Blueberry Tart

Gluten-free and super delicious vegan tart, perfect for Christmas! And super super healthy. Finding fresh blueberries and blackberries might be hard at this time of year, but you can always use frozen ones. They still bring the same result. This tart is dairy-free, contains no sugar, no eggs, is gluten-free and it still tastes heavenly! One of the magic ingredients is the agave syrup, a natural ingredient sweeter than honey, that fits magnificently with the fresh lemon juice. You can always adjust those two in this recipe according to your own taste.

Tip: Carefully open the spring-form, as soon as the tart has been cooled enough, and remove the clingfilm. Transfer to a tray – carefully because it is quite heavy – and keep it there. You can keep it for 4-5 days in the fridge. It is better to consume it as soon as possible.

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Prep. Time 1 hour – 6 hour to cool, Serves up to 12 people

Equipment: 20cm spring-form, clingfilm, cooking machine, spatula, tray

        

Ingredients
for the base:
200gr pitted dates
200gr almonds
30gr grated coconut
1 teaspoon water

for the tart filling:
2 biological lemons (zest and juice)
450gr unroasted cashew nuts
400gr blueberries
200gr blackberries
2, 4 deciliter agave syrup
400gr coconut oil
extra blueberries & blackberries for garnish

Method
Take the spring-form and ‘dress’ it with clingfilm, so that it will be easier for the tart to get out.

For the base,; put the dates, almonds and coconut in the cooking machine till they become crumbs. Add the teaspoon of water and let it be combined. Put the base into the form and work it flat till it covers evenly the whole surface of the form. Put it in the fridge.

Clean the cooking machine and wipe it dry so that it will be ready to use for the tart filling. Grate the zest of the two lemons and squeeze their juice out. Put the lemon juice along with the cashew nuts in the cooking machine and combine till it becomes a smooth paste.

Add in the lemon zest, the blueberries and the blackberries. Add the agave syrup and slowly the coconut oil. Combine everything till they become smooth. It is better to do it in 2 doses, because of its quantity and weight.

Taste if it needs more lemon juice or agave syrup according to your needs. Put carefully the filling into the form, on top of the base. Spread it good and let it cool for about 6 hours or better overnight. Garnish with some extra blueberries, blackberries and coconut.

Enjoy!

        

Mango Lemon Tarts

Holidays are coming fast this year and I haven’t even realized it. I am always so late with these things, I always remember last moment to buy a tree and decorate a little bit. But this year I just like keeping it jolly first and foremost in the kitchen by trying new recipes! Constant baking and cooking, baking and cooking.

This time mangoes took most of my free time in baking. I know it is hard to find them in winter in many countries, but if you stumble them in some market (or try to search for a local supermarket that might import them), please take a chance to make this recipe. You will love it! It is a classic lemon tart recipe with mangoes added! The result is not only fresh and light, it is also very cool to do for Christmas! Your guests will be astonished by it, since it is not common to make as a Christmas dessert.

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Prep Time: 30 min, Serves: 8-10 square tarts

Equipment:
parchment paper
20×20 cm pan
wand mixer
medium saucepan
bowl for mixing

Ingredients
For the crust:
½ cup melted butter
1 ½ cups flour (all purpose)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
½ teaspoon salt

For the mango lemon curd:
¾ cup mango pulp*
⅓ cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
zest from 1 lemon
½ cup butter

           

Method
Begin with the crust. Preheat oven to 175°C. Mix together the flour, lemon, sugar, and salt. Pour in the butter and use a spatula, a spoon or your own hands to pull into a ball of dough.

Use a 20×20 cm square pan lined with parchment paper, press the dough from the middle and work towards the edges with your hands. Use a fork to poke the dough in order to avoid air bubbles. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, it is time for the mango-lemon curd. Whisk together the eggs, yolks, and sugar. Add the mango pulp, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir good until fully incorporated.

In a medium saucepan in low heat, stir the curd constantly until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. If you notice any clumps on the sides or coming up from the bottom remove from heat at once. Then strain the curd to remove the lemon zest. Add the butter in thin slices while the curd is still warm.

Pour the curd into the crust. Bake the tart at 175° C for 10-15 minutes. The outer edges will be ready, the inner will still jiggle slightly.

Keep in the refrigerator, after it has cool down first, for at least 3 hours or overnight. Serve chilled with sprinkled powdered sugar!

Enjoy!

*Just use a wand mixer to puree the mango easily

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

What can be said for this recipe? You don’t really call it healthy or fat free! But its taste is indescribable. Chocolate and peanut butter are very (very) good friends and they melt perfectly together in your mouth… And now that the Holidays are coming, you need some more comfort & fat food in order to enjoy the Christmas spirit fully right? A great dessert made with love for your friends and family. So, off you go to make this super easy recipe that leaves NOBODY untouched. You don’t even have to use the oven! It can be served with ice-cream, alone, as a dessert or with your evening coffee.

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Prep Time: 15 min & 3 hours for cooling. Serves 15 pieces or more if you cut them smaller.

Ingredients
120gr salted butter, already melted
1 cup whole-grain biscuits in crumbs*
120gr powdered sugar
200gr creamy peanut butter – plus 2 tbsp extra
180gr semi-sweet chocolate chips, bitter or milk

             

Method
Fill a small baking pan, preferably square, with aluminum foil. I used a 22×14 cm one and it turned out OK because it was deep enough. You can use a 20×20 cm or a 22×22 one. You choose. In the smaller they would be taller. It depends on how big you want them. Set aside.

In a medium bowl mix the melted butter, the whole-grain biscuits crumbs and the powdered sugar together until combined. Stir in the 200gr of peanut butter. Spread into the prepared baking pan.

In another smaller bowl put the 2tbsp of peanut butter along with the chocolate chips. Microwave them in the highest level until melted for about 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer.

Now you must let it chill until completely firm, for at least 3 hours. Before cutting the tarts into pieces, let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Serve them chilled. They can also last some hours out of the fridge. You can freeze them for 3 months.

Enjoy!

*Use a food processor to have nice thin crumbs

Dessert ‘Snow white’

This dessert is called ‘Snow white’ because of its colors, as you have already guessed. Dark hair (chocolate) and white skin (coconut crumbs), exactly like Snow white is described in the fairytale. It is one of those desserts that win you over with their simplicity and chocolate syrup taste. My mother is making it all the time back in Greece, when she wants to make a fast juicy cake and there is no time. You can serve it with some vanilla ice cream on the side, or just plain. Be careful, it is an addictive dessert!

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 cups milk

2 cups sunflower oil

3, 5 cups white sugar

5 cups of flour

4 eggs

2 tbsp baking powder

200 gr. coconut crumbs

1 dose of vanilla powder

*the cup I use is about this size, like a tea cup, not a coffee one. You distribute the dosages depending on your needs.

 

For the syrup:

2 cups of water

2 cups o sugar

200 gr. dark chocolate

2 tbsp. margarine

 

Procedure:

With the mixer mix the sugar and the eggs for about 10 minutes, until they are fluffed and dissolved.

Pour in the oil and keep mixing for about 3 minutes.

Pour the milk, the vanilla, the baking powder and the flour slowly, until all the ingredients are dissolved into the mixture. If you want it to be a bit dark, put some pure cacao dust.

Oil a baking pan and put the mixture in. *the pan mustn’t be too short, because the mixture will overflow. I used a square one No 6. You can even bake the cake in muffin cups, just improvise! If you want many small pieces, spread the mixture in a wide pan and if you want tall big pieces put it in a smaller one.

Bake it for about 30 minutes in 180 C.

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup.

In a small pot, put the sugar, the butter, the water and the chocolate and let them boil for about 5 minutes. Take it out of the fire after all ingredients have become nice brown syrup. Let it cool until the cake is ready. *It has to be cooler than the cake; otherwise the pieces will melt in the syrup.

After you take out the cake from the oven, you let it cool a bit and then you cut it in square pieces. *The square pieces vary depending on your needs. You can make any size you want though! Don’t hesitate.

Dip each piece into the cooled chocolate syrup until all surfaces are covered. Careful! Only for a few seconds, otherwise the pieces will be too ‘wet’.

Put them on a big plate over kitchen paper and sprinkle with the coconut crumbs. After the leftovers of the chocolate syrup are absorbed by the paper, you can move your pieces to a nice decorating plate and put them in the fridge.