Sweet Saturday #20: Raw Chocolate Banana Tart

For today's post, I'm sharing a really yummy recipe adapted from Good Girl Gone Green's blog. She always has such delicious recipes made with mostly (if not all) raw ingredients. You should definitely go check her out!

Anyway, when she linked this recipe up to Sweet Saturday last weekend, I just had to try it. I had most of the ingredients already, and what I didn't have, I improvised. I also had 2 ripe bananas needing to be used, so I tossed those in too. It came out phenomenal! The only thing I would do in the future is add some honey into the crust because I found it a little bland, but that's just me :) Other friends who tried it said they liked it just the way it was (yes, was, because this baby is gone!).

Raw Chocolate Banana Tart
(serves 8-12)

For crust:
1 cup nuts of your choice, such as almonds or pecans (I used a combination of almonds and cashews)
2 tbsp shelled hemp seeds
2 tbsp flax seed (I used some that were already ground)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

For filling:
2 ripe bananas 
1/2 cup raw cacao or cocoa powder (I used cocoa)
1/4 cup honey, agave, or maple syrup 
1/4 cup coconut butter or oil (I used oil)

Note: If possible, soak nuts for up to 4 hours before using. I only soaked them for about half an hour, and everything turned out fine.  

Place nuts, coconut oil, and shredded coconut into food processor and blend until it is a fine crumble. Pour crumbs into a 8' or 10' pie pan and press into the bottom of the pan to form a layer, then place into freezer to set.

Looks like a beach...

Next, melt the coconut butter or oil if it is not melted already. You can keep things raw by melting it in a food dehydrator if you have one, or placing it in a small bowl in a larger bowl of warm water. Once melted, mix the ingredients for the filling together in the food processor, except for one of the bananas, until smooth.

Take the nutty crust out of the freezer, and spoon or pour chocolate banana mixture onto it, spreading it so that about an inch of the crust is still visible. Slice the reserved banana up and place slices on top of tart. Place in freezer until it sets, for about 1 hour (could very well take less, but an hour is for sure). Allow to defrost a bit before serving.

The one thing with placing the sliced banana on top is you have to keep the tart in the freezer once it's done, as to prevent them from getting all brown and gooey. If you'd rather keep it in the fridge so it doesn't take long to defrost (and easier to slice right away!), just don't put banana on top. It will still be beautiful and delicious!

Some other things you could use as toppings are:

• sliced strawberries
• blueberries
• raspberries
• sliced or crumbled nuts
• shredded coconut

Just to name a few!

Eating raw helps to contain all natural enzymes present in food, which would be decreased or destroyed from cooking. These enzymes help our bodies to absorb the nutrients found in foods. Cooking food can also cause harmful compounds to form- especially if you burn or overcook something -that can be cancerous.  

In this day and age, it's difficult to go completely raw, but it's good to eat as much raw foods as possible, especially fruits, vegetables, and legumes. This tart will enable you to eat healthy and raw without having to lose the enjoyment of eating! Good Girl Gone Green has TONS of fantastic raw food recipes on her blog, as well as information about choosing a healthier raw lifestyle, so do take a look if you are curious about eating raw! 

OK- now it's time for the hop! Our guest-hostess today is April from April's Country Life Blog. She has the most adorable tea party treat recipes and other fun country-style tidbits. Please follow her and show her some love! 

I especially liked this fabulous cake she made for her daughter's birthday !

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow April's Country Life Blog and me if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

 

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Meatless Monday: Cauliflower Side Dish

I tried this unique side dish the other day when I stumbled across this recipe on Turtles and Tails. The 3 main ingredients that caught my eye were: paprika, coconut oil, and cocoa...on cauliflower! I had to give this one a try...

Cocoa-toasted Cauliflower
(makes 6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic (powder or fresh)
2 tbsp. melted coconut oil
 
Chop the cauliflower up into bite-sized pieces. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa powder, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the coconut oil and mix well, until it forms a thin sauce. Toss with the cauliflower until the cauliflower is well coated. Spread the pieces onto a aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet, then place into oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve with something just as savory!

I think they kid of look like little brains. Funny thing is, cauliflower is good for the brain too!

To be honest, this wasn't as flavor-packed as I thought it was going to be. Next time I will double the amounts of seasoning, but for the sake of honoring the original recipe, I kept the amounts the same. Give it a try this way, or be bold and use extra cocoa and paprika!

You may have been surprised like I was when I first read the ingredients for this recipe- cocoa powder is not commonly used on vegetables. But, it worked quite well with the blandness of the cauliflower, I even made the leftovers extra crispy and ate them like popcorn!

Cocoa powder is rich in good-for-you antioxidants, even more so than the average glass of red wine! It is also good for your heart, helps prevent diabetes (in it's raw form), controls blood pressure, and- you'll especially like this! -helps to treat pms! I guess that's why we all crave it during that time of the month...now you have an excuse to binge on Godiva!

For this recipe, I'd also recommend using an extra rich, high grade cocoa powder to really bring out the flavor as much as possible. Use organic in every way possible, and I also wouldn't recommend substituting a different type of oil for the coconut oil, but if you must, butter would probably work well too, although it wouldn't be as healthy and low-fat.  

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday recipe! Please link up any meat-free dish you'd like below. Link as many as you want! Grab a button and spread the word! Thanks for stopping by :)

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