The Last Bit of Berry Tart

Oh, this berry tart was really good. It did last several days but last night we ate the last bit, boo hoo. So now Richard is feeling very spoiled with these extra fancy desserts. Next I have a berry pie recipe in mind. It is just so nice to eat sweets that are primarily sweetened with fruit. It sure takes a lot of guilt and worry out of eating them. Also if I put in the ingredients I know exactly what is in there making it taste so good.

First you make the crust. Put 1 cup of raw pecans and 1 cup of good rolled oats in a food processor and grind until fine. Add 1 cup of medjool dates, 1/4 cup of almond butter, 1/2 t. of cinnamon and 1/4 t. of cardamon and process again. Place the mixture in an 8x8 baking dish and press evenly into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill while you make the filling.

For the filling: Combine 1.5 cups of organic berry juice - I used acai/banana, 2 T. of kuzu powder and 2 T. of maple syrup in a pan over medium heat. Simmer and stir often. It should thicken up in about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Spread 2 cups of mixed berries over the crust and then pour the kuzu mixture over the berries. Chill for at least 20 minutes before serving. We garnished it with non-dairy coconut ice cream.

These days whenever I hear that people have aching joints I just want to convince them to try giving up wheat gluten and dairy for a few weeks to see if it helps. I think it is hard for most people to change eating habits though, especially with foods they love. I think a lot of people do not realize that aches and pains are sometimes a result of food allergies. It sure was a wake-up call for me. One sort of do-it-yourself way for someone to find out food allergies or what is bothering them is to do an elimination diet. First you start with just basic whole foods for a week, fruit, veggies and maybe a bit of organic chicken if you are a meat eater. Then slowly add back foods that you normally would eat. I did this a few years and ago and I know when I added back sugar it hit me like a sledge hammer! Ouch, felt so much better without it. There are several books that include an elimination or allergy diet, and the methods vary in each. I am no expert so I hate to make a recommendation but try Googling it and I am sure you will find a lot of resources.