Chocolate Raspberry Tart

I got this recipe from a dairy-free, multi-allergy friend. I'm not entirely sure where she got it.
If you've got weird allergies, this dessert recipe is for you!

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour (I've also discovered tigernut flour works)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• Pinch of course sea salt (I preferred fine for my crusts)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (it's better to chop up a bar than to use chocolate chips, in my experience)
• 1/4 cup raspberry preserves (100% fruit)
• 2 cups raspberries

Directions

1. Lightly grease a 9in pan with a removable bottom with coconut oil (I used a pie plate)
2. In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the crust and stir together. Press evenly into the prepared tart pan. Set aside.
3. Place finely chopped chocolate in a large bowl (wider is better than deeper in this instance). In a small saucepan, bring coconut milk just to a boil. Pour hot coconut milk over chocolate and let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth and creamy. Stir in raspberry preserves. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. 
4. Garnish the top with raspberries.
5. Place tart in the refrigerator to set and cool completely, about 1-2 hours. Slice and serve!

Notes: I definitely recommend using fresh fruit for this tart. I used frozen strawberries because that's what I had and the texture was not quite ideal since the fruit was squishy. Depending on how dark the chocolate is that you're using (I was using like an 85% dark chocolate) and how much sugar is in your preserves/jam, you may want to add some maple syrup to your chocolate mixture as well. If you use a super dark chocolate like I did, the bitterness of the chocolate may overwhelm the fruit and you'll not get the tart flavor. This recipe is also easy to use as a spring-board for other flavor combinations (such as chocolate-orange); just replace the raspberry preserves with preserves, puree, or juice of the fruit you want and replace the whole raspberries with the fruit you desire. It's also easy to taste the chocolate mixture before putting it in the tart to set. Feel free to add a little vanilla or almond extract. I'm contemplating a chocolate mango, chocolate pineapple, or chocolate mint flavor next. 

chocolate-orange tart

Slow Cooker Chicken Rice Casserole Recipe

I made this recipe for a Life Group potluck and it was a hit! Timing doesn't change all that much if using skinless thighs. I got this recipe from Simply Recipes.

• 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skin on chicken thighs)
• salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups sliced yellow onion, 1/4-inch thick slices, (about 2 large onions)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1 cup diced canned (or fresh) tomatoes
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 bay leaves

Sprinkle salt (about 2 teaspoons) on both side of the chicken thighs, and let sit while you prep and cook the onions.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large sauté pan on high heat. When the oil is shimmery hot, but not smoking, add the sliced onions and cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the ground cumin and cinnamon. Let cook for a minute. Add the garlic and cook for half a minute more. Place cooked onions and garlic into the bowl of a slow cooker. (Do not wipe down the sauté pan.)

Heat the sauté pan on medium. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side-down in the pan. Let cook on medium heat until the skin is well-browned and much of the chicken fat from the skin has rendered out (about 10-12 minutes). Turn the chicken pieces over and brown the skinless-side for 4 to 5 minutes more.

While the chicken is cooking, add the raw long grain rice into the slow cooker with the onions, stir to combine. Stir in the diced tomatoes, peas (if using), stock, pepper, bay leaves. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. When the chicken has finished browning, place the chicken pieces skin-side up in the pot.

Slow cook for 2-3 hours on the high setting of your slow cooker. The timing depends on your particular slow cooker. Metal bowls heats up very quickly and only takes 2 hours to cook this dish. Slow cooker models with a ceramic bowl heat up much more slowly and probably would take 3 hours to cook. I originally made this on low for 4-4 1/2 hours and it turned out fine.

Check about halfway through the cooking time to see how the rice is cooking. If it is drying out (could be your lid isn't tight fitting, or the rice just needs more water), add another half cup to cup of water.

Fluff the rice with a fork to serve.