Since the whole crust of this tomato tart is made from nuts and seeds (and a little oat flour), it seems a good time to discuss the mystifying distinctions between the two.
The difference between nuts and seeds is a lot more complicated than you might have thought. Seeds are the small, embryonic plant enclosed in the seed coat while nuts are hard-shelled pod that contains both the fruit and seed of the plant. So, all nuts are also seeds but all seeds are not nuts. Get it?
To make things even nuttier – walnuts and almonds – which we’ve always thought of as nuts, are actually drupes. This whole time! A drupe is a fruit with a fleshy exterior and a hard shell interior that contains one seed (like peaches).
Brain cramp? Then it’s a good thing we’re about to dig into this tart – nuts, seeds and drupes contain B vitamins that boost neural health.
Tomato Tart Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup oat flour (OR simply grind some large flake rolled oats until powder)
- 1/2 cup walnuts, ground
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, ground
- 3/4 cup flax meal (just ground flax) or ground chia seeds
- 3/4 cup filtered water
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1-2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil or thyme
- 1 tsp minced garlic (optional) salt + pepper
Filling
- 1 ½ cup raw cashews (soaked for 1-4 hours)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- ½ cup fresh basil
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Toppings
- 3 fresh tomatoes, sliced
- fresh basil to garnish
- salt & pepper
- grated parmesan (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In your large food processor bowl, grind your oats (if you don’t already have oat flour) and then the nuts and seeds. Once ground to a fairly fine, “meal” consistency, transfer to a bowl and stir in your spices.
- Once combined, begin to add water – a little at a time, and coconut oil and until dough begins to form. Fold together without over-mixing and transfer the dough to a 9’’inch round baking dish. Press into an even layer over the bottom, saving enough dough to go up the sides of the pan. Bake for 35 minutes.
- While your crust is in the oven – get started on the filling. In a food processor (or super blender) toss in all filling ingredients and blend until smooth. If it’s too thick – add a little more water and blend again.
- When the crust is out of the oven and slightly cooled, remove it from the pan and onto the serving dish. Pour the filling into the crust and spread it into a smooth layer.
- Finish with tomato slices and basil and maybe a turn of salt and pepper.
Tomato tart tweaked from Season to Season Eating
