I have been looking for a fresh light starter for the warm summer evenings. Courgettes or Tikvica in Croatian, are seasonal, grown on the island and are really versatile. You can pickle, roast, fry or make into a soup. We often use them raw, with a quick lemon marinade within a crisp salad to accompany a moussaka main course. In the past I have served a Courgette Carpaccio with a Caper Pesto as a starter, but this season I wanted to try something different. This summer has been hot, so on Vis Island I have been looking at adding some more raw courses to our three course plant based meals. Buying a new blender has allowed me to make more nut butters and cashew creams. I highly recommend a powerful blender as an extra kitchen help! After lots of research we decided upon Blendtec, which is an American product. I'm really happy with it, it’s super robust and it has helped us create some new recipe options for our guests to sample after a day exploring Vis Island.
This recipe is simple to make, very fresh and looks beautiful on the plate! When our guests have their first bite of these vegan courgette rolls, we can see the delight in their eyes as this delicate starter is bursting with flavour.
I love to add some fresh herbs to cashew cream. In Croatia, my little herb garden on the balcony has been blooming this summer. Two different mint varieties and basil, lemon thyme, oregano and bay leaves are thriving. Just growing wild close to the house we also have fennel and rosemary….everywhere! I think mint works really well with courgette, occasionally I have also added a few chopped capers to the cashew cream.
This recipe is enough for 8 people, which so happens to be the number of guests we have in our small group kayaking and yoga holidays on Vis Island.
200 grams of soaked cashew nuts (For a quick method of soaking, let cashews sit in hot water for 5 minutes)
Juice of a lemon
40 grams of nutritional yeast
1 clove of garlic
50ml of oat milk
Salt and pepper to taste
A handful of fresh herbs like mint or basil
3 medium sized Courgettes
1 tsp salt
First top and tail the courgette and cut them in half. We use a mandolin to create even, thin slices of the courgette. If your knife skills are better than ours then you can thinly slice the courgette. Sprinkle the slices of courgette with salt and set aside for at least 30 minutes. This allows the courgette slices to be easier to roll.
Next make the cashew cream. Add all the ingredients except the herbs to the blender, whiz until smooth. Finely chop the herbs and stir through the cream, taste for seasoning.
Wipe any salt and moisture from the courgette slices. Add a small amount of the cream to the end of a slice of courgette and gently roll. We serve three rolls per person with a dusting of smoked paprika.
Really easy and they have been loved by our guests this summer in Croatia.
We would love to hear from you if you make this recipe and if you share on your social media, then please tag us so we see your pictures.
A big thank you to Amy Warren and Abbie Merritt for the photographs.
#relaxinglyactive #veganrecipes #veganholiday