Raw Berry Tart

So with all these awesome fruits being in season I am hoping to be making some more fruit centric recipes.  The farmers markets have been on hit lately.  If your not out shopping at them for your fresh produce you should be!  I also just love pies and tarts....yum!  And even better this shit is totally fucking healthy.  No flour, no sugar, just dates, nuts and fruit!  It was eaten within a 24 hour period.  Not just by myself, luckily my occupy buddies came over after a planning meeting and helped me consume it.  It took me less than 20 minutes to prepare with clean-up, I know, hellsa quick.

Big shout out to my big sis for helping with the decorating.  The heart was my idea but she helped with the rest:)  Love you and hate you sis!!!

Here's the recipe...

Raw Berry Tart

Crust

1 1/2 cups walnuts
1/2 cup almonds
8 dates pitted
1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Place all ingredients in a a food processor and mix until it holds together nicely.  Be careful not to over mix or the oils in the nuts will release and make it mushy.

2.  Grease a ten inch tart pan and press the crust mixture into the pan evenly.

Cashew Cream Filling

1 1/4 cups cashews
juice and rind of one lemon
1 vanilla bean, seeds only
pinch of salt
water

1. Place cashews, lemon, vanilla bean and salt in a blender.  Pour the water over the nuts just to the top.  Blend until creamy.  If too think add more water.

Assembly

1.  Spread the cashew cream in the tart shell evenly.  Add the fruit on top to your liking.  To get the same presentation I did hull the strawberries and place them around the egde of the tart.  Then make a heart shape with raspberries and fill carefully with blueberries.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

2.  To serve gently move the tart out of the pan and place on a flat surface to cut.  ENJOY!!!

Raw Valentines Strawberry Shortcake

Damn bitches I have been totally missing in action.  Well... as some of you know I have been going through the saddest break-up of my life:(  But  the depression fog is slowly starting to clear and my creativity is slowly starting to come back to me.

My eating has been all over the place where I wont eat all day then I will have seem piece of shit as meal to sooth the pain.  Well I am happy to be eating more normally and even more happy to be back to my blog.  I REALLY love cooking and blogging and feel it is my way of expressing art.... and what better way to express a broken heart than to create food with hearts in it.

Anyways, on to what you are all here for, the food!  The beautiful picture above was taken by my awesome friend Elise who had the pleasure of eating this delectable little dessert.  It is something I just threw together and didn't measure so if you are making your own and something doesn't seem right go with your gut and adjust it.  It is super easy and you can shape the "shortcake" into pretty much any shape you would like. Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum....

Raw Strawberry Shortcake

"Shortcake":
4-5 dates pitted
1 cup of walnuts
dash of salt

Cashew Cream:
1/2 cup cashews
2 tablespoons agave
water

2 pints of strawberries sliced
1 tablespoon agave

1. Mix the strawberries and the agave together and set aside.  In a food processor add the dates, walnuts and salt and mix until a course mixture is formed, the mixture should have some texture but still hold together.  To make the cashew cream add cashews and agave to blender and cover just to the top of the cashews with water.  Blend until a smooth creamy consistency is formed.

2. To assemble separate the strawberries into four dishes.  You can either crumble the shortcake on top the strawberries or shape it into whatever you wish.  Then top with cashew cream and it's ready to go.