My partner and I are really into board games – we have a pretty sizeable collection of them. We really liked trying out new games for a while, especially games that could accommodate two players (because the two of us live together and like to be able to play our games!). So, when a new two player game came out, we would always hear about it. And that’s how we heard about Dairyman.
Dairyman is a game where you roll dice to milk your cows and fulfill delivers of milk. The artwork is incredibly cute and it seemed like a fun game mechanically, BUT we had some moral objections to purchasing the game as vegans.
The idea popped into my head: why don’t we recreate the game but about cashew milk? I could design new artwork and we could make some really simple game pieces at home. We would call it Cashewman!
Well, we haven’t quite made a personal version of this game yet (who knows – maybe one day!), but whenever I have cashew milk, I always think about the night we brainstormed how we could transform this game into a vegan-friendly one. That was especially true as I was making my own vegan Chocolate Cashew Milk!
This chocolate milk recipe is super easy – after soaking your cashews and dates, it’s really just throwing everything into a blender and blending until smooth and creamy. Another great thing about this recipe is you can adjust the sweetness level to taste by adjusting the amount of date puree you use in the recipe and even allow others to adjust to their own preferences as well.
If you’d like to get a little creative, substitute the date puree with another kind of dried fruit puree, such as cherries or mango. This will impart a unique flavor in the chocolate milk (while date is more neutral).
Chocolate milk is a nostalgic drink for a lot of folks – I remember drinking Yoo-hoo after school as a kid or at Science Olympiad practices. What are your favorite chocolate milk memories? I would also love the hear how this recipe turned out for you and how you made it your own. Let me know in the comments or message me at @thejewishvegan on Instagram. And, as always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Now, let’s get started!
Chocolate Cashew Milk
Equipment
- high speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews raw, unsalted
- 3 cups water
- 6 dates pitted
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Take 4 of the dates and place them in a bowl. Cover with water and set aside. Repeat with the cashews. Let them sit for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When the dates and cashews are done softening, add the dates to a high speed blender. Add a small amount of the reserved water from the dates and blend until smooth. You really want to add just enough water to allow it to blend.
- Remove the date paste from the blender and transfer to another container.
- Add the cashews and 3 cups of water to the blender. Blend until the cashews have been entirely incorporated, starting on low for a few seconds and then gradually turning the speed up to high. Blend on high for about 10-15 seconds.
- Add the 2 remaining dates, cocoa powder, and vanilla. I recommend starting with 3½ tbsp of the date paste added for sweetness. Blend until smooth and incorporated fully.
- Taste the milk. If it's as sweet as you'd like for drinking or for any recipes you'd like to use it in, you don't need to add any more paste. You can add more if you'd like, or offer the paste as a sweetener to others if they'd like their milk a little sweeter!
Notes
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