SUMMER BERRY VANILLA CREAM TARTS

Yeah, desserts are back. Thought I'd left ya, huh? Nope. I was just a little burnt out after writing my first book which focused entirely on raw, vegan, gluten-free desserts... over 100 recipes invented, created and photographed in under 4 months... I needed a break. Plus, as you may have noticed in my previous posts recently; I'm going 80/10/10! This means I am choosing to get almost all my calories (80%) from carbs, and leaving the remaining 20% of my calories to fat and protein. My diet is almost exactly what it was before: giant fruit smoothies all day, then a huge bowl of steamed veggies and rice for dinner, and a raw sweet for dessert! The only change? I'm skipping the desserts, which are usually nut-based, and instead getting those extra calories from more fruit in the day time! However, I  know that nuts are definitely necessary in a healthy diet, as is fat in general, in whole food plant form. So of course my dessert recipes are good for you! But having said that, I am going to focus on lowering the nut and coconut oil content in them, so we can all eat even MORE tarts. Sound good? Good. 

These adorable babies are full of fruity goodness, and they had my girlfriends practically fighting over the last bites. You can make this recipe nut-free very easily, or you can leave the nuts in there if you want. It's all up to you! I heart cashews! (I had to say it, it rhymed). You can also use nut pulp for the crust, if you are often left wondering what to do with that extra stuff after making almond milk. Frugal vegans are happy vegans... happy vegans with delicious healthy tarts. Let's eat. 

P.S. I apologize for these weird-looking photos. I'm still getting used to the photo editor on my MacBook. (YES I GOT A MAC WOOO!)

SUMMER BERRY VANILLA CREAM TARTS

Crust:

1 cup oats, nuts or nut pulp leftover from nut milk

1 1/4 cup dates

Berry cream:

1 cup frozen or fresh berries

Water, as needed

Vanilla cream:

3/4 cup cashews or 3 frozen bananas

1/2 vanilla bean

1 tablespoon coconut nectar

Water, as needed

Note: if you use cashews, you'll have lots of cashew vanilla cream leftover. I ask for 3/4 cup because you need to use at least that much to blend them into a cream in a blender, otherwise you just get cashew crumbs flying around the blades for infinity. 

Make the crust: pulse the oats or nuts into flour in a food processor. Add the dates and process it all until it sticks together. Press into lined tart tins. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Make the cream: for each one, just blend all the ingredients until smooth. Fill your tart crusts with your berry and vanilla creams, and decorate with chia seeds, dried berries, coconut shreds and whatever else you like! x

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coconut, ginger + mint tart with kiwi

This is delightful, refreshing and sweet like the summer sun. Okay - I know I am getting ahead of the seasons here but I am just so excited for summer to arrive. We are finally started to get blue sky and warmer temperatures here in good ole British Columbia. That was the inspiration for this tart. Besides... I like mint.

I added ginger just because it was there, I sniffed it, and decided it might pair well with Mr. Mint. Hurrah! I was right. Thank you, nose - rarely have you steered me in the wrong direction (except with durian). My boyfriend was quite happy to run away with the piece of this tart I cut for him, smiling maniacally. I think there might have been a giggle in there too. Point being: this is tasty.

Mint has got to be one of my top three favourite herbs. The other two are sweet basil and rosemary. OH MA GERD they are all just so delicious, unique, beautifully evolved and... green. The best things are always green, when you really think about it. T'is why I topped this baby off with kiwi slices and more mint leaves. Okay - and a bit of coconut shavings because you can't go wrong with those. Unless you are deathly allergic, then things will go as wrong as possible. Bad.

I took photos of this before it had enough time to set, so it didn't hold it's shape very well but don't fret, my dear friends, it will be fine after a few hours or overnight in the reliable and handy refrigerating machine. Also know as your fridge. If you like, add a banana or avocado into the filling for another layer of flavour, creaminess and plain bulk. The more tart, the better. Amiright.

cashew fruit tart with coconut, ginger + mint:

Crust:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup oats or buckwheat groats

2 cups raisins or dates

Filling:

1 cup cashews

Handful mint leaves

1 tablespoon peeled ginger root

2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil

1 cup dates

1/4 cup maple syrup (optional) 

Water or other liquid, as needed

To make the crust: process the walnuts and oats/groats in your food processor until they are a rough flour. Add the raisins and process until it starts sticking together. Press in the bottom of a lined tart tin. Set aside. 

To make the filling: blend all ingredients until smooth, adding as little water or other liquid as possible, but enough to make it creamy and smooth. Taste it and add more stuff according to your preferences. Or not. 

Assemble the beauty: spread the filling onto your crust evenly and set in the fridge overnight or for a few hours. Decorate with sliced fruit, coconut shavings and mint leaves. Enjoy!