TRAVELER'S TART with DATE CRUST, CACAO-COCO DRIZZLE, BANANA SLICES & WALNUTS: NO EQUIPMENT NEEDED

A rather long title compared to most of my other posts, but I think every word is needed. I wanted to get your attention with a clever name, a short description and the most important part of this recipe, the fact that you don’t need any fancy equipment! That means zero dishes too! Hallelujah, baby. I made this tart on my family’s recent annual vacay to Tofino on Vancouver Island. It’s the ultimate west coast experience and in the waves and trees of this wise, old landscape lies my heart. This is my home.

The whole point of this recipe is that you can make it anywhere and you don’t have to use any equipment (besides a bowl and spoon). Share it with a friend, lover or yourself. It’s a delicious snack that takes only minutes to prepare and tastes *flipping gooooood*. If you have a tart tin handy, go ahead and use that for the crust, but of course I did not; because we stay in these little cabins (no, we do not own them, tragically) that are equipped with like two forks and a colander. Okay, I’m being a little harsh – they’re fairly well outfitted, just not compared to what I am used to. But I can deal! And I did. Check it. Save money, time, and dishes without skimping on big, healthy flavour! Ehh… I feel like that was an advertisement for microwave stir-fry. Nooo don’t eat that. Eat this.

Here’s the thing. The ingredients in this recipe are no different than what I use in all my other desserts: stuff like nuts, dates, fruit and cacao. The only difference is that instead of whipping them up in high-tech equipment to form them into different shapes (like a pie crust or cream cake), I’m simply leaving the foods *totally whole* and then – like with my other recipes – layering/presenting them in a pretty way. Get it? Have I been talking about this for too long? I guess it IS kinda obvious and most of you understood without even beginning to read these paragraphs. I’ll stop now. But better safe than sorry! Okay I will really stop now.

TRAVELER'S TART with DATE CRUST, CACAO-COCO DRIZZLE, BANANA SLICES & WALNUTS: NO EQUIPMENT NEEDED 

Crust:
8 Medjool dates

Tart toppings:
1 banana
8 walnut halves 
1 teaspoon hemp seeds
1 teaspoon cacao nibs

Cacao-coco drizzle:
1 tablespoon Artisana coconut butter
1 teaspoon cacao powder

To make the crust: pit the dates and then rip them in half. Press them into a tart tin or simply into a circle on a plate. I know; almost TOO simple, right? 

To make the drizzle: melt the coconut butter in a warm oven or dehydrator then stir it together with the cacao power. Top off the crust with the toppings and drizzle with the… drizzle. 

Duuuuude, now I wanna make this again.