Each year when the holiday season approaches, I immediately think of what new side dish, entree, or dessert I can create to share with you. Granted, just like you and your families, I’m sure you have a tradition with the certain recipes you look forward to making and eating during the holidays, but I challenge you this year to try something new. Hey, it can be an experimental tradition. Luckily, my entire family “gets” me when it comes to sharing new recipes and testing out new ideas with them before committing them into the routine of holiday meals next year. I promise, this Wholesome Nut & Seed Tart will impress your dinner table guests, if not for this holiday season, it’s a great one to save and bookmark for later!
Hello, beautiful.
I say this in two parts, 1) because this recipe is a STUNNER, and 2) it’s loaded with beautifying healthy fats that keep our hair, skin, nails, hormones, and bodies super happy and healthy. A win-win with the holidays approaching! I was flipping through Bon Appetite a couple of months ago and found a recipe that completely inspired this one and I am so happy to share a gluten free version with a couple of tweaks to make it a bit healthier, yet this one still needs to be enjoyed mindfully and in balance.
This tart isn’t like most where you’d expect a super soft filling, it’s crunchy with almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and surprisingly has a good amount of protein for a dessert recipe! It’s slightly sweet and salty, which is one of my favorite combinations- to add a bit more balance with flavors, I highly recommend serving this with my Salted Coconut Cream or a small pinch of sea salt on the top, sublime. Nuts and seeds are universally great sources of healthy fats, fiber, protein, and minerals such as manganese, magnesium, zinc, selenium, iron, calcium, in varying degrees. Just because this dessert is called wholesome, which is it, it’s still very energy-dense, meaning very filling and should be enjoyed in moderation. I set up the servings for this to be quite generous at 10 servings per recipe, but if you want to be a bit more moderate with it to make room for other tasty treats on your holiday table, then I would purposefully cut this into about 14-16 smaller servings.
- CRUST
- 1 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup whole rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons chia seed
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 whole egg
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- FILLING
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons date paste (see instructions below)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted, roasted almonds
- 1/2 cup unsalted, roasted pistachios
- 1/2 cup unsalted, roasted hazelnuts
- 1/3 cup unsalted, roasted sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup unsalted, roasted pumpkin seeds
- For the date paste: take 1/2 cup dried dates, the softer the better, and mix with 1/4 cup boiling water. Blend until a paste forms, you may need to add additional boiling water until paste consistency is achieved.
- For the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse flour, oats, maple syrup, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, chia seed, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add coconut oil and eggs and pulse to work in just until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Process until dough starts to come together in large pieces.
- Pour the dough into a springform pan, using your fingers to press the dough into the pan and up the sides, about 1 inch on the sides. Place in the fridge and let chill for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake crust for 20 minutes or until golden. Let the crust cool at room temperature while making the filling.
- For the filling: In a small saucepan, gently heat on medium the maple syrup, coconut milk, sea salt, date paste, and vanilla, about 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, place all nuts and seeds, pour the maple syrup mixture in and stir to combine and coat. Pour the coated nuts and seeds into the baked tart crust and bake for 20 minutes.
- To serve, enjoy warm with [url href=”https://nutritionstripped.com/peach-fig-galette-with-coconut-whipped-cream/” target=”_blank” title=”Peach Fig Galette with Coconut Whipped Cream”]Coconut Whipped Cream[/url] or [url href=”https://nutritionstripped.com/simply-coconut-milk-ice-cream/” target=”_blank” title=”Simply Coconut Milk Ice Cream”]Simply Coconut Milk Ice Cream[/url]. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or transfer to the freezer for longer storage.
What I used: this springform pan | this gluten-free all purpose flour
YOUR TURN: What are your favorite nuts and seeds to use in desserts? Let me know what you think when you give this recipe a go! Leave a comment and rate it, rating helps me continue to improve recipes for you. I love seeing what you come up with so don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #nutritionstripped on Instagram!
xx McKel
