Dairy Alternatives In Recipes

Thanks everyone. I'll give one of them a try at some point in the near future and let you know how it turns out. The recipes are slow cooker recipes so we will see what happens.

Is cashew cream and cashew paste mostly the same thing (consistency aside)?

In both indian recipes you can use cashew paste

I wouldn't worry too much about compatibility with a slow cooker -- in most if not all cases it is probably best to add the yogurt/sour cream/substitute at the end of cooking anyways. You might also want to try coconut based yogurt -- I think it has a more neutral flavor than the soy yogurt I've tried.

How about cashew cream? It's so simple to make and is a wonderful substitute for heavy cream in soups. Let's say you need about 1 cup, then put 1 cup of raw cashews into a small container and add enough cold water to cover. Let this soak in the refrigerator overnight covered. The next day, drain the cashews and rinse, then add them to a blender and add cold water to cover by about 1" (less if you want it to be thicker). Then blend until smooth. You can use this in a slow cooker too. :)

You can try using Tofutti sour cream as a substitute or a soymilk yogurt which is dairy free. I
I've used both of these when cooking with meat but, alas, not in a slow cooker