Raw, Blanched Peanuts

[LisaCorine]

Hi,

I began a raw food diet a year ago and as this past year has gone by I have drifted further and further away from it in recent months. I am looking forward to the start of another new year and getting back on track again as my experiences this past year have shown me this is the way for me to be the best I can be!

I consume a lot of raw, blanched peanuts as they are cheap and I like the taste and texture of them.

My question is whether or not anyone else uses them on a regular basis and if so what nuts have you/do you replace with peanuts in your recipes? Do they work and taste just as well?

* if i were to make my own peanut butter do I need to add oil or just grind them up in my juicer or Vita Mix???

Due to the cost of nuts and the amounts used in recipes I have refrained from a lot of food prep which has been nice...it keeps eating real simple but I would like to have more variety going forward.

Any other advice is welcomed and appreciated! I have heard sunflower seeds are also subsituted sometimes in recipes....in place of what and in equal measurement?

Thank you! It's good to be back!!!! :D

[Revvell]

Hi Lisa,

First off, blanched peanuts are not raw. Here's the definition:

a. to scald
b. to scald or parboil

In my book, scalding something means it's BURNING hot!

Secondly, very few raw recipes I've seen require peanuts at all so I've never had to substitute them. There are so MANY nuts you can use including almonds, cashews (admittedly expensive raw if you can find them); pine nuts, pistachios, brazil nuts, etc.

You can use sunflower seeds instead of nuts in many recipes for sure. I use what the recipe calls for so, can't answer your question as to measurement.

[LisaCorine]

I realize raw, blanched peanuts are not truly raw but that is how they are labeled when they are sold. I understand truly raw peanuts are toxic...but I haven't researched it.

I am okay with them not being truly raw.

[Revvell]

You're welcome.

[DeniseM]

Raw peanuts aren't toxic -- but all forms of peanuts (raw, blanched, or roasted) can be contaminated by a type of fungus that produces aflatoxin, a carcinogen that messes with your liver and immune function. You probably won't find too many raw foodists encouraging peanut consumption for that reason.

Other nuts are a lot safer. I very rarely eat nuts these days, but I imagine raw almonds would be a good substitute for the peanuts.

For making nut butters, if you have a really stellar juicer or food processor, you don't need to add any oil.

[Revvell]

I find it interesting that people almost always point out that peanuts "may" be contaminated with aflatoxin yet, they don't seem to notice:

Food products (possibly) contaminated with aflatoxins include cereal (maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice, wheat), oilseeds (groundnut, soybean, sunflower, cotton), spices (chillies, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, zinger), tree nuts (almonds, pistachio, walnuts, coconut) and milk.


Personally, I eat raw peanuts. We got them for our squirrel buds and I tend to share with them. They are raw; they are unsalted (you don't want to give salted nuts to your feathered/furred friends).

[DopeRawAbundance]

I find it interesting that people almost always point out that peanuts "may" be contaminated with aflatoxin yet, they don't seem to notice:

Food products (possibly) contaminated with aflatoxins include cereal (maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice, wheat), oilseeds (groundnut, soybean, sunflower, cotton), spices (chillies, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, zinger), tree nuts (almonds, pistachio, walnuts, coconut) and milk.


Personally, I eat raw peanuts. We got them for our squirrel buds and I tend to share with them. They are raw; they are unsalted (you don't want to give salted nuts to your feathered/furred friends).
Thats interesting, I took the aflatoxin thing seriously because when I ate some raw peanuts from my local Farmers Market, I had a serious to-kill-myself-or-not-kill-myself,-that-is-the-question pain in my stomach. Maybe I will give them another chance.

[Revvell]

Thats interesting, I took the aflatoxin thing seriously because when I ate some raw peanuts from my local Farmers Market, I had a serious to-kill-myself-or-not-kill-myself,-that-is-the-question pain in my stomach. Maybe I will give them another chance.

They may have been "old". I have read warnings about eating old, stale nuts. I dunno. I've not had a problem yet, I sympathize with what you went through. :o

[RawKnitster]

I find almond butter very similiar to peanut butter in taste and texture. Not all raw almond butters are truly raw because some brands are made from pastuerized California almonds. It is my understanding that almond butter made by Artisana is really raw.

I bought a bag of wild-crafted jungle peanuts once. At $17.99 a pound they are not something I would buy again. While it was fun to try something new, I didn't like them nearly as much as almonds or cashews. :)

[LisaCorine]

Thank you for your responses!

I have never had a bad reaction to the peanuts I eat fortunately.

I have never had a truly raw peanut although I would love to try them!

[freshlight]

I kept eating raw peanuts here in Europe untill we went to the Caribbean for couple of days. There I tried the delicious SWEET red peanuts and by the time we got back I just couldn't force mysef to eat another peanut here. Since then, I don't eat any peanuts at all. This was my little peanut story :)

[Ilse W.]

BTW, peanuts are NOT a substitute for "other" nuts, since they are not nuts at all but a LEGUME. So they might be a good substitute for garbanzos or lentils or?...:D
As far as the "raw" part goes, the reason eating raw food is better than eating cooked food is that the food is best digested by our system using their own enzymes. Enzymes BEGIN to die at temps over 104 degrees or so. Scalding peanuts kills bacteria on the outside, but does not heat up the inside of the peanuts, therefore the enzymes are still intact.
Eating raw food is NOT a religion folks!

[steveoregon]

If you buy them labeled raw in-the-shell, are they truly raw?

I once cracked open several and mashed the peanuts myself - to taste what I thought would be truly raw peanut butter.

The taste was not good at all. Nothing like pre-made peanut butter. That was the end of that experiment, and I had to give peanut butter a final R.I.P. from my diet.

.

[DopeRawAbundance]

If you buy them labeled raw in-the-shell, are they truly raw?

I once cracked open several and mashed the peanuts myself - to taste what I thought would be truly raw peanut butter.

The taste was not good at all. Nothing like pre-made peanut butter. That was the end of that experiment, and I had to give peanut butter a final R.I.P. from my diet.

.
Raw peanuts do have quite the different taste. Maybe if you jack it up with enough salt and sweeteners it'll be palatable.

[LisaCorine]

As far as the "raw" part goes, the reason eating raw food is better than eating cooked food is that the food is best digested by our system using their own enzymes. Enzymes BEGIN to die at temps over 104 degrees or so. Scalding peanuts kills bacteria on the outside, but does not heat up the inside of the peanuts, therefore the enzymes are still intact.
Eating raw food is NOT a religion folks!

Thank you for this information! Very much appreciated!!! ;)

[Dimond]

Unpasteurized almonds and sprouted almond butter is the way to go.

[LisaCorine]

I live in Winnipeg and have a low income. I need alternatives.

I realize what is ideal. Thank you.