Dr. Megan Rossi, a renowned Australian gut health expert, says love goes through the stomach and happiness through the gut. In her book Eating Happiness, she shares evidence-based tips for nurturing your microbiome to enhance mood and well-being. Try this delicious recipe from her: cashew chia tarts with lemon curd.
Makes 16 pieces
Ingredients
- 65 g cashew nuts
- 30 g chia seeds
- 25 g dried coconut
- 40 g oat flakes
- 4 medjool dates (approx. 60 g pitted), chopped
- For the topping:
- 70 ml fresh lemon juice (approx. 2 lemons)
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest (plus extra for garnish)
- 3 tbsp honey, or sweetener of your choice
- 10 g arrowroot meal
- 170 g thick yogurt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 140°C fan/160°C conventional.
- Blend all base ingredients with 60 ml water until just combined. Roll into a sticky dough on a work surface, then chill for 10 minutes until firm.
- Grease mini muffin tins with your preferred oil.
- Press 1 tbsp (about 15 g) dough into each cavity, spreading evenly over the bottom and sides.
- Bake for 15 minutes until golden. Cool completely.
- For the curd, gently heat lemon juice, zest, honey, and arrowroot in a small saucepan, stirring vigorously until thickened into a jelly. Cool briefly (1-2 minutes), then stir in yogurt. Adjust lemon to taste.
- Spoon curd into cooled shells and chill for at least 4 hours until set. Garnish with extra zest.
Tip for crispier shells: Prepare and chill the curd first for 4 hours. Bake and cool shells, then fill just before serving.
About Eating Happiness
In Eetgeluk (Eating Happiness), Dr. Rossi demystifies gut function and its impact on mood and health. Packed with tips for more energy, veggie variety schedules, intolerance detection, and over 50 recipes.
Eating Happiness, €24.99 (Luitingh-Sijthoff Publishers).
