How to make vegan butters and healthier
The Butter It has almost certainly become one of the foods that most doubts and questions has caused in most consumers. As it happened with the egg with respect to whether or not cholesterol increased, and with olive oil when its supposed health benefits were questioned, in the case of butter there have always been doubts directly related to whether it is a suitable or not food product within a varied, balanced and healthy diet.
Something that has reappeared again after the resurgence of margarines, which today are sold as "healthier alternatives to butter", and although it is true that at one time years ago these contained trans fats (undesirable for our health), we can currently find margarines that stand out precisely because they do not contain this type of fat, a lower content of saturated fats and a higher proportion of unsaturated fats.
In any case, there are many nutritionists who advise that, if you have to choose between butter and regular margarine, the most appropriate is to choose the Butter. And is that margarines are actually solidified vegetable oils after being subjected to a process of hydrogenation.
As you surely know, butter consists of a food that is made from the emulsion of milk solids (usually raw cow's milk), fat and water, after the shake, kneading and washing of the different conglomerates of fat globules that are formed by the whipping cream or cream. And where does its characteristic yellowish color come from? It is due to the presence of beta-carotene, a pigment with antioxidant function.
However, if you follow a vegan diet, do not consume foods from animal origin, or simply want to stop consuming butter of animal origin, did you know that it is possible to make delicious healthy butters? They are much healthier options, made with nuts.
3 recipes of vegan and healthy butters
Peanut butter (peanut)
It is probably one of the best-known and most popular vegetable butters, especially in the United States, where it is very traditional to eat accompanied by slices of bread with blueberry jam. Its preparation, as we will see next, is extremely simple.
Ingredients you need:
- 2 cups of peanuts (peanuts)
- Optional: sugar and salt
Preparation of peanut butter:
Pour the peanuts into the kitchen robot container. Trim them at the highest speed in fixed mode. In case you do not have a kitchen robot you can use a blender.
You will see how the peanuts begin to grind until they acquire a powder texture. When they reach this point you should continue to grind until they begin to release their own oil.
It is necessary to continue grinding up to 10 or 15 minutes, taking care to pause if your kitchen robot is small (to prevent the engine from burning). If you stop it you can let it 'breathe' for a while and then crush again until the cream gets the texture you want.
You can keep it in a glass container and it will last you in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Hazelnut butter
The butter or cream of hazelnuts is another of the most popular vegetable butter, probably because of the existence of the well-known brand Nutella, which is made with chocolate and hazelnuts. On this occasion the recipe consists basically of using hazelnuts to make the butter.
From a nutritional point of view it becomes an interesting option because it is very rich in carbohydrates and healthy fats, as well as vitamins (B2, B3, B6, B9 and E) and minerals (iron, potassium and phosphorus).
Ingredients you need:
- 2 cups toasted hazelnuts
- Optional: sugar and salt
Steps to make peanut butter:
The steps to follow are absolutely the same as we have followed for the preparation of peanut butter.
First introduce the hazelnuts in the kitchen robot container or the blender, and grind well doing a few pauses, until you get a cream.
When you have obtained the texture you want, keep it in a glass jar for up to 3 weeks.
Almond butter
The almond butter It is another of the vegetable or vegan butters that we can easily make at home, although as you surely imagine, it tends to be less known or popular compared to the previous two.
It is also a good option from a nutritional point of view, being tremendously rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins (B2, B6, B9 and E) and minerals (potassium, calcium, iron and phosphorus).
Ingredients needed:
- 2 cups toasted almonds
- Optional: salt
Steps to make almond butter:
In case you do not find toasted almonds, it is necessary to toast them before. To do this, it first preheats the oven to 200ÂșC.When the oven is hot put the almonds on the baking tray and let them roast for a few minutes, until golden brown.
Then remove them from the oven and let them cool.
Once cool, put them in the blender container or the food processor, and crush them for a few minutes, taking breaks or breaks, until they acquire the desired texture.
To finish, pour in a glass jar and preserve for 3 weeks. ThemesVegan Vegan Recipes