Mini Pesto and Roast Vegetable Tarts

So I know The Nutritionista posts a lot of healthy sweet treats, so I thought I would share with you one of The Nutritionistas favourite savoury recipe for my mini roast vegetable pesto tarts. Even though this recipe is for the whole tart the real hero of this dish is the base which is a great healthy alternative to normal tart and quiche pastries. The base recipe uses a variety of healthy alternatives to create a delicious healthy twist on the traditional pastry. This base recipe can be used for a variety of dishes whether it be any tart filling of your choice, a quiche of some kind, or even remove the herbs and add in some cinnamon and raw honey or agave for a sweet pastry. Check out my other recipes here.

Base Ingredients (makes around 8 mini tarts or 1 big one)

• 1 cup of coconut flour
• 1 cup of ground almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil (melted)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of almond milk
• Mixed herbs

Filling ingredients (optional)

• Pepper
• Onion
• Broccoli
• Courgette
• Mixed herbs
• Pesto (preferably homemade if not fresh organic pesto is still good)
• 2/3 eggs
• Flaked salmon to sprinkle on top (again optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
• Cut all the vegetables fairly small and place on roasting dish with coconut oil and mixed herbs and let them roast for about 15 minutes until they have started to go soft.
• Mix all of the base ingredients in a mixing bowl with a spoon until a dough begins to form.
• Once the dough forms, roll mixture into a ball and wrap tightly in cling film. Leave to chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Once cooled press the mixture firmly into the mini tart dishes (I like to use the back of a spoon) make sure the pastry is very compact to prevent it crumbling.
• Bake the tarts for around 10 minutes
• In a bowl whisk the eggs together.
• Take tarts and roast vegetables out of the oven.
• Mix in pesto with the roast vegetables (optional)
• Then fill the tarts with the vegetables, make sure each one has a decent filling.
• Optional to sprinkle them with smoked salmon
• Then pour the whisked egg into each tart to make sure it covers the vegetables well- this process seals the filling and keeps the tart moist.
• Put everything back into the oven and cook for another 15/20 minutes- keep an eye on them and once the base looks golden brown and the vegetables look ready take them out the oven.
• You can also test if they are ready by using a knife,if the knife comes out of the middle of the tart clean then they are ready.
• Enjoy :)