Ya never saw it coming, did ya Borat?
It’s the return of the Banana Hammocks! Remember those scary things?
This particular banana hammock uses Artisana Cashini Butter, the newest creation by the delicious folks over at Premier Organics. Basically, cashini butter is a blend of raw cashews, sesame seeds, and sea salt. Now, I’ve never been keen on tahini, so I searched for an unbiased source to give y’all an honest review.
Enter the incredibly-helpful Mr. Handsome Dinner Date, who also happens to like breakfast.
My dislike of tahini certainly wasn’t helped any by the Tahini meatballs! 😕
Dearest dad is a former breakfast-skipper who mended his ways after mucho nagging by his well-meaning daughter. Having travelled the world, he’s an extremely adventurous eater. Therefore, when I asked yesterday, he was more than happy to sample the cashini butter for me. So, I made up a Cashini banana hammock, topped with raisins, coconut, and kamut flakes. Daddy loved it; I guess that bodes well for the cashini butter. He did say, though, that he couldn’t really taste a difference between this butter and regular tahini. Perhaps the cashews simply make the butter creamier, without adding anything to the actual flavor. (P.S. I also had a banana hammock, but mine was with regular cashew butter.)
As for the other Artisana flavors:
- Cashew Butter: Creamiest-ever cashew butter! It’s good on its own, it’s good with bananas, and—oh yeah—it’s good in tomorrow’s raw cheesecake recipe. Quite sticky, though. You literally cannot get it off the roof of your mouth.
- Walnut Butter: This is flavorful, but a bit boring. It tastes exactly like crushed walnuts, which isn’t surprising, considering that’s mostly what it is. The texture is neither smooth nor creamy. Not bad, but nothing in comparison to the cashew, macadamia, or coconut butters.
- Pecan Butter: See walnut butter. This is also ok, albeit a little too grainy (not creamy) for my liking.
- Almond Butter: Yumlicious, but pretty similar to other almond butters I’ve tried.
- Macadamia Butter: Squeal! Another favorite. But this is from the girl who loves those macadamia-filled Wild Bars. So it’s no surprise I adore this flavor.
- Tahini: Official taste-tester man (Dad) says it tastes the same as the cashini.
- Cacao Bliss: Chocolate and coconut. Need I say more?
- Coconut Oil: Looooooooooooove this oil for making Homemade Chocolate 🙂
The macadamia nut butter made a previous appearance in the form of Piña Colada Breakfast Pie.
I haven’t seen big jars of it, so I don’t often use this butter. But I highly recommend it. The smoothness is off the charts! And now, going back to something that stemmed from yesterday’s discussion: Do you think that, as a society, we’re obsessed with others’ lives?
I feel like, in many cases, our obsession with others’ lives hinders how we live our own lives. People have forgotten how to think for themselves. (Do you really like those boots, or do you only want them because Kim Kardashian wears them?)
It’s not just celebrities’ lives we’re obsessed with: Andrea’s comment was spot on; people need to stop concerning themselves with things that aren’t any of their business: the overweight woman who’s eating cake, the underweight woman who’s eating a salad, the working girl who’s buying expensive clothing… you have no idea what’s really going on in their lives, so who are you to judge? It’s not your job to be the police. And the same thing goes for trying to eat, talk, dress, or be like someone else. If you’re a cross-country runner, does it really make sense to try and tailor your diet to mimic your sedentary best friend’s?
As Rihanna says, Live your life! And come back tomorrow for cheesecake. (No, Rihanna doesn’t say that part.)
Jennifer - jcd says
Ooooh, you DID win the lottery! Cashew butter, macadamia nut butter, coconut butter… well done! And you didn’t even have to buy a ticket. Congratulations.
Reality TV is still popular and I don’t know why. Need I say more? I don’t find reality shows interesting at all, nor do I understand celebrity obsession. My life is interesting enough. I do find myself comparing myself to friends and relatives sometimes – so and so has such a pretty house and mine is so dull and boring. That kind of thing. And yes, my house is dull and boring, but I don’t know how to decorate so c’est la vie. Sometimes people, including myself, need a good reality check to remind us that we have our own strengths and cannot be perfect at everything.
*Andrea* says
I definitely agree with you on this! I love the blog Zen Habits because it often talks about simplifying your life in easy ways. Most of our society’s habits (reality shows, magazines, celebrity blogs/sites, etc.) create hyperattention on external factors, which end up causing a lot of anxiety in people I think. 🙁
Love the banana hammock! I make them when I’m in a rush for bfast and can’t cook oats!
Caitlin says
YES. And usually we obsess over the parts that are dramatic or private, not the parts that are meant for our consumption. I think that everyone wants to make human connections, but that we have taken this important aspect of life and twisted it into something really unhealthy. Voyeurism and gossip do not a relationship foster.
But hey at least there is delicious cashew butter! Can’t wait to try it.
Katie says
Amen! to what Andrea said. People to often judge the book by its cover.
You are the luckiest person to get all the Artisana. You mentioned the almond butter is like others you have tried. I would love to know what other Almond butters you have tried and how they compare?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hmmm, the ones that come to mind are Whole Foods’ brand and Justins. They all taste the same to me. They’re good, but I’m not the biggest almond-butter fan; I’d rather eat almonds straight-up.
Alisa - Frugal Foodie says
I think we have identical taste buds – at least when it comes to “butters” 🙂
Those were my thoughts exactly, and I think their cashew butter is the best ever! Loved the macadamia butter too. I hadn’t tried the Cashini, but thanks for the review on it, because I’m not a tahini fan either. Small doses in recipes to round out the flavors is okay, but things like tahini dressing, bleh!
Hela says
wonderful post! (not only bc of the nut butter review ;)). you are so right! i wish people would understand that and stop judging others. i actually sometimes feel sorry for those being obsessed with other peoples lifes, as apparently they have such boring lifes themselves or so many problems within them, that they rather observe what other people are doing instead of looking at their own lifes. (so many “lifes” in one sentence!!)
i adore tahini and i would love to try that cashini flavour!! hopefully i´ll find it somewhere…
and a huge THANK YOU for always writing such great entries! especially now that i am having my finals it is awesome having a bit of a break when reading your blog 🙂 so thx for that 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aww, thank YOU for such a sweet comment :). And good luck with your finals!
Hela says
Just made some fudge babies today- helps my brain 😉
Thank you so much!!
radioactivegan says
Rihanna probably would say that last part if she knew about the possibility of vegan cheesecake! I don’t know who Kim Kardashian is, but I am probably more interested in people’s lives than I should be. For instance, I am totally willing to try out Coconut Butter because you rave about it so much … and I probably wouldn’t otherwise. Oh noes! I’m a CCK stalker! 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oh, but in this particular case, it’s totally worth the hype!! Do it! Do it!
*Laughs at evil brainwashing plan hehehe*
Little Bookworm says
Great reviews on the nut butters. 🙂 I’ve only ever tried cashew butter and almond butter.
spoonfulofsugarfree says
Yummy reviews!!! This helps me a lot, because I just got some of those little squeeze packets in all the different varieties. I want to make some yummy recipes out of it. Btw, have you ever tried halvah? I tried a little nibble once from my mom (the chocolate-kind, of course) It may change your view on tahini. it’s basically a tahini-based candy. I tried making it (turned into a tahini mousse sort of thing, but still tasted good!)
But yes, I totally agree that people are obsessed with other people. Just look at the magazine stand!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I don’t think I’ve ever tried halvah. It’s weird: I like sesame flavor (sesame-ginger dressing, sesame oil, etc) but just don’t seem to like tahini. Oh, and I hate the seeds, but that’s just cause they get stuck in my teeth!
Albizia says
Then you must probably try a different kind of halva. Most types of halva in my region aren’t even made of sesame seeds. They use sunflower seeds for it and add dried fruits, pistachios, honey, cocoa, etc. so you would probably like it. What about chocolate halva with walnuts?
http://www.koska.com/tur/images/urunler/yaz_helvalari/b/06.jpg
Yum!
And I really hate it when people think we should be all the same. We are different and that’s what makes us unique.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Thanks for the link! Chocolate, didya say? I’ll definitely check it out! 🙂
40apples says
Rihanna SHOULD say that last part 😉
And well said re: obsession with other peoples’ lives. In this age of media and social networking, I feel like all we do all the time is look at what other people are doing, wearing, eating, etc. And to be honest that’s a big part of this blogging community too… However I do think there is another element here that’s much different than straight up voyeurism – it’s the great support and positivity that abounds. While it’s inevitable that people will fall into the self-comparison trap, I think a lot of people get a lot of inspiration and motivation from these blogs. Which is pretty awesome 🙂
Kelsey @ Clean Teen Kelsey says
I LOVED the macadamia butter too! It was amazing. Interesting about the cashini; I haven’t tried mine yet, but I’m anticipating that I probably won’t like it since I’m not a fan of tahini either. I like it in hummus and that’s about it.
You definitely went fast in your taste-testing! I’m super weird and I like to make everything last, so I’ve only opened one pack of macadamia butter and the coconut butter they sent me. Maybe I just need to loosen up a bit, especially if I want to get my reviews up! lol. I can’t wait to try the cashew/walnut/pecan butter.
People are wayyy obsessed with other people’s lives. It’s crazy, and I truly don’t get it. I’ve never understood the concept of celebrities; after all, he/she is a person just like you. They’re good at something in particular… big whoop. So are hundreds of other people. Is it really necessary to wear their name on your shirt or copy their lifestyle? Haha. I don’t get it. 😛
By the way, I got your email! 🙂 I will respond soon. 🙂
Kelsey
thedelicateplace says
you don’t like tahini?! i loveeeee it! i’ll gladly take it off your hands 😉 do you not like hummus or does the chickpea or any other veggie hummified take the sesame taste away for you? i agree with that comment. i keep my mouth shut unless i have something nice to say. i NEVER comment on a person’s weight or what they are eating yet it’s ok for people to do it to me 🙁 it makes me feel awkward and it’s not a compliment to be told “you’re skinny!” i beat to my own drum!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I’m actually really not the biggest lover of hummus! Maybe I’m the only one in the blogworld lol. Every so often, I’ll come across a hummus I like, but even then it’s not my favorite thing in the world. Well, there was one hummus I ADORED, but that was from a restaurant in China… and my friend from Israel tasted it and told me, “This is NOT hummus!” Oh well hehe :).
EmbraceYourSkin says
Great reviews!
I plan to get my hands on some Artisana asap!
Bianca- Vegan Crunk says
I would like Rhianna even more than I already do if she did say “come back tomorrow for cheezecake.” I LOVE the cashini butter. I think it does have a more mellow flavor than regular roasted tahini…but that may also have something to do with the fact that it’s raw. But as a tahini lover, this is my new favorite product. I can eat it straight out the jar, but it’d be good on a banana hammock too (the un-gross kind, of course).
Laura says
I completely agree that we should all try to focus more on what is going on with our own lives and stop obsessing over what is going on with other people’s, something that has definitely got out of control since the invention of the net and electronic social networking, but I did just have to say that (a) it’s unfortunately nothing new – even in the Victorian ages – even in Classical Rome! – people gossiped about one another, talked scandal and imitated the clothing, speech and activities of other people. It seems like it’s just nature to a certain extent, and (b) an interest in what other people are doing, eating and wearing is kind of essential to the food blogging community. If everyone here suddenly developed no interest at all in your life, for instance, you would have no readers. 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Too true! And it’s nice to feel noticed… in a good way. Plus, I love sharing idea and experiences with people. I just hope that they’ll make their own decisions after hearing my recommendations. (I.e. if you don’t like coconut, don’t feel like you have to buy the butter just because all the other bloggers seem to love it, ya know?) 🙂
Nicole (Picky Nicky) says
Totally agree with the obsessed with other peoples lives part. I hadn’t thought about the subject much until you mentioned it but it’s something I notice a lot!
Nice reviews, btw 🙂 Makes me wanna try them all! And I’m still so curious about that veggie cake 😀
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
Omg girl, YES people are obsessed with other ppl’s lives! I was actually going to do a post today on judgment and being critical of others but it’s not ready so it will go out Wed. Anyway though, yes, not only are ppl obsessed w/ others lives, sadly I dont find it in a positive way. Unfortunately many people only read/look/voyeur into the lives of others to find fault, or pick apart, or criticize in some way. As I am saying in my post, I dont care if you eat meat or if you dont, or if you drink a fifth of whiskey a day or if you dont, live your life. Enjoy it. And let others do the same with theirs 🙂
xoox
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
Nomnomnom!!! You’re one lucky gal to get to try all those yummy flavors!
We’re definitely obsessed with other people’s lives as a society. I personally don’t pay attention to it. If I met Paris Hilton out in town, I wouldn’t think anything of it. And whenever somebody asks if I heard that so and so went to jail..I always say “well yeah, they all do drugs.” As mean as it sounds, it’s true!! And they deserve to get punished for it WITHOUT special treatment..just like everyone else. As for reality shows and all that, they’re so lame. I heard on the radio the other day some stations are planning on getting rid of them because people are starting to not care. It’s the same year after year..
Tricia says
yeah cross country!
And lol, i eat a bit more than my sedentary friends, but mainly in the morning as after i run, i’m not hungry hardly at all.
P.S. i LOVE almond butter, just saying 😉
I try not to live in other peoples lives. i just steal their tips and recipes lol.
rebecca lustig says
the banana hammocks are intimidating looking! and yet so delicious 😉
have a great night!
bec xo
Jessica (Fit and Clean) says
My least fave is the macadamia nut butter. I don’t know if it was the flavor, or the texture, or a combination but it just didn’t do it for me 🙁 I am currently working my way through an Artisana box that was sent in the mail to me…and that was as far as I got, LOL! Can’t wait to try the rest (some I’m already a fan of anyway!!) 🙂
ecogrrl says
great. now i think of cashini butter and penises all at the same time. thanks kate! 🙂
and yes, i think if we stopped to think ‘how much do we know about this person’s life and what they are going through’ before we pass judgment based on one small action (someone driving too slow, a comment we didn’t like) and got to know the person, it could make a huge difference, not to mention help us think before we rush to judge.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oh goodness, I’m sorry. Hey, at least I didn’t say “teeny cashini hammock.” I thought about it… Hehe I guess my mind’s never far from the gutter :-?.
Your driving comment made me laugh! True story: my uncle was on the highway one day (before I was born) and someone was driving reeeaally slowly a few cars in front of him. Of course he was cursing and yelling. Anyway, when he finally got to pass the car, he saw that it was my great grandma! So now, every time someone’s going slowly in front of us, we have to laugh and remember, “Hey, it could be someone’s old grandma.”
MoniMeals says
What! not a big fan of Hummus, R U Mad!? 😉
Great comments going here Katie! Yes, many folks judge, like to see others fail, build you up, to then take you down, why the obsession? I don’t get it, I do think the happier you are-well then the happier you are! and you are not so ivolved (or obsessed) with other peoples lives. Trust me I see Paparazzi on a weekly basis out here in LA.:)It is nuts!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oh, it’s so true that some people like to see others fail. I don’t understand it :(. Maybe it makes them feel better about their own shortcomings? Misery loves company? Personally, if I see someone else miserable, it just makes me MORE miserable!
(M.S.)^2 says
I really like the last couple of paragraphs on your post! It is so true, and I really needed this!
See, for college, I was comparing myself with all my friends/people who were going to a “better” school than me. But now that I’m actually at the school, I love the people here and their attitudes! I knew I shouldn’t have compared, but I couldn’t help it, and it really doesn’t get you anywhere. So this means a lot to me. Thanks for the point!!
P.S: My boyfriend and I started a new blog, in case you don’t recognize who I am. Come see my page and you’ll know who I am! (if you have time, that is)
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hehe my poor genius friend got into Harvard… but it took her self-esteem DOWN a notch or to, not up. Once she got there, she didn’t feel so smart anymore, because suddenly SHE was the one making Cs! (She’s still a genius to me. It’s scary that there are people smarter than her in the world lol.)
jodye @ 'scend food says
As if I didn’t love Artisana products already, you’ve just convinced me to go out and buy more of them! I’ve never had macadamia butter but it sounds to-die-for, especially when it’s part of a pina colada breakfast pie. Could you please tempt me even more?!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Well, if you insist 😉
Andrea says
Hey Katie! How do you make cashew butter? I have a Vita – I’m assuming you can just do it like you make peanut/almond butter? 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t yet made homemade nut butters in my Vita. But yes, you’d do cashew the same way as peanut butter or almond butter. And, depending on your taste preference, you can use roasted, salted, or even raw cashews :).
Barbara says
Update: This cashew/tahini blend is no longer available, but I’m sure you could easily make your own by combining tahini with cashew butter 50/50….. which, I think I will do, cuz this blend sounds awesome!