Hi hi hi! It’s been a minute! A new puppy, finishing the renovations before the holidays and a trip to NYC kind of tied me up from posting but HERE WE ARE. Coming to you this afternoon in my cozy clothes, a puppy in my lap and fresh new ideas for new posts!

My husband and I spent five days in NYC (a lovely tradition we’ve been doing for the past 4 Christmases) and loved every minute of it. We spent most of our time in the SOHO area walking, shopping and eating a ton of food. The volume of restaurants is overwhelming and research before hand is a MUST. We also did a few workouts at my fave spot, Tone House. The crew there is amazing, the classes are top notch and they know us when we show up every December. Lol. Who works out on a 5 day vacay?? WE DO. I’m not one bit mad about it either. I’ll def do a little guide to NYC in the next few weeks and post it here on the blog. It’s an amazing city, and navigating it (and finding a hotel that doesn’t break the bank) is half the battle.

I’ve been craving lemon squares as we inch closer and closer to the holidays. My MIL makes a KILLER square and I thought I’d make it my next mission to do a cleaned up version that’s both grain-free and vegan. These little babies are refined sugar free too which is always a bonus. Don’t be fooled – Just because something is vegan doesn’t make it healthy. Most pre-made snacks are laced with trans fats, cheap sugars and preservatives. If I’m going to treat myself, I like to whip up my own recipe and avoid all the added junk.

Lemon curd is one of my faves. In fact, we had brunch at a cafe in NYC called Bluestone Lane (fantastic coffee, BTW) and had coconut yogurt parfaits with vegan lemon curd. It was UNREAL good. So obviously, I had to make my own. You’ll have a ton of curd left over, so I put mine in a mason jar so that i can top my own coconut yogurt, waffles, pancakes…anything really. YUM YUM!

Here’s the recipe below!

Have a great weekend, lovelies!

Sincerely,

Les x

Yields 24 tartlets.

Ingredients:

for the lemon curd:

• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used meyers lemons. about 3 lemons worth)
• 2 T lemon zest (plus extra for garnish)
• 2-3 T arrowroot starch (or sub cornstarch if not paleo)
• 1 can coconut cream (refrigerate can and scrape cream from can leaving behind the water)
• 4-5 T maple syrup (to taste)
• 1/8 t turmeric (for yellow colour)
• pinch of sea salt

for the tartlet:

• 1 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/2 unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (you can also use agave)
• 1/4 baking soda
• 1/8 t salt
• 2 flax eggs (2 T ground flax + 6 T water. Let sit for 10 mins)
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (as needed)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a small pot, bring all lemon curd ingredients to a simmer on low heat, whisking constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a small mixing bowl, add coconut, flours, baking soda and salt. Stir until well combined. In another bowl, whisk maple syrup, coconut oil and flax eggs. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix using a large spoon. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add a little almond milk at a time until a ball of dough is formed. Place the dough in the freezer for 10 mins for easier handling.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place into mini muffin tin wells. Press the ball down into the muffin mold creating a ‘cup’. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges have browned. Allow tarts to cool. Spoon lemon curd into cups and sprinkle with additional lemon zest. Refrigerate and allow lemon curd to set and serve. SO GOOD.