Upside Root Vegetable Tarts and Bonus Cauliflower Toast!
I spent the past week in Florida with my mom enjoying the sunshine, playing tennis and drinking a little (read: WAY TOO MUCH) wine. Typically, when I'm at her house, I cook a ton because she's working and I'm on break. This week was no different, but I had a secret mission. You know how in some families you try to hid vegetables from your kids? In our family, we have to trick my mom in to eating them. As a kid, we basically had a rotating vegetable side of baby carrots in ranch, red bell peppers in ranch and broccoli...in ranch. We didn't eat many different kinds of vegetables because my mom didn't like them, or didn't grow up eating them, so she didn't know how to cook them. As an adult, as I've discovered new vegetables, I've tried to introduce them to my family too. I promised my mom she would like these veggies cooked or prepared in the ways I presented, and I think I won my own challenge! In one week, she ate cabbage, cucumbers, carrots two ways, purple beets AND golden beets. Game. Set. Match.
I got this idea when a friend of mine sent me a recipe for a root vegetable tart. I wanted to eat it, but it was full of gluten and dairy. So I decided to try and adapt it for those of us with reactions to those ingredients. I made an Upside Down Tart, which would be great for a dinner party or a meal prep, where you need the same thing for several meals. I also made some of them in to mini-tarts, which would be cute appetizers at a party. You could also just use the crust recipe and make "Cauliflower Toast," to top with eggs for your breakfast.
What You'll Need (for one Upside Down Tart):
Toppers:
1 medium, Yukon Gold potato
1 medium sweet potato
2 medium carrots
3 small purple beets
3 small golden beets
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Crust and Filling:
1 head cauliflower, riced
2 tbsp diced fresh tarragon
2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
2 cups cashews, soaked in water for at least one hour (longer is better)
2 cups water
2 tbsp chopped chives
2 tbsp almond flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt and pepper
What I Did:
Preheat your oven to 425. First, chop all of your root vegetables into about 1 inch pieces. Then, add your olive oil, salt and pepper. mix together. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. You may need two pans, depending on how many veggies you decide to use.
Soak your cashews in water. Pour out the water and then pour the cashews in to your blender or food processor. Add one cup water to your blender. Blend cashews until they are a ricotta-like consistency. You made need more water, but add it slowly so it doesn't get runny. Add chives to your blender and pulse until the chives are incorporated. Pulse it, don't just blend it. If you blend it, the cashew cream will end up green throughout rather than white with flecks of green. Refrigerate until you need it.
Next, rice your cauliflower. Add your tarragon, rosemary, salt and pepper. Pulse until incorporated, then remove to a bowl. Add the almond flour and eggs to the bowl and mix together.
When the crust is ready, the methodology is different depending on which tart you're making.
If you're making an upside down tart, use a pie pan and coat it with cooking spray. Add your root vegetables to the bottom. Top with cashew cream and spread evenly. Last, add the cauliflower mixture and press on top. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Check the crust. It's done when it's slightly springy and beginning to brown.
If you're making mini-tarts, use a tart pan or muffin tin and put the cauliflower mixture in first. Top with the cashew cream and root veggies. Bake for 30 minutes.
To make cauliflower toast, bake first in a loaf pan or pie pan for 30 minutes. I would suggest making the cashew cream and baking the cashew cream with the cauliflower mixture with no root vegetables. Once it's done baking, let it cool completely. Once it is cooled, slice into toast shapes. Heat in a skillet on high for 5 minutes on each side or put it in your toaster to firm it up enough to top with eggs, avocado and bacon!
