Almond-Coconut Cream Tart with spiced strawberry chutney {V/GF}

Would you say you have pretty good self-discipline? 

Me? Not so much. 

Fact: I have about 6 thirfted clothing items to alter that have been sitting in my closet for over a year. 

Fact:I don't know how to sew.  But I still want that slightly large vintage dress because it's cute. 

Fact: I told myself this past week to start watching my sugar and carb intake. 

Fact: I ate 3 Krispy Kreme doughnuts this past week on Sunday. Yep. All in one day. Yep. I am ashamed but my word were they delicious. The worse part is I really want to get in the car right now, drive to the nearest grocery store and buy some peanut butter Oreos. 

Self-control. Heard of it? Apparently I have not.

To make matters even worse, I couldn't help but whip up these mini almond tarts filled with whipped coconut cream. How am I suppose to resist mini anything?! Mini means you eat as many as you want because they're so tiny the calories don't actually count.  

Yeah...I'm preeeetty sure that's right.

Oh the problems I bring upon myself.

It's okay. Let me just take a bite of this here mini tart and...yup there it goes. Problem gone. 

So let the recipe begin...  

First, place a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight. You're not new to the whipped coconut cream game...you knew this.

My coconut cream doesn't look as fluffy as usual because I didn't leave the can in the fridge long enough. I just wanted to dig in already! Another shining example of my strong willpower.

Next, get started on the strawberry chutney (recipe below). It's best if left in the fridge for at least an hour so the flavors can mingle. 

Once the coconut milk has reached it's full stay in the fridge and the strawberry chutney has been made, the rest is easy pretty easy. I wanted to make something without using flour so I decided to put my slivered almonds to use and make a cheesecake-like crust. Just process the almonds, mix in some melted butter and sugar, and you've got a crust! 

These are some pretty tasty tarts. 

Some quick notes...
*This recipe works with as little as 2 tablespoons of butter. For me, it just seemed to be a little more difficult to work with. Maybe I need to grind the almonds a bit more but I find that 3-4 tablespoons makes everything easier...and tastier. 
*I've made this with coconut butter before & it's delicious. But I do LOVE coconut & I usually just stick with 2 tbsp.
*For the non-vegans, this would also be tasty if you switch the coconut cream for mascarpone whipped cream.
*Adding coconut flakes to the crust will make a coconut-lover's dream. 

Strawberry Chutney

recipe adapted from here

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

1/4 cup lemon juice & zest of one lemon

1 tbsp agave nectar

1/2" ginger, grated

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Bring all ingredients but the strawberries to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium & add strawberries. Cook stirring occasionally until thickens, about 10 minutes. Best if left in fridge overnight. 

Almond-Coconut Cream Tarts

{Gluten-free/Vegan}

2 cups blanched slivered (or whole) almonds

3 tbsp earth balance, melted

3 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, pulse the almonds to a nice crumb. Place almond crumbs in a medium bowl and mix in remaining ingredients. Form a crust by pressing the almond mix into the bottoms and sides of your tart pan(s), like making a cheesecake. Bake with foil on top for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes or until the crust turns a nice golden brown.

Whipped Coconut Cream

1 can of full fat coconut milk

2 tbsp powder sugar

Leave a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight. Spoon the hardened coconut milk layer from the top into a medium bowl. Be careful not to scoop any of the coconut water at the bottom of the can. Save the coconut water for future recipes. Add the powder sugar & with a hand mixer, whip the coconut milk until peaks form.

Spoon coconut cream into almond tart and top with chutney.

Enjoy!