Cranberry Orange Spice Mini Tarts.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving is a family holiday, but unfortunately our family is far away from us, so I am glad that this year we were invited for a dinner to our friends’ house. Great young couple with an adorable daughter Sophie ( our Sophia’s friend).

We’ve never celebrated Thanksgiving in Ukraine, so it’s becoming a new tradition for us, and because our daughter was born here I am trying to involve her in american culture and traditions as much as possible. We are learning with her too.

Because we were going for dinner, I didn’t cook anything at home. I only made some salad to take with us, and at the last minute I decided to fix some healthy dessert. Actually, it wasn’t at the last minute, because I spent 2 days to make it, but the result worth these two days spending in the kitchen.

Honestly, the recipe is simple, but there are three steps in making it, so I made part of it the first day and finished the next day.

The recipe is completely vegan, grain, gluten, dairy, wheat free.

Cranberry Orange Spice Mini Tarts.

Tart Shells:

2 cups almond flour

2 tablespoons maple syrur or coconut syrup or agave syrup ( I will use less syrup next time, because it was too sweet for me)

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 12 cups in a regular-sized muffin tin with paper liners (I personally used silicone muffin cups).

Put all the crust ingredients in the food processor and mix very well. Let it become a very nice dough.

Add the crust mixture to the cups and press down firmly into the cup using your knuckles, going up the sides a tad bit.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then place the pan in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the tarts and serve. ( I used mine the next day)

Cranberry-Orange Spice Sauce:

1 cup fresh organic cranberries, washed

1 large orange, peeled, sectioned and pith removed, and cut into 1-inch pieces

Zest from that orange, set a little aside for topping when serving

1/2 cup maple syrup, coconut nectar, honey, etc.

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan over a medium heat, combine the the cranberries, orange pieces, maple syrup and ginger.

Cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries open and the orange pieces dissolve. I  used a fork to get in there and mash up the cranberries.

Remove from the heat, stir in the orange zest and allow the mixture to fully cool. Blend the mixture in the blender to smooth consistency.  Place into the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the tarts.

Cashew Cream Layer:

3/4 cups raw organic cashews, soaked at least 4 hours ( I did it overnight)

Juice from 1/2 orange about 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons filtered water

2 tablespoons maple syrup, coconut nectar, honey( I will use less next time)

Pinch Himalayan crystal salt

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Add everything to your high speed blender and blend on high for as long as it takes to make it smooth and creamy.

Remove the paper liner off of the tart shells. Top each of the tart shells with a spoonful of the cashew cream filling and a spoonful of the cranberries.

Enjoy!!!!

I made tarts and cranberry sauce the first day, and the cashew cream the next day.

They were really very delicious and everybody liked them.

You can find the original recipe here.

Raspberry and Coconut Chocolate Torte.

It’s all about chocolate again.

Last week it was the other day when we craved for chocolate and I was looking for something healthy and delicious to make. It’s getting cold outside, sometimes it even feels like winter and my body starts asking for more sweets. I wish I could eat them as much as I want and still stay fit and slim. Unfortunately, it is not the story of my body, and to stay in a shape as I am now, I should be careful with every single piece of sweets in my life.

Recently I start using coconut flour in my recipes more often and it actually tastes really good.

Today’s recipe is gluten, dairy, sugar and wheat free.

I just used Maple Syrup instead of honey.

Both honey and pure maple syrup have advantages and disadvantages. If you seek minerals and lower fructose, maple syrup is a good choice; for those who want the vitamin boost and no fat, honey is your best bet.

Raspberry and Coconut Chocolate Torte.
• 1 cup frozen rasberries
• 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
• 1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
• 5 organic eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 300F  and grease or line a cake tin with baking paper.

2. In a small saucepan on low heat, melt together the extra virgin coconut oil, and maple syrup . Set aside to cool.

3. Add the raspberries to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, including the coconut oil and maple syrup. Blend until smooth.

4. Pour the batter in to the prepared cake tin, then bake in the oven for 30-50 minutes.

5. Leave to cool, before inverting on to a plate.

6. Serve with coconut or vanilla ice-cream.

You can find the original recipe here.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.

If you’re like most women, you’re totally smitten with chocolate. People have been obsessing over this comfort food for thousands of years (the Mayans considered cocoa a cure-all and the Aztecs used it as money). And all that obsessing has yielded some pretty surprising studies—and findings.

These cookies with crunch edges and a soft, chewy center will immediately put you in antioxidant overdrive .

Good news: the recipe is dairy free, gluten-free, healthy and vegan.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup coconut sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp sea salt

2tbs pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup flax meal

1tsp baking soda

1,5 tsp xantham gum

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2 . In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, coconut sugar, applesauce, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and combine until a dough is formed. Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

3. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the portion 1 inch apart. Gently press each with the hell of your hand to help them spread. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 14 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees after 9 minutes.

The finished cookies will be crisp on the ages and soft in the center.

4. Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

The recipe is from the book “Babycakes” By Erin McKenna.