Chocolate Caramel Date Tart

Now I'm not going to pretend that this is everyday kind of food...... But if you're looking for a special occasion treat then I highly recommend giving this tart a try. It's deliciously sweet without added sugar. It's filling is so smooth and it will give you a great chocolate hit. We served this in place of birthday cake and it was a huge hit!  

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL DATE TART

(Serves 10-12)

                You'll need:
                BASE
                1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
                2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
                1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
                4 pitted medjool dates
                2 Tablespoon motherless milk of choice

                FILLING
                1 1/2 cups pitted medjool dates 
                1/4 cup motherless milk of choice
                1 teaspoon vanilla essence

                TOPPING
                100g bar of dairy-free dark chocolate (I use Lindt 70-85%)
                100ml motherless milk of choice
                1 teaspoon vanilla essence 


Soak the dates for the filling in a bowl of boiling water for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the base.
Put all the ingredients for the base into a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together. It will be a bit sticky - that's ok! Press the mixture into a glass 20cm pie dish. You can use another pie dish if you'd like, but I find that the mixture doesn't stick to the glass ones and therefore I don't need to use oil or line it. Place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Strain the dates and place all the filling ingredients in a food processor and blend til completely smooth and creamy.
Pour the filling mixture onto the base & return to the freezer.
In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the topping. Stir continually on low heat until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
Pour the topping over the filling mixture.
Place the pie in the fridge and allow the topping to cool.
Once cooled, you can slice and serve (as many pieces as you like hahahahaaaa!)! ;-)

Question of the day:
Do you make yourself treats like this 'just because', or do you save them for special occasions?

4th July Celebrations and Basic Vanilla Cake

For this month's In My Kitchen I decided to share with you our 4th of July celebrations.
We aren't American but my husband is a *tad* obsessed with all things American so I thought I'm make it a special night for him!

Here's how it turned out:

I had debating making veggie burgers but my husband isn't usually a fan, so I decided we would try carrot dogs instead! For those who haven't heard of this idea, it's where you use a carrot in place of a meat hot dog. I boiled the carrots first and then marinated them for a few hours before dry-frying them! They were quite tasty :-) 

The addition of liquid smoke meant that they definitely didn't taste like plain boiled carrots! I topped them with water sauteed onion and capsicum, along with sauerkraut and sauce. Served with corn cobs and baked home fries.
I was SO SO excited with the fries because I had purchased a new kitchen gadget to make crinkle cut chips! I was so pleased that it worked out so well for just a few dollars :-) 

All celebrations need a cake!!!
I made a basic vanilla cake (recipe to follow) and spread with jam and decorated with fruit to 'mimic' the US flag (yes I do realise there is not enough stripes or stars!).

 Now for the cake recipe!

BASIC VANILLA CAKE 

1 1/2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour

1/2 cup coconut sugar (or other unrefined sweetner)

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup motherless milk (I used soymilk)

1 Tablespoon vanilla essense

1/2 cup applesauce

Whisk the apple cider vinegar into the milk and set aside to thicken.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour and sugar. Make a well in the centre and stir in the vanilla, applesauce & milk mixture. 

Stir until just combined.

Pour into a lined 18cm square baking dish and tap to even the surface.

Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

 

 So moist and delicious!

Definitely worth celebrating - but then again, 

I don't need a special day to make cake ;-)

Question of the day:
Do you celebrate the 4th of July even if you aren't in America?