Summer berry tarts

Plump, juicy berries are one of my favourite things about summer. I especially love blueberries and their softly sweet sharpness. 

When I was little, we would visit family in America every few summers. We had a great uncle who grew blueberries in his garden, and he would bring us buckets full to the brim with them. We would gleefully dig our hands into the depths of the buckets and stuff fistfuls into our mouths, leaving us with purple stained tongues and fingers. Those blueberry deliveries were always a highlight of our trips.

I've never found berries that taste quite as sweet as those, but these tarts come pretty close.

Berries with benefits

The deep purples, reds and blues of berries offer a clue to their nutritional benefits. Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are all rich in phytonutrients, including anthocyanins. These powerful anti-oxidant compounds are responsible for berries' bright pigmentation, and help protect our tissues from oxidative stress and inflammation. 

In addition to being fantastic antioxidant sources, berries have a low glycaemic index, meaning they can support more stable blood sugar levels. Regulating blood sugar also prevents oxidative stress on tissues and inflammation caused by high blood sugar.

Now for the tarts

For the topping, I've used a mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries for different flavours, colours and textures. Blended together, this combination also make a delicious, deep purple filling.

Dates are used to sweeten the crust and filling, while lime zest gives some citrus tanginess to the filling and extra colour to the topping. The oat and ground almond crust provides the perfect crunch to balance the softness of the berries.  Super quick and easy to make, these tarts are a perfectly unfussy dessert, and their rustic (aka messy) prettiness is part of their charm.

The tarts are vegan, and you can make them gluten free by using gluten free oats.

Ingredients

Crust
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup rolled oats
Pinch of himalayan/sea salt
3 medjool dates
2 tbsp coconut oil

For the filling and topping, I used a small punnet each of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries and 1 organic unwaxed lime.

Filling
1 cup mixed raspberries, blackberries and blueberries
1 date
1 tbsp ground almonds
Grated zest of half a lime

Topping
2 cups mixed raspberries, blackberries and blueberries
Grated zest of half a lime 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan assisted)

Put the crust ingredients in a food processor and blitz until you have a smooth, sticky consistency that can be rolled into a ball. The mixture will also feel pretty oily, this will help to give it crunch once it's baked.

Divide the crust mixture into six pieces, and roll out each into discs between two sheets of baking paper so they fit your paper baking cups (I used 2 1/2 inch cups). Place the filled paper baking cups on a muffin tin. The mixture might break off a bit, just press back in and fill any holes with your fingers. 

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, removing when the edges start to brown. Leave to cool.

In your clean food processor, add the filling ingredients and blitz until fully mixed. Put a tablespoon of mixture into each of your cooled crusts and then top with the mixed berries and grated lime zest.

Hazelnut granola with raspberry puree

Whipping up a batch of homemade granola is one of the easiest ways to transform breakfast from a functional bowl of cereal to something that you'll actually look forward to. 

Cereal is the go-to breakfast for many of us because it's quick, easy and requires little thought in the bleary-eyed early morning. But shop-bought varieties are often high in sugar and salt. They can contain dodgy hydrogenated oils and not enough protein or good fats to keep energy levels stable until lunch. Considering all this, they're also pretty expensive.

This granola bears no resemblance to those cereals. It has slow energy releasing oats, hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds for vitamins and minerals, anti-microbial and satiating coconut oil, and high fibre prunes. Cinnamon, my all time favourite spice, brings warmth, sweetness and blood sugar balancing chromium. And once you've bought the ingredients, it costs less to make it in batches than what you'd spend on cereal boxes. All in all, it's guaranteed to put your shop-bought cereal to shame. 

The granola would be delicious alone with nut milk, or you could make it into something pretty spectacular with some raspberry puree and natural yoghurt. Either way, it will last you for breakfast all week. 

The quantities in this recipe will make enough granola for about 5 servings and you'll have enough raspberry puree to go with that amount. 

Hazelnut granola

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats (I use gluten free)
2tbsp coconut oil
1tsp maple syrup
2 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
1tbsp pumpkin seeds
5 chopped prunes
2tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees (fan assisted). In a large saucepan, melt the coconut oil and stir in the maple syrup. Remove from the heat and stir in the oats, making sure they are coated in the oil. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. 

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and spread the mixture over it. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until golden, checking and turning the granola every 10 minutes or so to make sure it doesn't burn. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool, before transferring to an airtight container. 

Raspberry puree

Ingredients

125g raspberries (and a few extra for topping)
1tbsp lemon juice

Blitz the raspberries and lemon juice in a food processor until you have a smooth liquid. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge. Will keep for a few days.

To serve, mix a tablespoon of the raspberry puree with some natural yoghurt and layer the granola over the top. Add a sprinkle of bee pollen and a couple of raspberries.

Spiced autumn porridge

Autumn's here and the leaves are turning golden. Porridge is the perfect autumnal breakfast and this spiced version mirrors the colours outside. It's also warming and energising to prepare you for cooler days ahead.

Turmeric and ginger are great additions to your diet at this time of year. They support the immune system with their anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Both are also warming spices that support circulation. Cinnamon adds spicy sweetness as well as supporting blood sugar balance.

While this porridge is made of oats, other grains like buckwheat, amaranth or quinoa would work well too. I've stuck with oats, as I really like their steady release of energy and soluble fibre, which soothes the gut. They also contain B vitamins and a number of minerals including iron, magnesium, zinc and manganese. For this recipe, I used gluten free pinhead oats which are coarser than the jumbo or rolled kind, but any oats will do. If you're using other varieties, you may need to adjust the cooking time. 

Adding grated apple gives some crunch and sweetness. Apples also contain pectin, another kind of soluble fibre that supports digestion and the production of good bacteria in the gut.

Spiced Autumn Porridge

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 cup oats (I used gluten free pinhead oats)- soaked overnight
1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2cm fresh ginger - finely grated
1/2 cup unsweetened full fat coconut milk (I use Biona) or almond milk
1 apple - coarsley grated
Handful of coconut flakes
1 tbsp bee pollen

Soak the oats overnight in 1 cup of water. Drain, rinse and add to a saucepan with 1 cup of fresh cold water. Cook on a low heat for around 15 minutes stirring regularly, until most of the water has absorbed and the mixture has formed a thick consistency. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and apple and mix in the coconut milk. Remove from the heat and serve sprinkled with the coconut flakes and bee pollen.