I’m a big fan of cashews now and I’ve been using them in recipes like pastas, steamed veg, Indian snacks, pesto, etc. I came across a recipe for cashew nut cookies, but they used processed sugar and flour which I didn’t want to use. So I tweaked it a lot and added dates and skipped the flour and sugar. What could go wrong, right?
These came out really well. They are chewy, not crunchy. I haven’t tried them with egg and I’m wondering if that might change the texture. I’ll give that a go sometime. I do like my cookies crunchy, but these are super tasty. That surpasses my textural preference.
Cashews – are a nut that grow at the end of cashew fruits on a tree! It is high full of good fats for your heart and brain, is high in protein and has a whopping amount of copper. Copper is great, however it needs to be on par with zinc in your body. If there is too much copper, that could lead to health issues. People with pyroles should not eat too much copper, so be mindful.
Cashews also has a good amount of magnesium which helps relax our nerves and our muscles. Magnesium plays a very important role in balancing calcium and for strong bones.
It also helps to improve our sleep. Eating nuts keeps us fuller for longer, therefore decreasing the need for snacking. This in turn helps us to maintain or loose weight.
Dates – are nature’s super fruit. These are so sweet and delicious, it’s hard to believe they pack a powerful nutritional punch.
I prefer medjool dates for their soft texture and sweetness. I use them in all sorts of things like bliss balls, almond milk, baking, cookies, sauces, condiments, etc. They are good for your heart and for your digestive system – they are high in fibre.
It reduces your hunger and gives you a boost of energy.
Dates contain calcium which are good for your teeth and bones and to prevent osteoporosis. You will also find vitamin D, magnesium and zinc. Eating one or two dates is fine, but do not overdo it. Moderation is key with anything.
Chia seeds – is a superfood because of its high omega-3 fatty acid content. They can be subbed for eggs and can be used to bind food. When soaked in water, they become like jelly and it can be used to thicken foods.
These little babies are wonderful for healthy skin, bones, heart and digestive system. It is antimicrobial and is great for your immune system.
It contains antioxidants – it helps to reduce free radicals in your body, thus reducing your risk for diseases such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, etc.
Go ahead, enjoy these without guilt – they are a health boosting cookie!
Super easy cashew nut date cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups cashews soaked in 1 cup hot water for 5-10 mins
- 1 tbsp chia seeds ground / 1 egg
- 6-8 dates pitted
- ½ tsp vanilla powder / essence
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 175ºC
- Soak the cashews in hot water and then transfer to the blender
- Add all other ingredients (except the baking powder) into the blender with the cashews
- Blend till smooth and incorporated. Do not over-blend or the cashews will begin to release their oils and turn into a cashew butter.
- Scoop it out into a bowl
- Add the baking powder and mix till incorporated
- Roll them into tablespoon sized balls and flatten with the back of a spoon or your fingers. Do not make them super thin
- Put them in the oven for around 15 minutes or till it is browned
- Take them out of the oven, cool and devour!
REFERENCES
Cashew Consumption Reduces Total and LDL Cholesterol: A Randomized, Crossover, Controlled-Feeding Trial Eunice Mah 1 , Jacqueline A Schulz 2 , Valerie N Kaden 1 , Andrea L Lawless 1 , Jose Rotor 1 , Libertie B Mantilla 1 , DeAnn J Liska 3 Affiliations PMID: 28356271 DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.116.150037
Nutritional composition of raw fresh cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) kernels from different origin Ricard Rico, 1 Mònica Bulló, 2 and Jordi Salas‐Salvadó 2 Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Mar; 4(2): 329–338.
Published online 2015 Oct 6. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.294 PMCID: PMC4779481 PMID: 27004123
Nutritional assessment, phytochemical composition and antioxidant analysis of the pulp and seed of medjool date grown in Mexico Ricardo Salomón-Torres,#1 Noé Ortiz-Uribe,#1 Benjamín Valdez-Salas,2 Navor Rosas-González,2 Conrado García-González,3 Daniel Chávez,4 Iván Córdova-Guerrero,5 Laura Díaz-Rubio,5 María del Pilar Haro-Vázquez,5 José Luis Mijangos-Montiel,5 Antonio Morales-Maza,6 Padmanabhan Mahadevan,7 and Robert Krueger8 PMCID: PMC6648623 PMID: 31360620 doi: 10.7717/peerj.6821
Date (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) Fruit Soluble Phenolics Composition and Anti-Atherogenic Properties in Nine Israeli Varieties Hamutal Borochov-Neori 1 , Sylvie Judeinstein, Amnon Greenberg, Nina Volkova, Mira Rosenblat, Michael Aviram Affiliations PMID: 23587027 DOI: 10.1021/jf400782v
Kulczyński B, Kobus-Cisowska J, Taczanowski M, Kmiecik D, Gramza-Michałowska A. The Chemical Composition and Nutritional Value of Chia Seeds-Current State of Knowledge. Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1242. Published 2019 May 31. doi:10.3390/nu11061242
Marcinek K, Krejpcio Z. Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica): health promoting properties and therapeutic applications – a review. Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2017;68(2):123–129
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