Get Crackin'! With Cashews

By Colleen Walsh Fong

Cashews are classy. They are rich in flavor and texture. They make a wonderful stand-alone snack, bring elegance to mixed nuts, and add a healthy protein and delicious nutty flavor to savory dishes.

Some supermarkets and specialty food stores sell cashew butter, which they grind fresh to order. It makes a wonderful alternative spread to peanut and almond butters. And lots of restaurants add cashews to salads for a regal touch.

If their great taste isn’t enough, cashews are loaded with nutrition, too. Most of their fat content is oleic acid, which is the same type found in olive oil and considered to be heart-healthy since it is monounsaturated. These nuts are rich in antioxidant copper, which boosts energy and protects bones and blood vessels. Some studies show that regular consumption of cashews may even reduce the risk of gallstones and lower the possibility of weight gain.

As you may have guessed, I’m writing about cashews because November 22nd is National Cashew Day. When “boning up” on my subject by creating and eating some dishes containing these nuts, I learned that they are seeds from the bottom of the cashew apple, which comes from cashew trees native to Brazil. They must be shelled, because their shells carry a toxic resin. This explained why I’d never found them in the bags of mixed, uncracked nuts I like to put out on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I love to eat cashews in crisp and crunchy green salads with some mango vinaigrette dressing. But I also use the nuts in a few savory dishes like the Pistachio Chili recipe I shared in a previous post, (find it here,) and a roast chicken dish with some dried fruits, almonds, and cashews that will appear in a future article.

For a few years I’ve toyed around with a yummy recipe I call Nutty Chicken and Rice Curry. Cashews and a few interesting spices make it a stand out dish for National Cashew Day, and can be reheated for use later in the week. You can receive this recipe here.

Enjoy cashews any “nutty” way you choose on National Cashew Day.

Photos Courtesy of Easy Weekly Meals