Cashew Custard in Cinnamon Crunch Bowls! GF, V, BED!

Well, goodbye Northwoods.

see you soon Wisconsin!

I’m sad to see your beautiful landscape and docile way of life disappear in the rear view mirror. You’ve been good to me: promoted healing, and given me some wonderful pleasures along the way. It’s been a good month. Back to Cincy for now…but I’ll see you in less than 2 weeks!

gluten free, sugar free, and vegan custard!

Yep we’re coming baaaack!! This time, for our huge family reunion! Fun! In full disclosure, I’m going back to Cincinnati to get a procedure done by my GI doc. Fun times….

a warm, chai flavor!

So anyways, as you read this, I’ll be rolling down the highway, passing corn fields and dairy farms, your occasional truck stop in the middle of BooFoo, and lots and lots of open road.

fab-u-lous!

Since I won’t be making dinner tonight, I made an exceptional dessert yesterday that I’m SO excited to share with you!! Let me preface this by saying that my parents RAVED about this. An exact quote from my mother, “I will be dreaming about that custard for days!” Needless to say, I think it’s a winner!

a little swirl a joy:)

So what is it?! It’s Cashew Custard in Cinnamon Crunch Bowls! SOOOO delicious! And they’re Gluten Free, Vegan, Sugar Free, and Body Ecology Diet friendly! And the bowls have a Vegan option!!

And I’ll tell you a secret….these are so healthy, I ate it for lunch!!!

want a bite?

Here’s what you need: (makes 3)

Custard:
1/3 cup raw cashews
5 Tbsp light Coconut milk, chilled
1 “dropper full” of pure liquid stevia – about 27 drops (BED use alcohol free)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (BED use alcohol free)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Bowls:
1/3 cup quinoa cooked in 2/3 cup of water
1 1/2 Tbsp almond flour
1 egg white ((Vegan Option: 1 flax or chia egg))
1.5 “dropper fulls” of pure liquid stevia – about 40 drops (BED use alcohol free)
1/2 – 1 tsp cinnamon
healthy pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook your quinoa until it absorbs all the liquid (about 15 minutes). Then, set it aside to cool.

In the meantime, make your Cashew Cream! Blend everything together in your food processor until it is creamy and custard-like. You can add more or less coconut milk to get your desired thickness — I used 5 Tbsp. Put it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and then pop in the fridge!

When your quinoa is cool, combine it in a bowl with the egg white, almond flour, stevia, cinnamon and salt. Mix well to combine. Take some parchment paper and cut 6 medium-sized squares— roughly 4 x 4. Then, divide the mixture into 3 even portions. Put 1/3 of the mixture onto 1 piece of parchment. Put another piece of parchment on top and spread it out as thin as you can. LEAVE THE TOP PAPER ON…it will be a parchment paper sandwich! Do the same with the other 2 thirds of the mixture. Then, place the “parchment sandwiches” over the cups of an upside-down muffin tin. Carefully mould them around the cups so they form little bowls. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, when you take them out of the oven, let them cool on the muffin tins, and then carefully peel the parchment off! YUM!

luxuriously rich and creamy!

To assemble: Fill each bowl with the cream! To make it swirly like I did, put the cream into a ziplock bag, and squeeze it down to one corner. Then, snip off the corner, and you will have made a makeshift pastry bag! Then, you can pipe the cream into fancy swirls:)

yummo!

Speaking of swirls…I worked for 2 summers at this adorable bakery & ice cream shop in Cincinnati, The Mt. Washington Creamy Whip and Bakery - a Cincinnati historical landmark and a real gem! It’s owned by the nicest couple, and they taught me how to make the iconic Creamy Whip “swirl” cone! I’ve put it to new use in this recipe:) I have such a soft spot in my heart for “The Whip!” I was a little nostalgic as I chowed down on my GF, Vegan “Swirl.” :)

kissed with cinnamon!

This custard was so delicious. It was SO decadently creamy! Luxurious and rich. And the flavor was outstanding — it had a slightly nutty flavor with a beautiful warmth from the vanilla and cinnamon! It was reminiscent of Thanksgiving, or chia tea. Kinda like Pecan Pie Ice Cream! YUMM!

made from cashews?! wow!

And the quinoa bowls were the perrrrfect receptacle. They were crunchy and sweet. I enjoyed breaking off the sides and dipping them in the custard!

I will definitely be making this again….probably tonight when I get home:)

What are your favorite flavors for dessert? Are you a fruity, tart, creamy, chocolate, or spicy kind of dessert-er?

Until tomorrow!

Food Processor Alert! Here's the one I use: