Description

I’m not going to lie. When I first came across “raw food” it kinda freaked me out. Even though I’d happily chow down on crudités and loved eating fruit, the thought of an entirely raw meal really did not appeal. Little did I know the immense cuisine that embodies this often much-maligned movement is vast and delicious, and after trying out a few dishes in raw food restaurants, I was officially hooked. Almost six years down the line and I’m forever experimenting with raw food in my own kitchen. This carrot, cashew, and pesto combo makes for a great dinner party appetizer dish or entrée for a fancy lunch. The layers of textures and flavors are sure to trick your guests into thinking that you’d spent the day cooking instead of assembling… never a bad thing in my book.

Ingredients

Scale

for the crust:

2 small carrots (finely grated)
¾ cup walnuts
1 tablespoon mixed seeds
1 heaping tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
½ tablespoon coconut oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the cashew cream:

1 cup soaked cashews
juice of ½ lemon
½ tablespoon coconut oil

for the pesto:

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup spinach
2 tablespoons mixed nuts (walnuts and pecans work best)
juice of ½ lemon
1 small garlic clove
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons flaxseed oil

for the carrot serving sauce:

½ pitted Medjool date

To finish:

1 tablespoon mixed seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower, to serve)

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Instructions

Squeeze out any excess juice from the grated carrots into a bowl— reserve this juice for the sauce. Put all the crust ingredients in a food processor or mini blender and process until it forms a fine rubble. Taste for seasoning and add a little more salt and pepper if necessary.
Line a 6-inch tart pan or 9 × 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and press the crust evenly into the bottom. Freeze or refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.
Put all the cream ingredients in a food processor or blender with ¼ cup water and process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as you go. This may take a while but persevere and it eventually becomes smooth. Taste for seasoning, then pour the cream over the chilled carrot crust, reserving one heaping tablespoon for the sauce. Smooth out with a spatula and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Put all the pesto ingredients in a food processor or mini blender and blend until coarse but spreadable. Taste for seasoning and add a touch more salt and pepper if necessary. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Put the reserved carrot juice in a food processor or blender, add the reserved tablespoon of cashew cream and the date, and process until completely smooth.
Carefully lift the chilled tart out of the pan and ease it onto a serving platter. Spoon over the pesto and carefully spread out using a spatula. Drizzle with the carrot sauce and adorn with crushed seeds and nuts.