Heirloom Tomatoes With Almond Basil Nut Cheese and Basil Pesto
By: Tess Arevalo-Fischer
Published: Friday, August 20, 2010 - 11:19am

Ingredients




Almond Basil Cheese
1 cup almonds, soaked overnight
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
Basil Pesto
1 pound of basil, leaves only
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper (to taste)

Preparation

1 For the Almond Basil Cheese: 2 Place all items in a food processor and process until the mixture takes on a paste-like texture but remains a bit coarse.  Shape into whatever form you'd like. I used plastic wrap to form my nut cheese into a log so that I could slice it and place it nicely on my heirloom tomato slices. 3 For the Basil Pesto: 4 Lightly toast pine nuts either in the oven or on the stovetop. Let cool. Mince garlic in a food processor. Add cooled pine nuts and pulse until paste-like texture. Add basil leaves, miso, half the salt and half the pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour in the EVOO.  Process until you achieve a creamy consistency. This pesto becomes creamy because of the miso paste. Taste your pesto and determine if it needs more salt and/or pepper.Lightly toast pine nuts either in the oven or on the stovetop. Let cool. Mince garlic in a food processor. Add cooled pine nuts and pulse until paste-like texture. Add basil leaves, miso, half the salt and half the pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour in the EVOO.  Process until you achieve a creamy con 5 Assembly: 6 Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Slice the almond basil cheese into approximately 1/4 inch slices. Place cheese on the tomato. Add a dollop of pesto. 7 Enjoy!