Recipe: Apple Tart

This week's recipe is truly delicious and healthy. It has become my standard birthday cake recipe that everybody likes. It is completely oil free and suitable for people with dairy, egg, soy and gluten allergies.

The recipe is from The World's Healthiest Foods, a great website with lots of info about healthy foods. I adapted it very slightly to make it vegan.

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups walnuts (300 grams)
• 1.5 cups dates (225 grams)
• 3 firm green apples, such as Granny Smith (Braeburn work great as well)
• juice of 1 lemon in 2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground clove
• 2 tbsp agave nectar (or maple syrup)
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup raisins

Instructions

• Remove pits from dates and cut off stems. Grind walnuts in food processor. They should be grind coursly, not into flour. Set aside. Grind dates until they form a big ball. Add in ground walnuts. Process until well mixed and ground, but not smooth. Press evenly into a seven to nine inch tart pan. Set in refrigerator while making the filling.
• Slice apples and put into lemon water. Drain when done.
• Place apples in a large skillet with rest of the ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently on medium heat.
• Remove apples with a slotted spoon from hot pan to a bowl and cool completely.
• Reduce liquid to about half the volume and cool separately.
• Spread apples evenly over crust. Brush syrup over apples.

The recipe is very forgiving. I have used different amounts of walnuts and dates, and it always works. If you leave the syrup on the stove for too long, just add some more apple juice and spices (or not). I have also used whole cloves instead of ground cloves, that worked fine as well. A very sharp knife is helpful for cutting the tart without ending up with date-nut-apple mess

Health notes

This recipe is full of heart and brain healthy walnuts. Dates and apples are phytochemical rich fruits. The only non whole foods in this tart are apple juice and agave nectar, but the amount per serving is very small.

Read the original recipe on WHFoods.com for a more extensive health analysis.

I highly recommend this apple tart as a substitue for apple pie if you have something to celebrate.

October 1, 2006