Matcha Lavender Tarts
Have you sorted what you’re making for Xmas yet? If not, these tarts are for you (and even if you have, they’re totally worth adding). Whilst they may look fancy, with a dash of matcha and lavender in the mix, they’re actually super easy to make, and taste incredible. Don’t knock this flavour combo til you try it, it’s a partnership made in taste bud HEAVEN!
Yes, these Matcha Lavender Tarts are…
- Done in 30 minutes,
- A seriously divine combination of matcha and lavender,
- Packed full of antioxidants, flavonoids, catechins, healthy fats, vitamin E, protein, and iron,
- Very low in sugar (and none of the refined stuff), and
- The perfect healthy dessert for your Xmas spread.
Plus, we made a new VIDEO to show you how! Hope you love it, and if you do – please share with your family and friends. Forward this email to a fellow foodie, a friend, sister, your partner’s mum. Anyone who you think might benefit from incorporating more healthy (yet still delicious) plant-based foods in their life.
Well this is it friends – my last blog post for you you before the big day. I hope you have an incredible one, filled with lots of good food, laughter, hugs, and sweet special family memories. I’ll no doubt be sharing some of mine over on Insta stories, so if you’d like to catch up and say hi, come hang out with me there.
Oh, and before I forget, seeing as we can’t be eating tarts all day long, I’ve also included in this post my top recipes for Xmas. Just in case you haven’t got your menu or contribution sorted yet. Salads, desserts, dips, mains, there’s a tonne of tried and tested favs in there, that I know you and your fam will love. Tell me if you make one! I love seeing your stuff, share them with me on Insta with the tags @begoodorganics and #begoodorganics, leave a comment below any of my recipe posts, or send me an email right here. I love hearing from you at the coal face – it totally makes my day.
Righty ho, before we get into our tarts, and why they’re so great, here’s a list of my top 10 recipes for Xmas. Best show-stopping dessert? Sorted. Best sharing platter. You betcha. Best salad to share. We’re all over that. Have a browse and enjoy! Ah food, glorious food, isn’t it one of the best things about Xmas?
1. Best show-stopping dessert: these Matcha Lavender Tarts!
- Runner Up: Nutella Tart
2. Best kiwi classic dessert: Vegan Pavlovas
- Runner Up: White Chocolate Christmas Cake
3. Best sharing salad: Summer Quinoa Salad
- Runner Up: Moroccan Sorghum Salad
4. Best Christmas dip: Garden Green Hummus
- Runner Up: Classic Cashew Nut Cheese
5. Best Christmas sharing platter: The Ultimate Vegan Cheese Platter
- Runner Up: Veggie Platters with Roast Garlic Hummus
6. Best finger food: Caramelised Cinnamon Walnuts
- Runner Up: Something Special Sausage Rolls
7. Best truffles: Spiced Choc Christmas Truffles
- Runner Up: Lemon Coconut Truffles
8. Best baking to gift to a loved one: Healthy Mr Gingerbread
- Runner Up: Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix or Beetroot Latte Mix (or even both!)
9. Best post-Christmas-detox meal: Rainbow Bowls with Green Tahini
- Runner Up: Pad Thai Salad
Now, back to these tarts, they are truly divine (that’s why they’re number 1 on this list!). A quick blitz in the processor/blender for your base, press into tins, then blend your filling and you’re done. The green and purple flavours aren’t just pretty, they mean these tarts are full of antioxidants and flavonoids too. Starting with… matcha!
Marvellous Magical Matcha
If you haven’t heard of Matcha yet, it’s a special type of green tea that’s higher in antioxidants than regular green tea. The leaves are grown in the shade, which greatly increases their antioxidant, chlrophyll and amino acid content above that of regular green tea. This means a cup of matcha provides a whopping 137 the ORAC-scale antioxidants of green tea, and 21 times that of blueberries.
Not only that, but matcha also provides a natural energy boost, without the headaches that can come from caffeine and coffee. It’s easy to make into a mid-morning bevvie, simply mix with hot water, your choice of plant-based milk, and a dash of sweetener (stevia, monkfruit, yacon, coconut sugar, brown rice syrup, coconut nectar, or ethically produced locally grown honey).
Matcha has been sipped upon by the Japanese for over a thousand years, and monks are reported to have traditionally consumed it prior to meditation, to enhance their focus whilst retaining a sense of calm. Sounds like pretty much the perfect state with which to kick start your working days.
The ancient practice of blocking out the sunlight for 20 days prior to harvesting is followed, which concentrates the production of antioxidants, catechins and amino acids (the building blocks of protein), bringing out a brilliant green colour (check out these tarts) and lovely mild taste. Being certified organic also means that the livelihoods of the local growers are considered, with the workers being paid a fair living wage.
Combine the earthy flavour of matcha with a creamy filling, sweet nutty crust, and floral highlights from lavender, and this dessert is served. If you don’t have mini tart tins, you could also easily make this as a single large tart or even plain round cake, and slice. I used fresh lavender picked from our garden, but if you don’t have any (try your neighbor), otherwise dried lavender would also work (you’ll only need about ¼ of the amount).
Have a watch of our video above and let me know what you think! If you do like watching our recipes videos, please subscribe to our YouTube channel here, hit the thumbs up over on YouTube under this vid, and leave us a comment below. Or forward our channel to your friends, who might like to subscribe too! Would mean the world to us, my team and I included. Making these videos has been such a blast in 2017, and we’d love to make even more in 2018. If you’d like to give us even more awesome feedback, you can also fill out our survey here (there’s a wee discount voucher at the end to say thanks).
That’s it! It’s Xmas! ENJOY. I hope to hear from you on the big day over on Insta or FB, but if not – have a wonderful day and see you soon.
Next week, same time, same place, we’ll be back… with a round-up of the very best recipes of 2017, just in time for your New Year’s reading pleasure.
Thanks for reading as always. And til next time – stay happy and well.
Ingredients
Base
- 1 c dates
- 1 c almonds
- 1/2 c desiccated coconut
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp coconut oil melted
Filling
- 1/3 c lavender flowers
- 1/2 c boiling water
- 1 1/4 c cashews soaked 1-2 hours
- 3 tbsp sweetener brown rice syrup/coconut nectar/maple syrup
- 1 tbsp matcha powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 c coconut oil melted
To top
- Lavender flowers and petals
Instructions
- Lavender infusion: Place the lavender flower heads in a bowl, and pour over hot water (boil it, then leave to cool a few minutes before using). Place a lid over the bowl to keep the steam in, and leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes while making the base.
- Base: In a processor or blender, blend the dates until chopped into small pieces. Then add the dry ingredients (nuts, coconut and salt) and blend again until everything is finely chopped, but still with some texture, almost couscous like. Finally add the liquids (vanilla and melted coconut oil), and pulse to combine – the mixture should stick together between your fingers when pressed (if not, add an extra tablespoon of melted coconut oil). Pour into 6 mini french fluted tart tins lined with biodegradable wrap, press until firmly packed on the base and up the sides, then place in the freezer to set.
- Filling: Remove the lavender flowers from the bowl and squeeze them out, to retain all the infused lavender water. Blend this infused water with all remaining filing ingredients except the coconut oil, in a processor or blender until super smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Then while on low, add the melted coconut oil until combined. Pour into the bases, shake lightly side to side to flatten, and place back in the freezer for an hour to set.
- Topping: Remove from the freezer and sprinkle with extra lavender petals or whole flowers.
- Enjoy! Will keep in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for two months. I like these best from the freezer, simply remove ~20 minutes before serving. Serve with some coconut yoghurt. Some chopped kiwifruit is also lovely!
Recipe Notes
- Make it nut free: simply replace the almonds in the base and the cashews in the filling with sunflower seeds or watermelon seeds.
- I used fresh lavender picked from our garden, but if you don’t have any (try your neighbor), otherwise dried lavender would also work (you’ll only need about ¼ of the amount).
- This tart, as with all my recipes, is only very modestly sweet. If you’d prefer a slightly sweeter result, you can increase the liquid sweetener by another 1-2 tbsp. If you’re diabetic or have glucose dysregulation, I recommend the yacon syrup option.
- To line your tins, sprinkle a little water on the tins before putting the clear wrap on top – this helps the wrap to stick to the tin before you press in the crumbly base.
Did You Make This?
Tag @begoodorganics
I can’t wait to see your creations!
