Brian Oliver's culinary mind-set aims to push the Midwest ideals with creativity with plant-based ingredients.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup roasted pistachios
- ¾ cup almonds
- 4 pitted dates
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 cups raw cashews (Soak overnight then drain and rinse.)
- 1 cup soy milk
- ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1½ teaspoon citric acid (If you don’t have citric acid, use a tablespoon of lemon juice and cut back on soy milk just a smidge.)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup blueberries
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 cups blueberries
- ½ cup loosely packed basil
Instructions
For the pistachio crust, add the pistachios and almonds to the food processor and chop until fine. Add coconut oil and dates, pulsing until the dates are fully mixed in. Dump the mixture onto parchment paper on a flat surface and then cover it with another piece parchment paper. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten the mixture out and into a circle. Chill in the fridge while you make the rest of the recipe.
Place all of the kalamata cashew crema ingredients in a highspeed blender and blend on high for 2 minutes, until smooth. Store it in a squirt bottle or pastry bag for quick use.
In a small saucepan, bring blueberry-balsamic reduction ingredients to a boil for about 8 minutes allowing it reduce down until you can draw a line in the middle and see the bottom of the pan. Stir often to avoid the reduction burning.
Add the reduction and the blueberry-basil bruschetta ingredients into your food processor and process for 30 seconds.
Now it’s time to put it together. Build it like a pizza: Spread the blueberry-basil bruschetta and balsamic reduction in a thick layer over the crust. Then drizzle the kalamata-cashew crema over the top. Decorate with watercress, arugula, basil or edible flowers.
About this recipe
*Photography: Harrison Housen
