Asparagus Tart

Ingredients:
1 15oz can of white beans
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp pesto paste (I used "amore" brand)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp alternative milk or water
1 lb fresh asparagus
1 sheet puff pastry
Pepper, Olive oil

Remove 1 puff pastry sheet from the freezer and let it defrost on the counter for 40 minutes on top of parchment paper. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F and make the filling.

Drain and rinse the beans, and add them to the work bowl of a food processor. Add of the remaining ingredients except the soymilk (salt through lemon juice). Pulse the food processor, stopping ever few pulses to scrape down the sides and pulse again. You want to break up the beans and the cashews. Once it's as smooth as you can get it, dribble in the soymilk while the machine is running, as this should help further smooth the mixture.

After defrosting puff pastry fro 40 minutes, carefully unwrap, then roll the puff pastry out slightly into a rectangle and add white bean pesto mixture, leaving a 1.5 inch border on all sides.  

Trim your asparagus so that it fits the tart width-wise. Press the spears into the white bean pesto, alternating their direction so that there are tips and bases next to each other; this one everyone is guaranteed every part of the asparagus after cutting.  Brush the spears with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper if desired. 

Using the parchment paper, slide the tart onto a baking sheet (don't remove the tart from the paper). Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes until the tart is puffed and golden brown and the spears are tender. Serve while just warm.  Add basil garnish if desired.  

**I think the white bean pesto paste would also be yummy on whole wheat pita bread or pizza dough topped with veggies and baked.  You could use it also as a sandwich spread.  

Adapted from Vegan YumYum app for the Iphone.