Raw Bruschetta Crackers with Basil Garlic Cashew Spread
A week and a half ago I threw a dinner party. It wasn’t your typical party as I fed an entire group of non-vegans a completely vegan dinner. There were great raw food recipes and some cooked food. Everyone loved everything and I loved showing these dedicated meat eaters that you can actually make delicious food that is plant based!
One of my favorite appetizers was a flavorful bruschetta that I served on toast, topped with a balsamic reduction. Not completely raw (the bread) but so delicious.
I couldn’t get this bruschetta off of my mind and decided to bring some of the flavors into these wonderful raw Bruschetta Crackers and Basil Garlic “Cheese” Spread. The crackers have a light crispy texture. The tomatoes and onions add flavor. The other bruschetta ingredients, basil and garlic can be found in the easily made cashew “cheese” spread. These were so tasty, I had trouble keeping them around to photograph!
Equipment Needed: food processor, dehydrator
Advanced Prep: Soak almonds and cashews overnight
Almond Bruschetta Crackers
MAKES 1 CUP SPREAD AND 48 CRACKERS
Crackers
- 3 cups almonds, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup freshly ground golden flax
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
- 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
- Himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- Mix together ground flax and water. Let sit until water is absorbed.
- Pulse almonds in food processor until finely ground. Place in mixing bowl.
- Stir flax and other remaining ingredients into almonds.
- Spread dough on 2 non-stick dehydrator sheets. The dough is quite wet. Dehydrate at 145 for 45 minutes. Remove and score.
- Place back in dehydrator and continue to dehydrate at 115 until the tops are quite dry (about 4 hours). Transfer to screens and finish dehydrating until dry.
Basil Garlic Cashew “Cheese” Spread
- 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 6 large fresh basil leaves
- Himalayan salt and ground pepper to taste
- Place all ingredients except 2 of the basil leaves in food processor. Process until smooth.
- Remove to bowl and garnish with remaining basil leaves that have been sliced into thin strips.
Leah wrote on March 22, 2013
Hi! Thank you for your amazing website! I am fairly new to a raw lifestyle and this is so inspiring and way more fun to me than cooking!
To the point, I’m confused on the nuts. If I were to soak/dehydrate all of my nuts right after I get them then say I want to make this ‘cheese’, am I soaking for a second time essentially and then dehydrating again as well?
Susan wrote on March 22, 2013
You can end up soaking twice, once for the enzymes and once for the hydration needed in the recipe. But, you can always hold some nuts aside if you know you are going to be making something that requires soaked nuts. 🙂
clarissa wrote on March 9, 2013
I just want to Thank You so very much for your site, your time and for being so giving of your recipes. It means a lot to me since we have been on hard times and I just cannot afford to buy books and things right now. I recently became raw and sticking with it for the long run is important to me and having some other choices helps make it better. just wanted to Thank You.
Judy D. wrote on March 8, 2013
Your recipes look fantastic! I have many food sensitivities including flax seed, coconut and cashews. 🙁 Would I be able to substitute chia seeds for flax seeds in this cracker recipe?
Amy Jo - Pure & Simple wrote on March 6, 2013
I love a great raw cheese spread. This one looks wonderful. I have yet to make a raw cracker…maybe this one will inspire me to do so.
Laura T. wrote on March 6, 2013
Looks delish and I have everything in my pantry. I’ll make this, this weekend….but my mind is drueling already.
Oh and Aimee D, you are correct the eggplant bacon is Devine!
Aimee D wrote on March 3, 2013
Within the past year I just wanted to get healthy and keep the weight off. I’ve done the veggie detox with the juicer, and just eat nuts and legumes. I feel so much more energized and healthy, but I love to cook and well veggie juices kind of take away that part of my creativity. This gives me inspiration that I can try on my family. I just made the eggplant bacon and cut the chipotle down…my 2 year old loves it. My son is still a bacon lover (9), but I’m hoping that I will find recipes that he likes too. He loves smoothies but thinks my veggie juices taste like grass! I just want him to live a long healthy life where he gets accustomed to the healthy foods before it’s too late.
Lisa Reynoso wrote on March 2, 2013
What if you don’t have a food processor? I plan on getting one some time, but it’s not in the budget right now. I have a Vita-Mix, but I am guessing both of these would be too thick…
Dot wrote on March 1, 2013
Susan,
Good point. 🙂
I was halving the recipe and using chopped almonds thinking it would be easier to use, but they DOUBLED in size after the soak, so I’m not sure how much to use….. in the recipe…… Thanks as always for your great recipes!
Dot wrote on February 28, 2013
Susan, are your measurements for the nuts before or after soaking?
Susan wrote on March 1, 2013
Before. You do it just as it is written. If it was after, I would say 2 cups soaked nuts. 🙂