Honey Roasted Peaches with Thyme and Cashew Vanilla Cream

Yum yum. Here’s a nice lighter treat for your festive fare from Nutri enews this morning. I would change the butter to coconut oil myself to make it even nicer and dairy free.

Honey-Roasted Peaches with Fresh Thyme & Cashew Vanilla Bean Cream

The supermarkets may well be bursting at the seams with mini stollen bites and mince pies galore, but surely we can be a bit more adventurous than that! Why not challenge yourself to come up with some delectable Christmas treats this year that leave you feeling refreshed and nourished rather than tired and bloated!

Here’s a lovely recipe that will deliver exactly that.  The natural sweetness of fresh ripe peaches combined with a dash of honey, fragrant thyme and home-made cashew cream packs a powerful health punch and is a real treat for your taste buds too.  If time’s a bit short, you can substitute the cashew cream for natural yoghurt or use coconut cream instead.

Serves 4

You will need:

•    4 large, ripe peaches, halved and pitted
•    ¼ cup local or manuka honey
•    1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
•    ½ teaspoon lemon zest
•    ½ tablespoon unsalted butter (melted) or preferably coconut oil, Ed
•    1 cup plain cashew nuts (organic)
•    ½ cup water
•    ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, honey, lemon zest and thyme leaves
3. Place peach halves cut side down in a baking tray.  Pour the honey mixture over the peaches.  Bake in preheated oven until soft to the touch, about 10 – 20 minutes (depending on how ripe the peaches are).
4. To make your cashew cream – place cashew nuts, water & vanilla bean paste in food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
5. Serve peaches hot from the oven, drizzled with honey mixture & cashew cream (or your chosen alternative).
6. Enjoy!