Vegan Mini Fruit Tart (No Bake)

Hello there! I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing, and healthy July 4th weekend. Mark and I managed to make the three day weekend worthwhile by spending time with both of our families, cooking healthy meals, and getting in some exercise. We rode our bikes around Alum Rock State Park yesterday morning while my parents hiked. This made it totally okay for us to stuff our faces. Did you guys manage to relax and be active this weekend?

For today’s post, I have these mini no bake fruit tarts for you all that’ll satisfy any sweet tooth. They took me a couple of tries to get them right, but now I think I’ve gotten them down. These creamy and sweet fruit tarts have no refined sugar, are vegan, and don’t contain any flour (so I think that makes them gluten free!).

The crust is made up of dates and toasted walnuts. Dates are naturally sweet, which is why I love using them in desserts. Not to mention that they’re high in fiber, vitamins that help you maintain healthy skin and eyes, and minerals such as potassium and calcium. They are also known to be very helpful to your digestive system, especially if you’re feeling a little…constipated. These little guys are basically superfoods. Since they’re so high in fiber, they also help prevent the absorption of bad cholesterol in your bodies. Dates are awesome! The walnuts in the crust are a good source of protein, healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamins. All of these things help you maintain a healthy heart, brain, and weight.

The creamy custard is made up of unsweetened almond milk, honey, and some starch. The toppings can be any fruit of your choice! Almond milk is low in calories, fats, and cholesterol. It also contains many vitamins, minerals, and protein that helps your body run smoothly. The starch is calorie free and is only used to thicken the milk to make it a custard like consistency.

Fruit, depending on what you choose, is generally loaded with fiber and a variety of nutrients. If you have an assortment of colorful fruits, then you’ll be consuming a higher amount of different vitamins. The first time I made the tart, I used mostly blueberries and kiwi because those were the only fruit that I had in my fridge. Yesterday, in honor of our country’s Independence Day, I went for more of a red, white, and blue theme.

Ingredients:

• 5 dates (pitted)
• 1 cup of raw walnuts
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 – 2 Tbsp honey
• Fruit of your choice

Instructions:

Crust

1. Take the pits out of the dates, throw the pits away, and toss the dates in a food processor. Process until there are no more chunks.
2. Toast the walnuts in a pan over medium heat until all sides are a golden brown. Be careful to not burn them! It should take about 5 minutes. Let them cool a little and then add them to the food processor with the dates. Process until there are no large walnut chunks. You may need to use a rubber spatula to push the mixture back towards the blade.
3. Remove the mixture and put it into a bowl. Using your gloved hands, mix the walnuts and dates together until the walnuts and dates all stick together and are evenly combined. Take the mini pie crust molds and spread the mixture into the mold until all sides are covered. Repeat until there is no more of the mixture left. Place the crusts in the fridge while you work on the filling.

Custard

1. In a small pot, heat the almond milk and bring it to a boil. Add the honey and stir the milk until the honey is dissolved. Turn off the heat.
2. In a small bowl, add 3 Tbsp of cornstarch and about a tablespoon of hot water. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the pot of almond milk. While you’re pouring, try to stir with your other hand. Keep stirring until the milk thickens and you’ve gotten rid of most of the chunks. Let the custard cool.

Combine

1. Take out the pie crusts, add your desired amount of custard filling. Top the tarts with some fruit and serve right away or chill them in the fridge.

The first time I made this tart I used way too many dates and the crust was sickly sweet. When I used 4 dates, the flavor was there, but the crust didn’t stick together as well as I’d liked. I think 5 dates is the magic number. If you ever decide to make this tart, let me know how it goes!

Hope you have a totally awesome Tuesday and are taking some time to live healthier! Bettering your lifestyle today could save you tons of money and heartache in the future.

*Health Tip: Going for a walk, long or short, after a meal is an easy way to stay active, aid in weight loss (moving helps boost your metabolism and therefore burns some calories that you’ve just consumed), lower blood sugar, lower some of the triglyceride (fat) levels in your blood, and help with digestion. It’s an easy and healthy habit to include in your lifestyle.