These are filling but not heavy – just as you would expect from raw foods. Depending on how much you want to eat these are a great main dish, side dish, or snack. Note that you can put the filling inside 1/8 of red bell pepper as well as on tomato slices.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup cashews or macadamia nuts
¼ cup pine nuts or tahini
1 small- to medium-sized clove garlic
¼ – ½ cup lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup finely chopped parsley, cilantro and basil
1 ear corn, cut
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp dill
2 large tomatoes
Directions:
Cut tomatoes into ½” slices.
Combine cashews, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor (now we use our Omega 8006 juicer!) and grind into a fine meal.
Then add lemon juice and zest, olive oil and sea salt and blend into a smooth paste. Mix in parsley by hand.
Spoon mixture onto tomato slices, then sprinkle with corn, green onions, and dill. Put approximately 3 to 4 Tbsp of mixture on each slice, and press the corn in.
Health Benefits:
Cashews pack a lot of great health benefits. They contain a high amount of protein and dietary fiber (which help with appetite and weight management, among other benefits). Cashews are a good source of antioxidents, as well as magnesium and copper (which are great for bones, joints, and connective tissue). Cashews do not contain cholesterol.
Coconut oil has many unique and incredibly helpful health benefits, with continual research revealing even more health benefits all the time. Coconut oil is antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and really strengthens your immune system. Coconut oil actually increases metabolism and it also does not contain cholesterol. To get these benefits, be sure to use virgin coconut oil that has not been refined or processed (cold-pressed will assure that).
Tomatoes are very healthy for you. There has been a lot of research the last few years of a caratenoid in tomatoes called lycopene. Lycopene is one of few phytonutrients actually tested on humans and not just animals, and it has been found to be amazing at preventing heart disease and protecting from many types of cancers including breast, prostate, colorectal, endometrial, pancreatic, and lung cancers. Combining tomatoes with a healthy fat like a healthy oil or avacado will allow your body to absorb the lycopene and other important fat-soluble nutrients.
Note that recent studies are finding it is the array of nutrients included in tomatoes, including, but not limited to lycopene, that confers it with so much health value. I believe this holds true for every food with its unique makeup of nutrients, which is why it’s best to eat whole foods whenever possible.
Forgive me, but where is the coconut oil here? I don’t see it mentioned in the recipe. Love you guys! 😉
Hey Mary – thanks for keeping me honest! I mistakenly listed olive oil instead of coconut oil, but it should be coconut oil. I’ve got it corrected now.
Cheers,
Kelli