The foolproof gluten-free dessert you have to make

Gluten-free, four ingredients, no-bake, and made without butter, refined sugar, or flour. It may seem too good to be true, but it all applies to this delicious fruit tart recipe. With permission from Sally’s Baking Addiction, I tried out her recipe and cannot stop raving about it. I tell my friends, my family, my neighbors, and while most of them tell me to shut up (typical), I am obsessed with how simple and healthy this recipe is.This recipe uses dates and raw cashews as a crust. Yep, that’s it. Dos ingredients. Commonly used in energy balls and Larabars, the dates are sweet and adhesive while the cashews add a smooth and buttery texture. Also, Greek yogurt (I used vanilla, but you can use any plain or any other flavor) is substituted for the fatty cream cheese filling. While Greek yogurt might not be as rich as cream cheese, it gets the job done with less fat and a more prominent tart flavor (pun intended) to balance with the sweetness from the fruit and the dates. This treat is also topped with fresh fruit, obviously, but omits the unnecessary sugar-filled glaze.

Now, you may think, “why would anyone want to make this recipe when it doesn’t have any of the rich, delicious (yet unhealthy) ingredients?” Well, since this fruit tart does use healthy, wholesome ingredients, it has a lower fat and sugar content and a higher fiber, protein, antioxidant, and other general health benefits than a traditional tart. Also, the procedure is far simpler than a traditional tart recipe. There are only four ingredients, five steps and you only need a pan/tin, a food processor, and a spoon. And really, who is opposed to easy cooking?

If need more convincing to make this recipe, below are some reasons to try it out:

• Dates are a low-glycemic index food, which means it will not raise your blood sugar as fast as refined sugar, and are a great source of fiber (1.6g for just one date!). Dates are also a good source of Vitamin B and potassium.
• Cashews are also a great source of fiber as well as protein and unsaturated fat (0.9g of fiber, 5g of protein, 2.2g of polyunsaturated fat, and 7g of monounsaturated fat per 1 oz!). Additionally, cashews are filled with copper, Vitamin K, and antioxidants that are regarded as anticancer agents.
• Greek Yogurt has an average of 13-20 g of protein per serving without compromising its creamy texture. To put it in perspective, a serving of Greek yogurt has approximately the same amount of protein as half of a serving of chicken. It also has probiotics to aid digestion.

Healthy, Gluten-Free Fruit Tart Recipe

Ingredients:

• 15 dates
• 1½ cups of raw cashews
• 1 container of Greek yogurt
• A variety of fresh fruit

Procedure:

1. Soak the dates in warm water for ten minutes. Drain and slice dates in half to dispose of the seed.
2. Spray pan (either a tart pan or a muffin tin for mini tarts) with non-stick spray or cover with parchment paper if necessary. I used a non-stick muffin tin, so this step was not needed.
3. Using a food processor, blend the raw cashews and depitted dates until the mixture is thick and adhesive (see photos for reference)
4. Spread this crust mixture in your pan, making sure that every part of the pan is covered with the crust, especially at the bottom.
5. Fill with Greek yogurt and decorate with the fresh fruit.

So go. Try this recipe out. Surprise the friends and family who doubted your ability to make food by presenting them with these beautiful and easy fruit tarts. Prove the Paula Deen’s of this world wrong by showing them that we really don’t need more butter with everything. Eat your healthy heart out and enjoy every moment of it.