At Ezra Cohen Montreal, there’s pretty much nothing that we won’t try to elevate with nut butter. And sometimes, you just strike gold. Case in point: this vegan cashew butter soup.

Cashew butter is an excellent ingredient for amping up vegan recipes, providing a creamy substitute for dairy and adding richness through the inherently buttery taste of cashews themselves. We’ve taken those elements and gone a step further too, adding pumpkin, spices, and some deliciously succulent roasted garlic. Don’t be fooled by the pumpkin, either—this vegan cashew butter soup is an excellent choice all year round, and the perfect accompaniment to a gooey vegan grilled cheese. Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 tbsp Ezra Cohen Montreal Natural Cashew Butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 15oz can unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• ¼ cup roasted cashews, chopped for garnish
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Start by roasting your garlic. Leave most of the skin on and chop off a little bit at the top of each clove. Then roast in a 400-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until fragrant and soft. Be sure to check on your cloves regularly so they don’t burn.
2. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin. In a food processor, blend together roasted garlic and cashew butter until smooth.
3. Put a stockpot over medium heat. Add olive oil and allow to get hot, then add your chopped onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent—this should take about eight to ten minutes. Once done, add in your roasted garlic and cashew butter puree and whisk to combine. Then add in your veggie stock, unsweetened pumpkin puree, and herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Cover your soup and let simmer for about seven minutes, then remove from the stovetop. If you want a thinner consistency, use an immersion blender to further blend the soup right in the pot. You could also take out half of the soup and blend it in the food processor or a blender and then add it back to the pot, but be sure to let it cool a little bit before doing so. Serve topped with chopped roasted cashews and enjoy. Want to take it a step further? Add a drizzle of coconut cream as well!

Ezra Cohen, McGill University graduate and founder of Ezra Cohen Montreal, is all about healthy recipes that taste way more indulgent than they are. Follow along on our recipe blog for more great nut butter driven recipes, and enjoy nutritious food that never sacrifices on flavor.

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that allows you to eat many of the foods you love while still losing weight, including delicious treats like these keto almond butter cups. We love these almond butter cups because they’re incredibly simple to make (just 5 ingredients!) and take care of our sweet tooth without setting us off our diet goals. After just one bite we know that you’ll love them, too.

Key to making these almond butter cups keto-friendly is to follow a few simple rules:

• Use coconut oil. Coconut oil contains certain fats called medium-chain triglycerides, which are rapidly absorbed in the liver where they’re either burned for energy or converted into ketones.
• Leave out any refined sugar. Refined sugar is a big no-no for the keto diet since it can inhibit your body’s ability to enter into ketosis. Stick to sugar alternatives instead, like Stevia or monk fruit sweetener.
• Be wise in your chocolate choice. To the point above, you’ll want to only use sugar-free chocolate, which includes chocolates that are sweetened with artificial sweeteners. Or you can just go plain sugar-free, which is what we opt for in our recipe since it gives you more control over overall sweetness.

Okay, ready to get cooking? Here is our recipe for super simple—and simply delicious—keto almond butter cups.

Ingredients

½ cup + 2tbsp coconut oil
½ cup Natural Almond Butter from Ezra Cohen Montreal
1 tsp Liquid Stevia or alternative sweetener of your choice (play around with this amount if you prefer your food more or less sweet)
½ cup sugar-free dark chocolate
Sea salt

Directions

1. Line an 18 cup mini-muffin tin with liners and spray each liner with a light mist of coconut oil spray. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan set over low heat, combine ½ cup coconut oil with ½ cup Natural Almond Butter from Ezra Cohen Montreal. Once combined, add sweetener and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt together sugar-free dark chocolate with the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Make sure to only use low-heat and to check progress in 15-second intervals. Once the chocolate is almost fully melted, stir to combine until smooth.
4. Drop a spoonful of chocolate mixture onto the bottom of each muffin liner and spread it so it covers the bottom. Then put a teaspoon or so of the almond butter mixture on top and press down to flatten. Cover with remaining chocolate. Sprinkle each cup with sea salt.
5. Place in the freezer until set. Then enjoy!

Ezra Cohen Montreal was founded by Ezra Cohen, McGill graduate, and nut butter enthusiast. Check out our recipe gallery for more healthy treats, and in the meantime, happy snacking!

Wondering about macadamia nut butter benefits? We already know that there is a ton to love about macadamia nuts, including the fact that they’re loaded with good-for-you vitamins and minerals and the perfect addition to chocolate chip cookies. But blend ‘em up and you get a creamy snack that provides all of the same benefits and then some—including the ability to take a chocolate chip cookie to the next level, of course.

We’re passionate about our nut butters here at Ezra Cohen Montreal, and macadamia nut butter is no exception. So what are some of the benefits of eating it? Here are five of the biggest ones.

1. It’s chockful of nutrients. You’ll find a wide range of healthy fats in macadamia nut butter, including monounsaturated fats, which help lower levels of bad cholesterol and keep your heart healthy. You also get fiber, manganese, iron, vitamin B6, and thiamin, all in a nut that’s naturally low in carbohydrates and sugar.

2. It’s great for weight loss. Macadamia nuts, like most nuts, are calorie-dense food. However, macadamia nut butter is packed with fiber and protein, both of which help you get full faster and stay full for longer. And those monounsaturated fats we mentioned? Research suggests that these healthy fats—particularly palmitoleic acid, an omega-7 monounsaturated fat—can protect your body from unwanted weight gain.

3. It’s got lots of antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals in your body, in turn allowing cells to function more efficiently and lowering your risk of certain diseases. And you’ll find plenty of them in macadamia nut butter, in particular flavonoids (which lower cholesterol and help fight inflammation) and tocotrienols (which also lower cholesterol and may provide key protection for your brain).

4. It’s heart-healthy. Hearts love macadamia nut butter almost as much as taste buds. That’s because tree nuts like macadamia nuts have been found to have a marked effect on cholesterol levels, including introducing healthy fats in place of problematic ones. That means fewer risk factors for heart problems, even big ones like coronary artery disease.

5. It reduces your risk of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome refers to a range of diseases that include diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Some studies show that the nutrients found in plenty in macadamia nuts reduce the risk of these diseases by helping level out blood sugar, reduce body fat, and lower bad cholesterol. Not bad for such a simple snack

Ezra Cohen, Mcgill graduate and founder of Ezra Cohen Montreal, wants to share his love of nut butters (and all their benefits) with the world. Shop our product line today and find your new favorite nut butter!

An almond butter parfait might just be the perfect way to start your morning. There’s so much to love about it: creamy yogurt, fresh fruit, irresistible almond butter. Plus, it’s totally customizable depending on your taste and how much time you have!

There’s a lot of things that we love to do with the All-Natural Almond Butter from Ezra Cohen Montreal, but this is definitely at the top of the list. Below, we’ll go over everything that you need to build a showstopping parfait that’s full of almond butter goodness.

Recipe

Step One: Choose Your Base

The sky is the limit when it comes to what yogurt you use in your parfait. We like simple, whole milk Greek yogurt, but non-Greek yogurt, low-fat yogurt, or flavored yogurt all work just as well. To keep your parfait extra healthy, be sure to pick a yogurt that is low in added sugar.

Step Two: Go Nutty

Take a cup of your yogurt choice and stir in 3 tablespoons of creamy almond butter. Then add 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon. Stir until smooth.

Step Three: Freshen Up With Fruit

Fruit is an important component of any good breakfast parfait. And since so many fruits go well with almond butter, you should have no trouble picking out the right ones. Our favorites? Bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and peaches, but grapes, apples, pineapple, and orange will all work well too! If you just can’t choose, mix it up by opting for multiple kinds of fruit.

Step Four: Pick a Crunch Factor

A good parfait is all about texture. Chopped almonds are a natural choice for your almond butter parfait, but shredded coconut, chia seeds, or dry cereal also make great crunchy additions.

Step Five: Build Your Parfait

Sure you can just stir all of your separate parfait components together, but for a true parfait, you’re going to need layers. Start with a layer of your yogurt and almond butter mixture, then top with a thin layer of your crunch element followed by fruit. Repeat these layers until you run out of ingredients, ideally ending with a layer of yogurt topped with crunch. If you really want to up the ante, melt 1 tablespoon of almond butter and drizzle it on top.

Now that you know what’s for breakfast, what about the rest of the day? Check out all of the recipes on our blog for more great ideas from Ezra Cohen, McGill graduate and founder of Ezra Cohen Montreal!