Plant-based chef Bailey Ruskus is a professional chef, a cookbook author, a holistic nutritionist, a health coach and host of The Plant Remedy podcast. Classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco, she uses her culinary expertise to create rich flavours with clean, nourishing ingredients and help people heal from chronic illness through good food and a healthy mindset. We’re thrilled to share some of her favourite recipes—you’ll want to make these at home, stat! —Vita Daily
Not Your Mama’s Salted Butter
There’s nothing quite like the essence of butter. This staple has a long history across the globe. As a French-trained chef and person of Eastern European descent, I saw butter in practically everything in my culinary school books and in my family’s recipes when I was growing up. Butter is a simple way to add an incredible amount of flavor and fat to almost any dish at any step in the cooking process. Sure, you could go buy margarine or vegan butter alternatives, but are they really that much better for you? With all those hydrogenated oils and preservatives, none of those have lived up to the hype of real butter—until now. With this simple and delicious buttery recipe, you avoid the harmful effects of dairy, hydrogenated oils, preservatives and excessive sodium. All you need is a blender and some patience while the butter sets. The result is all you really wanted in the first place: incredible flavor and the versatility to be used in any recipe requiring butter. This’ll make you go, “Mmmmm.” Every. Single. Time. Makes 1½ cups (360 g).
¼ cup (38 g) raw cashews, soaked in cool water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
½ tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup (240 ml) refined melted coconut oil (see Bai’s Tips)
½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened oat milk
1 tsp salt
In a high-powered blender, combine the cashews, vinegar, oil, milk and salt. Blend the ingredients for about 60 seconds, until the butter mixture is smooth. Line an 8 x 8–inch (20 x 20–cm) glass baking dish or a butter mold that can hold 2 cups (480 ml) with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Pour the butter mixture into your prepared container. Cover the container, transfer it to the fridge and allow the butter to chill for at least 4 hours, preferably up to overnight. This butter will last in the fridge for 9 to 12 days, and you can freeze half of the batch if you need to. BAI’S TIPS: Make sure to get refined coconut oil for this recipe, so that you’ll avoid the intense coconut taste of unrefined coconut oil! When sautéing veggies with this butter, make sure to do so over low heat, as the oil has a very low smoking point. For high-heat sautéing, I prefer avocado oil or veggie broth.
share:
Be the first to comment