Raw Tomato Cream Sauce and Tomato Bruschetta

With all those gorgeous tomatoes this week it’s time to make one of three things:

1. Bruschetta

2. Gazpacho

3. Tomato Sauce

This is a creamy pasta sauce that’s almost a combination of the three – it’s cool (perfect for hotter months), it’s creamy and rich, and it’s almost an entire meal with some pasta (gluten-free for me), or with fresh bread. Raw lovers will enjoy it with crunchy dehydrated crackers or zucchini or kelp noodles.

1/2 cup Brazil nuts (soaked 8 hours or overnight, then optionally peeled. Discard soaking liquid. Peeled is best but I didn’t care about a smooth texture)

1 medjool date, pit removed (soaked or not. Again, didn’t care about a smooth texture), or 2 tsp cane sugar

6-8 cherry tomatoes, or two large tomatoes

pinch of salt

Optional: 5 mint leaves, 1/4-1/2 an avocado, 1 tsp lemon juice, parsley, basil, or other fresh herb for garnish (or blend it in), garlic, green onion, shallot, red onion, balsamic vinegar (though it’s not raw)

You may need up to 3 tbsp water to help it blend, but not if your tomatoes are juicy!

Instructions: Blend. That’s all. As fine or as chewy as you want. It won’t be crunchy unless you cut down on the water and rehydrate the nuts (I’d actually toast them until they’re aromatic…but I’m not raw). You can also optionally seed and skin the tomatoes to remove some bitterness and improve the texture. It will also make the dish a little sweeter but less juicy.

You can dilute the sauce to your liking, but thicker ensures it doesn’t turn soupy. It’s easy to make it more liquidy by adding water, but hard to make it less so once you’ve added too much. If you want it less creamy use fewer nuts. Or think about adding some balsamic vinegar.