Deep Dark Chocolate Tart

Made by Deanne.
Recipe from the link below. My notes are in red.

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/07/deep-dark-chocolate-tart-gluten-grain-dairy-refined-sugar-free.html

Because it's so rich, it's nice to serve this with something to cut the richness. Raspberry sauce, like pictured above works well, as does orange segments (which is how we serve it in the winter). You can also easily vary the sweetness of this tart. I love it bittersweet, but you could certainly sweeten it more.

I've made this in tart pans, pie pie pans and springform pans, but have found that pans with removable bottoms work the best. So use either a tart pan with a removable bottom, or a springfrom pan.

Crust: Grease a springform pan with coconut oil, and set aside.

2 cups of almonds (or choice of nuts)
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/2 cup of arrowroot powder, or sprouted wheat flour (only use wheat flour if you can have gluten) (I used tapioca flour, but would use arrowroot powder if I made it again)
2/3 cup of coconut oil softened (or butter) ( same here, I used the pulp/juice of a young fresh coconut, as I was out of coconut oil)
1/4 cup of coconut sugar, honey, rapadura, maple sugar ( I used dates pureed with the juice and pulp of a young fresh coconut, found at the indian produce stores in Fremont)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (make sure it’s gluten free, if needed)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place almonds in a food processor, and process until a coarse flour, add the rest of the ingredients and process until it forms a uniform dough. Press down into the greased pan and bake for 8-12 minutes or until the top is slightly browned.

Take out of the oven and cool. Once the crust is cool, making the filling.

8 ounces of unsweetened chocolate (I used the unsweetened from Trader Joes baking section. It was very strong. I would add last and taste test as I go. I think 8 oz is too much)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (butter can be substituted)
1/4 cup of coconut sugar, plus two tablespoon honey, or more coconut sugar (all honey can be used as well. Honey will be sweeter than coconut sugar. Rapadura or maple syrup/sugar are also options).(again I used the pureed dates with juice and pulp from young coconut for the coconut sugar and coconut cream)
1 1/2 cups of coconut cream (if you can't find coconut cream, you can use a full fat coconut milk and skim the fatty top of the top. You will need two 14 ounce cans for that. Cream can be substituted.)(see my note for the above ingredient. Also, I would also recommend substituting a mashed banana (only 1, 2 is just too strong) or an avocado, in lieu of some of the coconut cream)
Dash of salt
2 tablespoons brewed coffee or espresso ( I left this out)

1-Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium size, heatproof bowl. Add the coconut oil and the sweetener, mix it into the chopped chocolate a little.

2-Heat the coconut cream on the stove until very hot. Pour over the chocolate and tap the bowl on the counter to settle the chocolate. Let this sit for about one minute to start melting the chocolate. Using a rubber spatula (heatproof), slowly stir in a circular motion, starting from the center of the bowl. Stir for about two minutes (the mixture should be melted and the temperature 90 degrees, though I never check the temperature).

3- Add the coffee and stir until incorporated. Pour this over the crust and carefully place it in the fridge to set. It will take about an hour to set. Cover with plastic wrap once all the way cool. Will keep at least three days in the fridge (if you can resist that long!).

Moroccan Vegetable Stew

This recipe is from Speed Vegan by Alan Roettinger. Posted by Gretchen Mora. Served at Feb 2011 Healthy Eating Dinner.

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 large red onion, coarsely diced

1 large green bell pepper, coarsely diced

3 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces

7 cloves peeled garlic, sliced (I use minced garlic from a jar - saves even more time!)

1 Tbsp ras el hanout (more about this spice below)

1 tsp sea salt

1 can (28 oz) peeled Italian tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (reserve the juice)
I haven't found this exact ingredient in stores, so I buy a can of diced tomatoes with basil/oregano, or a can of peeled whole tomatoes with basil and cut them up. Either works well.

1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 vegetable bouillon cube (I forgot this once and it still tasted great!)

1 large pinch saffron threads

Ras el hanout is a Moroccan blend of spices found at online stores or Whole Foods Market. A small bag makes about 4 recipes worth of stew. Price is about $6 for a bag at Whole Foods.

Put the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the onion and cook and stir until it is lightly browned and beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Add the zucchini, carrots, garlic, ras el hanout, and salt, stirring well to coat the vegetables with the seasonings. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the garbanzo beans, bouillon cube and saffron. Stir well. Decrease the heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. (I put this in a crock pot and left it for some time. It was still great.)
Serve over whole wheat couscous or quinoa for added protein.

Per serving: calories: 256, protein: 10g, fat: 9g, carbs: 28g, fiber: 10g, sodium: 859mg, Omega-3 fatty acids: 0.05g