Roasted Heirloom, Avocado & Basil Bruschetta

Gone are the days of boring old bruschetta with diced, bland tomatoes and some slivers of basil. It's a new day and a new season and tomatoes are starting to taste like tomatoes again! Use the best tomatoes you can find. Organic heirloom tomatoes are no longer impossible to find and provide a robust flavor to pair with avocado, garlic and basil. They are sturdy and can handle being roasted, allowing the skins to get caramelized and charred while the flesh becomes perfectly tender.
 
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Thick slices of crusty ciabatta, toasted garlic, fresh basil leaves, creamy avocado and salt-roasted heirloom tomatoes create the finest bruschetta you will have this summer! Eat this in large slices for a meal or in small pieces on a baguette for appetizers.

Roasted Heirloom, Avocado & Basil Bruschetta
serves 2 as a meal
3 large heirloom tomatoes, 1/2" slices
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt, to taste
black pepper & red pepper flakes, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
4 thick pieces of ciabatta
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 425.
Drizzle a little olive oil on a baking sheet and lay the tomato slices down flat, spaced out. Drizzle the tops with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Roast for 15 minutes then turn on the broiler. Cook under the broiler for 5 minutes or so until the edges are lightly caramelized.
Lay the pieces of bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the garlic on top and place under the broiler for 5 minutes or less until the bread and garlic are toasted.
Lay pieces of avocado on the bread, sprinkle a few pieces of basil on and top with roasted tomato slices. Sprinkle with more basil leaves and a pinch more of coarse ground sea salt.

Corn Cakes with Crispy Plantain, Roasted Tomatoes & Pineapple Salsa

Thin, savory corn cakes studded with fresh corn kernels and jalapeno, layered with roasted tomatoes, crispy plantain chips and sweet, chilled pineapple salsa.

Corn Cakes
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking
1/4 cup yellow onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
2 tbl chopped, fresh cilantro
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth

Saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno with cumin in 1 tbl of olive oil until soft and translucent, 5 minutes.
Combine the cornmeal, flour, corn kernels, cilantro, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Add the broth to the onion and bring to a simmer. Pour the broth and vegetables over the flour mixture and mix into a thick batter.
Pour 1-2 tbl of olive oil in the saute pan and scoop medium sized spoonfuls of batter, spreading lightly into thin cakes. Cook until golden brown on both sides.

Crispy Plantain
1 plantain, thinly sliced on a diagonal
2-4 tbl coconut oil
1 tsp turbinado sugar
pinch of salt

Cook the slices of plantain in 2 tbl of coconut oil until just softened but not browned, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and gently press down on each to smash and flatten. Season with sugar and salt and add back into the pan to crisp until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

Roasted Tomatoes
1 heirloom or hot house tomato, 1/2" slices
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.
Drizzle the tomato slices with oil, salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Pineapple Salsa
1/3 fresh pineapple, small dice
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, minced
4 oz jar chopped pimentos, drained
2 tbl chopped, fresh cilantro
2 tbl fresh lime juice
salt and pepper

Combine all of the ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let chill for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Roasted Tomato Mac & Cheese with Garlic White Sauce

To be honest, I do occasionally make macaroni and cheese for my husband but I purposefully never put it on my blog because it is too good to share. I slaved and slaved, batch after batch to get a perfect vegan cheese sauce and when I finally got it, I wasn't about to tell anyone. These days I am a little more lax with my recipe sharing (if I wasn't then having a food blog would be pointless) and I am happy to share with you a different cheese sauce recipe I whipped up for tonight's meal.

Ooey gooey mozzarella cheese sauce tossed over seashell pasta with roasted tomatoes and broccoli.

Mac & Cheese with Garlic White Sauce
serves 4
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbl vegan butter
2 tbl all-purpose flour
1 cup plain almond milk
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese
1 heaping tbl nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz macaroni noodles

In a small pot, add the oil and saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes until lightly toasted. Add the butter and melt. Add the flour and whisk for 2-3 minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor. Stream in the milk and broth and whisk into a smooth sauce. Cook for 3 minutes. Before the sauce starts to boil, add the cheese, nutritional yeast, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and whisk while it starts to thicken. Once the cheese has melted, taste and season for more salt and pepper.
Boil the pasta according the package instructions and toss with the cheese sauce and roasted vegetables.

Roasted Tomatoes
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 head of broccoli, small florets
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 tbl dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.
Toss the tomatoes and broccoli florets with oil, herbs, salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes until the tomatoes burst and the broccoli is slightly caramelized on the edges.

Insalata Caprese with Basil-Walnut Pesto, Lemon Tofu Mozzarella

Caprese salad a simple salad from Italy traditionally composed of tomato, basil and mozzarella. Not being a huge fan of vegan cheese I wanted to go a different route and marinate some silken tofu in herbs and citrus to allow for a flavorful alternative that resembles the texture of mozzarella but has much more flavor.
My immediate inspiration for this dish were the beautiful heirloom tomatoes I saw at the store today. Summer is the best time for tomatoes and when heirlooms start showing up, I can't resist despite the somewhat costly price. Good produce is always worth it.
Traditional caprese serves the tomatoes raw but I wanted to roast them with a homemade pesto to allow all of the flavors of summer to amplify. Roasting is also a fool-proof cooking technique for tomatoes that aren't so flavorful, resulting in a wonderful taste and texture afterwards everytime.
Now...I know what you're thinking.."tofu mozzarella?" I was a little skeptical of my idea as well. As much as I love tofu, I never eat it raw. BLEG! I can't even stand the thought of it. In fact when people find out I'm vegan and they ask "what do you eat?!" I always respond in a very sarcastic (with a tinge of annoyance) way "raw tofu and wheatgrass." And now look...I ate raw tofu for dinner. The jokes on me! The strong lemon and herb marinade really worked its way in the silken tofu wonderfully and left no residual tofu flavor. The texture was creamy and paired perfectly with the roasted tomatoes. I will definitely be adding this to my list of favorites.

Lemon Herb Tofu Mozzarella
2 large sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped
3 tbl fresh thyme leaves
5 small mint leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
juice and zest from 1 large lemon
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 tbl canola oil
10 oz extra firm silken tofu, 1/2" slices

Use a mortar and pestle (or roughly chop) to crush up all of the herbs, releasing their natural oils and flavor. Transfer to a bowl and combine the salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest and oil. Whisk to combine. Lay the tofu in a baking dish with sides and pour the marinade over top.
Marinate for 5 hours to overnight, basting once or twice during this time. Serve raw.

Basil Walnut Pesto
1 cup raw walnuts
2 oz fresh basil leaves
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, combine the walnuts, basil and garlic. Process until smooth. Add the salt, pepper and oil and process until smooth.

Insalata Caprese
4 heirloom tomatoes, 1/2" slice
basil walnut pesto
lemon tofu mozzarella
1 cup fresh basil leaves
extra virgin olive oil
flaky sea salt
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.
Line the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Roast for 10 minutes then remove from the oven. Spoon some pesto on top of each tomato and return back into the oven for 5 minutes.
Serve the roasted tomatoes with lemon tofu mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and flaky sea salt.