Strawberry Tart

this recipe came to me in an email, originally named Strawberry Cheesecake Bites - it is gluten free and dairy free and absolutely delicious.  it would be better named strawberry tart. it doesn't taste like cheesecake.  it does taste tarty.  and i made it in a cheesecake pan but i made one whole pan of it, rather than individual servings.  anyway, to each his own!

the original recipe is here:
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2012/03/strawberry-cheesecake-bites-gluten-free.html

and, here is that recipe and how I changed it (I followed the directions, but just changed the ingredients a little)

For the crust(s):

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats - since oats have a similar protien as wheat, i used 1 cup of bob’s red mill hazelnut meal/flour – bought at earthfare for $12.99
1/4 cup raw almonds
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon honey i used 2 tablespoons of raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Strawberry Filling:

3/4 cup raw cashews, covered with water and soaked at room temperature for 3-4 hours I didn’t soak them, they have raw cashews at earthfare in the bulk bin – pieces are $9.99, whole ones are $10.99, you can also find them at whole foods and other places, but i saw those prices yesterday.  raw cashews are great for lots of things!
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup I used raw honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted was $8.99 for the earthfare brand, it melts quick
4 drops liquid stevia I didn’t have this so i didn't use this - it was plenty sweet without it.



Optional, for garnish: I didn’t use any garnish
Raw cacao nibs
Shredded coconut



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 20 cups of a mini muffin pan with mini paper liners. I made it in a large springform pan because I didn’t have mini muffin pan or a tart pan. I sprayed the pan first with non-stick spray.

In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the oats, almonds, and salt until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add the applesauce, honey, and vanilla and process to form a dough. Press heaping teaspoons of the dough into the bottoms of the lined muffin cups. Bake for 10 minutes.  i just mashed the mixture into the bottom of my pan, just like a graham cracker crust when you are making a pie.  :)  i also licked my fingers a lot.  it was GOOD! Set aside to cool.

Wipe out the food processor. Drain the cashews and add them to the bowl of the food processor along with the strawberries, honey, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the coconut oil and stevia and process to combine. A blender would make it smoother, but the food processer worked ok. Maybe if I soaked the cashews that would have helped.

Divide the strawberry mixture among the lined muffin cups, smoothing the tops of the cheesecakes with the back of a spoon.  I just poured it over the cooled crust and shook it around a little. it was pretty fluid so it spread easy, sorta like cake batter.  i liked the spatula and it was YUMMY!   Sprinkle with cacao nibs or shredded coconut, if using. Place the pan in the freezer and freeze until the cheesecakes are firm, 1 to 2 hours. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  i did not put it in the freezer at all, just the fridge.  after an all-night setting, it was "set".  SOOOO good i tell ya! 

now i can't wait to find other uses for that hazelnut meal.  that stuff is delish!