Vegan Beetroot, Kale, Cashew Cheese & Hazelnut Tarts
These completely gluten-free, plant-based, vegan tarts are next level delicious! The crust is made from lupin flour (similar to chickpea or lentil flour) for a nice protein boost and the ‘egg and cheese’ is replaced with a delicious cheesy cashew sauce that includes nutritional yeast. They’re full of seasonal vegetables, including our prebiotic friend, leek! When you bite into them to find the kale in a creamy cashew sauce, you’d never know they’re free of eggs and dairy. Serve them alongside a seasonal salad for a nourishing meal or simply pack one for a work snack to keep you going throughout the day!
Serves 4 (makes 4 tarts)
4x 1 cup (250mL) capacity pie tins (7cm wide base, 4cm high side)
Pastry:
1 cup lupin flour (chickpea or lentil flour is very similar and works well)
½ cup almond meal
Pinch sea salt
2 ½ tbsps. coconut oil
3-4 tbsps. iced water
Filling:
½ medium beetroot
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
½ a leek
2 large handfuls (50g) kale leaves, stems removed
½ cup cashews (soaked overnight)
2 tbsps. nutritional yeast
Pinch sea salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
¼ cup arrowroot
¾ cup water
¼ cup hazelnuts, halved
For the pastry:
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius and grease 4 pie tins with coconut oil.
Add chickpea flour, almond meal and salt to a medium sized bowl. Add the coconut oil and use a fork in ‘mashing’ action until the mixture comes together to a crumbly consistency. Add the iced water and use your hands to mix and squeeze it into a sticky dough.
Flatten the dough into an even disk and cut into 4 equal quarters. Press one quarter of the dough into each tart tin, ensuring you evenly cover the base and almost to the top of the sides. Prick a few times with a fork and pre-bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the filling:
Grate the beetroot finely and add it to a small bowl with the red wine vinegar and some salt and pepper. Set aside to soak.
Finely slice the leek and kale leaves. Fry the leek for about 10 minutes over medium heat before stirring in the kale until just wilted. Remove from the heat and place into a medium bowl to cool slightly.
Blend the cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice, arrowroot and water together until smooth and well combined. Pour into the bowl with the leek and kale mixture. Season to taste and stir until well combined.
Place a tablespoon of grated beetroot into the bottom of each tart, then ladle in the cheesy kale mixture on top, distributing it evenly between the 4 tarts. Top with a sprinkling of more beetroot and the chopped hazelnuts.
Place the tarts into the oven to bake for 25 minutes or until beginning to brown on top (you can pop them under the grill for 2 minutes at the end if they’re not browning). Serve with a seasonal salad or on their own. Enjoy!