Guilt-Free Weekend Treats

Tarte Tatin with Coconut & Thyme Ice Cream SERVES 1–2 (1 CAKE TIN 20 CM (8 IN) Tarte tatin is a French puff pastry apple tart baked upside down, meaning that you bake the tart with the pastry on top and flip it over afterwards. In the original recipe you spread butter in a cake tin, then add some sugar on top, which caramelises. I use coconut oil and almond butter for my version, and add honey instead. I replace the puff pastry in the original with a wholewheat tortilla. The coconut and thyme ice cream gives this reinterpreted tarte tatin a refreshing kick.

ICE CREAM 1 banana, sliced and frozen 1 tablespoon shredded coconut splash of coconut milk 2 teaspoons maple syrup or sweetener of choice 1 teaspoon coconut oil 1–2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

TART 2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted 2 teaspoons almond butter 2 teaspoons maple syrup or sweetener of choice, plus extra to serve pinch of salt 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped 1–2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked, plus extra sprigs to garnish 1–2 small apples 1 wholewheat tortilla roasted and crushed almonds or nuts of choice, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

2. For the ice cream, take the frozen banana out of the freezer and allow to thaw for a few minutes. Add the banana and remaining ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Spoon into a container and put back into the freezer.

3. To make the tart, spread the melted coconut oil into the cake tin. Mix the almond butter with the maple syrup, salt and vanilla seeds and add to the cake tin as well. Add the thyme leaves on top and smooth out the mixture evenly.

4. Cut the apples into quarters, remove the cores and cut them into very thin slices. Layer the slices in the cake tin, creating a circle from the outside to the centre of the tin. Bake for 8–10 minutes.

5. Take the tin out of the oven, put the tortilla onto the apples and press down a little. Turn down the oven to 160°C (320°C/Gas 2) and bake for another 6–8 minutes until the tortilla has browned.

6. Remove the tin from the oven and flip it upside down on to a plate. The tart should slide out of the tin easily.

7. Take the ice cream out of the freezer and add 1–2 scoops onto the warm tortilla. Garnish with thyme and almonds, and drizzle some maple syrup on top. Enjoy right away!

Ice-Cold Banana, Cherry & Chocolate Cake MAKES 1 CAKE (APPROX. 20 CM/ 8 IN) … and a topping that transforms it into a real work of art. I’ve always been a fan of raw cakes, especially the frozen ones. It’s a nice mix of both having a piece of cake and ice cream without overindulging at all. Another benefit is that you can keep the cake in the freezer and cut off individually sized pieces whenever you feel like it. The base is made of nuts and dates, and the cream on top is a mix of bananas and yoghurt. No sugar added, no flour, no butter, no cream.
BASE 14 dates, pitted 200 ml (7 fl oz) water 6 tablespoons ground almonds 3 tablespoons cashews 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder 1. tablespoons maple syrup or sweetener of choice	CREAM 2 ripe bananas 2 tablespoons shredded coconut 1 tablespoon almond butter 2 tablespoons cashews 4–5 tablespoons low-fat yoghurt or *soy yoghurt 1 tablespoon maple syrup or sweetener of choice
CHERRY-CREAM 10 cherries, pitted 3 tablespoons low-fat yoghurt or *soy yoghurt 2 tablespoons maple syrup or sweetener of choice	TOPPINGS 20 g (. oz) min. 75% cocoa dark chocolate or **dark chocolate sweetened with stevia 2 teaspoons coconut oil cherries crushed nuts of choice dried rose petals

1 To make the base, bring some water to the boil, pour it into a bowl and soak the dates for 5–10 minutes (the longer, the better).

2 Put the cashews into a powerful blender or food processor and grind. Drain the soaked dates and add them to the cashews along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend to a coarse dough. Add a splash of water if the mixture is too thick; add more ground cashews if the mixture is too moist.

3 Line a 25 cm (10 in) round cake tin with parchment paper. Add the base mixture and evenly press down with your hands so that the mixture reaches about 1.5 cm ( ½ in) up the side of the tin.

4 For the cream, add all the ingredients into a food processor and blend for at least 5–6 minutes until smooth and creamy. Pour on top of the base and smooth out with a spatula. Put into the freezer for at least 1 hour before you add the toppings. This way the toppings will stay on top of the slightly frozen cream and not sink into it.

5 Take the cake out of the freezer, garnish with berries and crushed nuts and freeze for another 2 hours.

6 Remove the cake from the freezer, thaw for about 10 minutes and cut into slices. Put any slices that you don’t want to serve straight back into the freezer.

TIP The best way to store the cake is to cut it into slices and store them in the freezer. Then you don’t have to thaw the whole cake every time you want a piece. Before you eat a slice, make sure to thaw it for 10–15 minutes. You should easily be able to stick a fork in it. If you want the cake to be creamier, thaw for about 20–35 minutes.


For more delicious, healthy recipes check out Nadia’s new book Eat Better Not Less, available now where all good books are sold.