SALTED CARAMEL + SESAME CHOCOLATE CREAM TARTS


It's recipes like these that I find easy to compare with sexual experiences. I promise you'll get some intense mouthgasms when you bite into one of these tarts. I did. 

When basic logic is applied one can see how most - if not all - pleasurable moments in our lives are as such because of hormones. Namely endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin and the like. Some might think this is depressing, but I think it's totally awesome. Why do I love Jack? Well, for a lot of reasons that are unexplainable at the moment. But a huge part of it is because when I am around him and when I think about him, oxytocin is released in my brain! I associate positive emotions with him and my body and mind wants me to stick with the relationship because our evolutionary history values solid reproductive partners. When ya really give it a think - we are still such primal creatures. We are ANIMALS through and through. Sure, in the last several thousands of years our environment has changed - but our biology has not. Look around: we are uber preoccupied with eating, sex and... oh that's pretty much it. Of course we've got culture and art and music and important movements for social, political and environmental policy improvement; these seemingly have nothing to do with our fundamental drives but in a lot of cases I think you can still relate it back. There's no doubt that the general public is most focused on appeasing their senses. We are a sensual species! We like feelin' good. So do other mammals (because we are mammals, after all)! 



As mammals our behaviour is largely governed by our bodily drives (refined by evolution) and so that's why these food porn photos look so freaking good and why #foodporn is even a thing. It's because food, sex, music, and other good stuff feel so great and are effortless to synonymise (I may have just made that word dup) to one another. They all release a yummy cocktail of brain chemicals that reinforce the behaviour because it's good for the reproduction of our DNA. So yeah, chocolate is sexy. I love Jack. Whenever I go out dancing I call it therapy. 

Keep in mind that since our biology hasn't changed much in the last few hundred thousand years - but our environment has - we gotta be careful about what we choose to eat. Our brains have evolved to looooooove sugar and fat because they are calorie-dense and usually very scarce in the wilderness. Now we are surrounded by processed foods which are - let's be honest - just like drugs for our bodies. Sugar addiction is real. So make sure you don't let your primal brain rule over modern logic. Your body doesn't realize McDonalds is available 24/7, but your mind does. So eat whole foods in abundance but leave the processed stuff out; ultimately your body will thank you. You can release just as many of those happy hormones by eating this recipe instead of a Snickers bar. 

I hope this post made some kind of sense, I am listening to an Outkast album at the same time so it's hard to concentrate but I just can't turn off my record player. Hehe. 


SALTED CARAMEL + SESAME CHOCOLATE CREAM TARTS
Makes 6-7 servings.

Crust:
1 cup dates
1 cup rolled oats (or walnuts)

Salted caramel:
1 cup dates
1/4 cup coconut oil (or 1 banana)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup (preferably infused with vanilla)
Water, if needed

Sesame chocolate cream:
2 tablespoons tahini 
2 tablespoons cacao powder
Water, if needed

To make the crust: pulse the oats in a food processor until they turn into a powdery mix. Add the dates and process until it all starts to stick together. Add more dates if it's still too crumbly. Press into the bottoms and sides of tart tins and put in the fridge. 

To make the caramel: blend everything until smooth. Add a little bit of water if it's too thick. Spread half of this mixture into the bottom of your tart crusts - leave the other half in the blender - then put the tarts back in the fridge. 

To make the chocolate cream: add the tahini and cacao to the remaining caramel in your blender. Blend until fully combined, adding water if it's too thick. Spread the chocolate onto your tarts, sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!

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