smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add more water, but for this recipe you want the consistency of a thick cream.
Cashew milk made from soaked cashews will keep for about 3 days in the fridge, while unsoaked cashew milk (you don’t soak the cashews first) lasts a bit longer – up to 5 days.
Enjoy!
Dr. Vikki Petersen DC, CCN
IFM Certified Practitioner
Founder of HealthNOW Medical Center
Author of “The Gluten Effect”
Author of eBook: “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”