Raw Mexican Torte

This one takes time but is well worth it as you can make large numbers and freeze them.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• Almonds (2 cups)
• Walnuts (1 cup)
• Menjool Dates (1/2 cup, any type dried dates or raisins works)

Filling:

• Corn (2 cobs)
• Red Bell pepper (1 large, any kind of pepper works)
• Raw Cashews (1 cup, soaked in fridge, 2-24 hours)
• Nutritional Yeast Flakes (1/2 cup)
• Onion (1/4 cup any kind)
• Cilantro (1/2 a cup fresh)
• Garlic (4-6 gloves)
• Lime juice (1-2 limes depending on your taste)
• Salt to taste

For the crust you can use any combination of nuts and include things like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, honey, agave nectar, coconut etc. Adding more dates or raisins or other dried fruits like cherries, mulberry or goji berries makes the crust stand up better when it is finished but adds to the price. So depending on what you want your final torte to do, you can vary the amount of dried fruits to achieve the right type of crust. Blend all crust ingredients in a blender for about 1.5 minutes. Use a cupcake or biscuit baking tray and line each cupcake holder with a baking cup. Any size baking cup works. You can even make this as one pie size torte. I find using a metal cupcake tray is easiest but you can just use baking cups. Line each holder with the crust, making them as thin or as thick as you want. If you are serving them in the baking cup then you can make them very thin.

Chop the bell pepper into small pieces. Cut the corn off the cob. Blend the last seven ingredients for about 2 minutes. I use some of the cashew soak water to make the mixture the consistency of peanut butter. You can make it as thick or as thin as you like. Mix the blended ingredients in a bowl with the red pepper and corn. Spoon this mixture into the baking cups with the crust. Put the finished tortes in the freezer. When you are ready to serve them let them thaw for about 30 minutes.

This dish will surprise you. The key is fresh corn and red peppers from a farmers market. The interesting taste comes from fresh local cilantro (not from Mexico), lime and nutritional yeast. You can make as many as you can and they will keep in the freezer in a sealed container for 2 months.

You can also vary the filling. I cannot always afford cashews so I often substitute sunflower seeds, soaked 6-12 hours. Any raw pate can be a filling. If I have left over crust, I will sometimes add fruit or Baba Ganoush or raw hummus etc etc etc. I have given this version of the recipe as I think it has the most wow taste for newcomers to raw foods, but experimentation will give you wonders to amaze your friends. Salud