T’was hard to select a star player of a meal when two of the three dishes really stood out. I’ll give my vote to this one, tho, because it clearly can stand on its own — the flavors, the textures and the adventure of eating it. A couple of days later, I served it “vegan style” as an appetizer (an antipasto) for a luncheon with 14 women.
Here is a cheese-free version of a Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 3 thin slices fennel (bulb only), marinate in lemon juice
- 1 slice apple (or pear), marinate in lemon juice
- 1 thick slice tomato, marinate in olive oil and black pepper
- 2 tbls mashed potato or mashed cauliflower (made with a touch of coconut milk and salt)
- Basil Butter
- Diced yellow bell pepper
Directions
- Layer each item starting with the fennel (sorry, you can’t see this in the image above), then the tomato, a spoonful of potatoes, the ‘butter’ and bell peppers.
Click the photo below to see a RAW vegan Caprese Salad
TIPS for a Vegan Caprese Salad:
• Use coconut oil mixed with an equal portion of olive oil instead of the butter when making the Basil Butter.
• Or – blend 1/2 cup of mashed roasted cauliflower with 1 bunch basil.
TIPS for a RAW Vegan Caprese Salad:
• Use pine nuts, almonds, or macadamia nuts, and olive oil (instead of the butter when making the Basil Butter).
• Or – blend cauliflower with 1 bunch basil, and with olive oil, and/or another oil and/or a few nuts.
TIP: blending oil with the cauliflower will help tone down its strong flavor b/c the oil is protecting it from oxygen.
