Vegan Pear & Fig Bruschetta

These Vegan Pear & Fig Bruschetta are the perfect party appetizer, or even throw them together for a lunchtime snack. Topped with a gorgeous green cucumber sauce and sliced fennel, your dish will be the talk of the party.

Skip to any part of the recipe by clicking on the links below:

• Introduction

• Before we Get Started

• Ingredients

• Method

• Spruce it Up

Introduction

As we slowly but surely head towards reopening stores and restaurants, and we begin to see our friends more and more often, be prepared for party invitations to start flying into your mailbox much like when Harry Potter was first invited to Hogwarts (lucky for you, you won’t have to run through brick walls or take steam-powered trains to get where you’re going - I’d hope).

Party policy dictates that one should bring something to the party-haver’s house, for them to have while they’re partying, of course. So don’t be caught empty-handed with no ideas on what to bring - it’s been a while, we’re all a bit rusty. Look no further, these appetizers are what’s on the menu.

Thinly sliced bread, drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper, and thrown in the oven; bright green cucumber sauce; sliced fennel; pear; and fig. An appetizer built for royalty, frankly. And royalty is exactly what you’re going to feel like when people start asking “Who made these? They are delicious! They’re not store-bought? I don’t believe that for a second"

Well, believe it, Cheryl. This is a dead easy recipe that takes no time at all.

The secret to this dish is to try your sauce often, to get the taste that you like. You might find that it doesn’t have enough punch - add a bit more salt. Maybe it isn’t as light as you’d like, try some more cucumber or a bit of mint.

Check out the Spruce it Up section for ideas on how to take this recipe to the next level.

Before we Get Started

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 15 Minutes

• We'll be prepping while we cook.

Yield: 30-40 Bruschetta

Ingredients

• 1 Cucumber

• 1 Pear

• Handful of Spinach

• 20 Figs

  • I used dried figs.

• 1 head of Fennel

• 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • Don’t sweat it if you don’t have extra virgin olive oil, just use the best quality oil you have.

• 1/2 clove of Garlic

• 1 Baguette

• 1/3 cup Raw Cashews

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.

2. Thinly slice your bread into approximately 1 - 1.5 cm thick. Lay them out on a baking tray, and drizzle generously with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put them into the oven for about 8 minutes.

   • Once 8 minutes has passed, check on them. If they are still a bit soft, put them in for another few minutes, and check them again.

3. While your bread is in the oven, combine your cucumber, spinach, olive oil, garlic, and raw cashews into a blender. Blend until smooth, then add a good pinch of salt. Give it a mix, then taste, and add more salt if necessary.

4. Grab a sharp knife, and slice off the green, shaggy branches from the fennel. You just want to use the white, bulbous part. Slice that in half. On the inside of each half, you should see a triangular, white shape. Cut that part out, and discard. Very thinly slice the rest of your fennel.

5. Thinly slice your pear, and slice your figs in half, too.

6. When your bread is ready, grab a spoon, and pour some of the cucumber sauce over top of it. Add a bit of fennel, a slice of pear, and place your fig on top.

7. Enjoy.

Spruce it Up

• A bit of Red Pepper Jelly would be a great addition.

• Add some mint or basil to your cucumber sauce to bring new flavours and freshness to it.