Roast Tomato and Goats Cheese Tart

Roast Tomato and Goats Cheese Tart

This is a great, lighter alternative to a stodgy quiche, and it is WONDERFUL for a summer evening picnic. It's a really versatile dish- you can substitute the dairy for dairy-free alternatives, try avocado or different cheeses such as gorgonzola or dolcelatte, the pastry can be made with any flour combination and ratio and it tastes just as delicious if layering courgette or aubergine. Use your imagination! (as I did for this version, which was made with minimal ingredients the day before the weekly shop!)

Ingredients

Pastry

250g flour (I used a combination of 150g spelt, 50g rye and 50g polenta)

1 egg (beaten)

100g butter (cold and cut into cubed. Feel free to use a butter substitute of your choice)

Filling

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 medium red onion (finely chopped)

2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

6 large tomatoes (sliced)

1 red pepper (sliced)

50g pinenuts

Generous handful fresh spinach (rinsed)

Goats Cheese (we used Capricorn Goats Cheese from Somerset)

Method

Rub the cold butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Using a round tipped knife, cut the beaten egg into the flour and butter mixture until it forms a dough.

Very lightly and very quickly smooth the dough into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, sautee the onion and garlic in a shallow frying pan with a drizzle of olive or coconut oil and wilt the spinach in a pan draining any excess water.

Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface and line a 20cm flan tin.

Spread a 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard over the base and top with the onion and garlic and then the wilted spinach leaves.

Slice the goats cheese around 0.5-1cm thick and place a single layer on top of the spinach.

Lay slices of tomato and pepper in a circular fashion around the tart.

Drizzle with olive oil, season, and bake in the oven at 190c for 40 minutes – until the pastry is golden and the vegetables are roasted.

Leave to cool, sprinkle with lightly toasted pinenuts and enjoy!

Clean Redux Challenge

We’ve all been there; you’re tired, the weather is rubbish, your credit card bill has arrived…and sometimes you just need a comfort food fix.

STOP RIGHT THERE!!!

Comfort doesn’t have to equal unwholesome or unhealthy. So we are giving you the opportunity to get @allaboutthekale to give your favourite questionably ‘healthy’ comfort food a makeover. A clean up!

Comment below stating what dish you’d like us to transform and why your dish should be chosen for All About The Kale’s Clean Redux Challenge.

We’ll pick a winner and start the revolution!

Snigger Bars

So I had a rare evening with no plans and despite getting home late from work, decided to dedicate my last remaining hours of brain functionality to my passion. The kitchen. Snigger Bars Loosely based on the famous 'Marathon' or 'Snickers' Bar I grew up with whether it was pre-swimming practice or post-country walk snack but this time, it's better... I made mine with almonds, but feel free to use peanuts or cashews, or... any nut of your choosing!

Ingredients:

The Nutty Bit:

65g Buckwheat Flour

80 ml Agave Syrup

150g almonds (I use whole, but sliced works well!)

The Squidgy Bit:

15 dates- pitted

Water

Vanilla essence

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp of melted Coconut Oil

The Chocolatey Bit:

60ml melted cacoa butter

30g cacoa powder

60ml Agave or Maple Syrup

Method: Using a blender or food processor mix the flour, with the roughly chopped nuts and syrup. Grab little handfuls and roll in to shapes. Sausage shaped or balls -it's totally up to you. Place on baking parchment on a dish and whack in the freezer.

Whilst your shapes are chilling, whizz up 15 dates, a dash of vanilla essence (say 1/2tsp) and the melted coconut oil. Add water sparingly until you have a creamy caramel. I was lazy and used the larger bowl and blade on my mixer to save washing up so it was chunkier than usual! We love diversity though, so whether you like yours as smooth as cashew butter or chunkier like crunchy peanut butter, it's a-okay with us! You should be able to spread the date mixture over the chilled nutty bit. I find it is quite easy to 'roll' the spread over the nut shapes for even coverage.

Place your snigger shapes back in the freezer whilst you make your raw chocolate. It is as easy as melting the butter, stirring in the powder and the syrup. As always, feel free to swap the cacoa butter for coconut oil and swap the syrup for a sweeter of your choice, whether it maple, pomegranate, date, agave etc... Evenly coat the snigger shapes with the melted chocolate and chill again... or at least try to, before devouring.

I like to play around with the textures and consistency of these Snigger bars. Pulse the nuts a little more or less whilst making the 'nutty bit' for a smoother or crunchier texture. Likewise with the 'Squidgy Bit' date caramel.