Dairy Free Chocolate Tart with Berry Compote

I have been a bit back-logged on all my shows lately, but have made a pretty substantial effort to catch-up on my Master Chef. In one of the recent episodes, a contestant made a berry compote for her cheesecake. It looked incredible. Too bad I do not like cheesecake, or this post may have been a bit different... 

What I do love, though, is chocolate. Chocolate and berries are an incredible combination. What makes this guy even better (for me, at least) is that it has no sugar and no dairy! This is a baking miracle- well, it's a baking miracle in the Ross house.

Also, the tart can be made in a regular spring form dish as a thin cake, but I have recently gotten an adorable tart dish and wanted to use that instead. This looks (and tastes) delicious, so I am happy with the choice!  

Ingredients

Servings: 8    Prep time: 20 minutes    Cook time: 30 minutes

Chocolate Tart

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  
• 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup cacao powder  
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup grape seed oil or palm shortening

Berry Compote

• 1 pint strawberries
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup honey

Recipe

Tart

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then place 1 cup chocolate chips in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. About 30-sesconds.  Add in the almond flour, cacao powder and salt. Process again until combined. Add eggs and process until smooth, then add agave and oil. Process until well combined, but do not over process. Pulsing three to four times should be enough. Spoon the mixture into an oiled 10-inch spring form pan or 12 inch tart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and be removed clean.

Compote

Prepare the compote on the stove while the tart is baking. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the berries have begun releasing their juices- about ten minutes. Take off heat and let cool to room temperature before spooning over the tart.

If you prefer, spoon berry compote over the cooled tart and serve with powdered sugar over top. This will take away the whole sugar-free deal, but it does look pretty :)

The original torte recipe is from Elana's Pantry and can be found here.  

The original compote recipe is from Food and Wine and can be found here.  

A list of substitutions can be found here.  

What is Almond Flour?

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A lot of the baking recipes I have been using lately call for almond flour instead of wheat or bleached flour. This has led me to ask the questions, what is almond flour and why is it better? After a bit of research, it turns out, all of these recipe creators are on to something good. 

Almond flour, also known as almond meal, is higher in protein, gluten-free, part of a paleo friendly diet, low in sugars, and low in carbs. Surprisingly, almond flour is simply ground up almonds. This means that almond flour has all the same health benefits of an almond. One cup of ground almonds has 20 grams of protein (for real!), 125% the daily intake of vitamin E, and 29 grams monounsaturated fat. Almonds are also surprisingly high in calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, and phosphorous. This is a great low-carb dessert addition since one cup of almond meal has 20 grams of carbohydrates, 11 of which are from fiber. When compared to the 87 grams of carbs from wheat flour ( 14 grams from fiber) and the 95 grams from traditional bleached bread flour, 9 grams of carbohydrates is seriously impressive.  Bread flour only has about 4 grams of fiber from that 95.

New research is also finding that a diet rich in almonds and other nuts will help reduce the risks of heart disease and cancers. This is partially due to the almonds reducing Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol. Almonds will also help to lower the glycemic index after meals.  

If you are counting calories, you should know that almond flour does have a higher calorie count, although the calories are far better than other flours, nutrition-wise. You can either purchase almond flour/meal at your local health food stores or online. If you prefer the really all-natural approach, you can use a food processor and whole, shelled almonds to create your own almond flour. Be sure to only pulse almonds until finely ground. Over processing will lead to almond butter instead of flour. Almond flour can be stored in the freezer for up to six months, or, in a sealed glass jar for three.

Since it is only blanched, ground almonds, it is better to use almond flour in recipes that do not call for kneading dough. Almond flour can be used in the same ratios as wheat flour.

Food Huggers

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Bonus Post!!  

I had to share these incredible little guys that have almost finished their Kickstarter campaign. Wasting half used produce absolutely drives me crazy. There is not enough room in our fridge for every veggie to have it's own container and zip lock baggies don't do the trick. Needless to say, when I came across these, I made the $18 dollar pledge instantly.

These food huggers make a seal around your half-used fruits and veggies and help keep it fresh for over one week longer than usual. For real! Seriously cannot wait for this product to arrive at my door. Best be quick about these guys, the campaign is only going for another six days!

Independence Day Menu Ideas

I have recently helped the camp we work at give a little update to their menu and boy, have I learned a lot about children's nutrition! A few of the biggest pushes that I found in children's nutrition were more avocados, hummus, and non-fat milk. Finding recipes for milk was not too difficult, but finding child friendly lunch recipes that had avocado and hummus has been a bit more fun.  

Once we found some options, we got to the best part- trying them out. Most of the lunches that made it through the taste test are super easy to make, can be made a bit ahead of serving, taste wonderfully fresh, and are surprisingly nutritious. These lunches are perfect for any day of the week, but especially Independence Day.

The 4th of July is always a fun time to go out and barbeque with friends or picnic with family. These lunch (or dinner, or breakfast) recipes are great for either and healthy enough to take away any holiday guilt!  

Turkey Pita

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Let's start with my favorite. This turkey pita is incredible and has a tasty option for all the vegetarians as well. Although the recipe is pretty exact with what you need, I prefer to go a little crazy and have a more anything goes mindset. The only two ingredients that are a must are the whole wheat pitas, and hummus.  

My favorite way to make these is with hummus, lettuce, halved grape tomatoes, avocados, and sliced cucumber. This is so simple but tastes fantastic and can be made ahead of serving. Yes please!

Barbeque Chicken Tacos

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Although these did not make it for the camp menu, they had to be added to my personal menu. I have a pretty well supported theory that barbeque makes anything better. Since this week is the time when most of the year's grilling and barbequing takes place, barbeque tacos are a must. This recipe calls for shredded meat, but whole pieces of barbequed chicken should work just as well.  

If you wish to make this a bit more healthy, try a naked taco and no sour cream. I know, it sounds a bit like a salad, but this salad has barbeque chicken, so it will be extra good! 

Chicken Salad Rolls

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These chicken salad rolls were such a hit, there is no way I could leave them out! It is incredible how well the wheat roll goes with the fresh chicken salad... No one will be complaining about wheat here! The recipe gives you the option of what fruits are in the salad, but our favorite has been celery (I know, not a fruit) and apples. If you really want to sweeten the pot, some dried cranberries are great as well. Try the plain Greek yogurt as a substitute to mayo, it is ridiculously tasty!

If you are in a pinch for time or chicken, add some canned chicken in the mix or use all canned chicken. The taste is not quite as fresh, but still delicious... Especially when feeding a big Independence Day crowd!  

Avocado BLT

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This new twist on BLT's is great for breakfast, lunch, and picnics. If you are making this for a picnic, one of the most handy avocado tips I have learned is how to keep it fresh. After making your guacamole or other avocado treats, place the pit on the top of your mix and cover with plastic wrap. I am not sure how this works, but it is like magic for keeping avocados fresh and green!

This recipe does more than simply exchange mayo for a tasty avocado spread, it uses whole wheat, swaps fatty bacon for the more lean turkey bacon, and uses Romain lettuce instead of iceberg. All of these simple changes make this BLT quite a bit healthier and give a nice twist to the traditional sandwich.