SPRING NICOISE SALAD

A beautiful spring salad inspired by the French Nicoise salad. This Nicoise salad platter is loaded up with tomatoes, green beans, potato, artichoke hearts, capers, cucumber, olives, and radishes and served with a creamy shallot vinaigrette. This Nicoise salad is vegan and gluten-free.

INGREDIENTS

• NICOISE SALAD
• 3/4 pound small potatoes
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced crosswise
• 1 heaping cup halved mini heirloom tomatoes (or 2 sliced large tomatoes or a mix)
• 1 bunch radishes, sliced
• 1 large avocado, sliced
• 1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/4 cup capers
• 1/2 cup Nicoise olives, pitted (or Kalamata)
• 1 bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
• edible flowers, for garnish (optional)

SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE

• 1 small shallot
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once the potatoes are cold, drain them and let dry on a towel. Cut in half.

Meanwhile, bring another large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes, until tender crisp. Drain the green beans and add to the ice water to stop the cooking and preserve the bright green color. Once the beans are cold, drain and let dry on a towel.

To assemble the salad, choose a large platter. Arrange the green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, radish, olives, avocado, and artichoke hearts in separate sections around the platter. Sprinkle the capers and dill over the whole platter.

To make the dressing, place the shallot, vinegar, syrup, mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a blender. Blend until smooth and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle a little dressing over the salad and serve the rest on the side.

 Raspberry Chocolate Tart

This easy vegan raspberry chocolate tart comes together with just 6 ingredients. Made with a crunchy oreo cookie crust and delicious chocolate ganache filling, it’s also no-bake and fuss-free!

• 16 original oreos or oreo style cookies
• 1/2 sticks or 16 oz. vegan block butter
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Filling

• 10 oz chilled canned full-fat coconut milk *see recipe notes
• 6 oz. vegan dark chocolate
• 3 cups fresh raspberries separated into 2 parts

Instructions

Crust

Add the cookies and sea salt to your food processor and blitz for about 30 seconds until evenly finely ground. Add in the vegan butter and blend again until evenly combined and the mixture sticks together between your fingers. Line the bottom of a 9″ tart tin (with removable base) with some parchment paper. Press the cookie mixture into the base of the cake tin, and smooth it out with a ¼ cup measure or flat bottomed glass, making sure it is compact. Set aside in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

Chocolate ganache filling

Finely chop the chocolate and set it aside in a heat-resistant bowl. Add the coconut milk to a saucepan and place it on medium heat until gently simmering (DO NOT BOIL). Pour the heated coconut milk over the chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before whisking until smooth.

Remove the tart base from the freezer and arrange the first 1 ½ cups of fresh raspberries on top of the base. Pour the melted chocolate into the tart base and gently tap the base on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Place the tart in the fridge to set for 3-4 hours.

Remove the tart from the base and arrange the remaining fresh raspberries on top for garnish.

Storage

Store this in an airtight container in the fridge and serve within 3 days. Because this vegan raspberry chocolate tart uses fresh raspberries, I do not recommend freezing it as its texture will turn mushy when defrosted.

Notes
Coconut milk: Place the cans of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. The cream will separate to the top of the can once chilled. Use the thick cream from the top of the can for this recipe. Depending on the brand of coconut milk you use, this recipe will call for 2 cans.