Mushroom, Onion, & Spinach Tart with ‘Goat Cheeze’

Good morning!

Miraculously, I’m still waking up around 5-5:30am since I have been back. I want this early to rise, early to bed streak to become a habit because I have fallen in love with the early morning again. I will be having a discussion tomorrow on early rising and the timing of meals, so stay tuned for that.

But, for now, tarts. It’s all about the tarts this week.

Do you ever see a picture so beautiful that it literally makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

That is what this onion did to me this morning!

And is why I love photography. There is nothing I love more than to see beauty in real life, capture it on camera, and share this beauty with others.

When I was a child and teenager my entire family used to call me ‘The Little Tourist’ because I took so many pictures.

As I always say, look to your childhood for answers about your passions!

I have always had a love for photography. Even back in the day, when I was fascinated with our Pink Polaroid Camera…

Now, that’s hot.

[source]

From organic farmer,

To skillet,

To table.

Mushroom, Spinach, & Onion Tart with ‘Goat Cheeze’

Goat Cheeze inspired by Choosing Raw.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white Kamut flour (or all-purpose)
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery stick
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 4-4.5 tbsp almond milk
• 2.5-3 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1.5 cups packed spinach
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Goat Cheeze: 1/2 cup macadamia nut butter, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, black pepper, sea salt, to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a tart pan or alternatively you can simply roll out the dough, trim, and place on parchment on a baking sheet. To assemble the dough: In a stand mixer with a dough hook (or by hand), mix the flour, salt, butter, and almond milk together. Use your hands when necessary to form into a ball. Place in fridge for 20 mins. to chill. While it is chilling prepare the onions and mushrooms. In a skillet over medium-low heat, add in 2-3 tbsp oil and the sliced onion. Cook onion over low for about 10 minutes until it caramelizes and slightly browns. Remove dough from fridge and lightly flour your surface. Roll out dough to desired size and place into tart pan (see this post for more pictures of the process). Pierce dough with a fork and place in the oven for 13-16 minutes at 400F to pre-bake. While it is baking, add the sliced mushrooms and garlic to the onion mixture and cook over low-medium heat for another 10 minutes. Add in the spinach and cook for another 5 minutes until wilted. Make the goat cheeze by mixing 1/2 cup macadamia nut butter, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, black pepper, and approx 1/8th tsp sea salt. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. When tart is done pre-baking, remove from oven and spread on a layer of olive oil with a brush to keep the crust moist. Now, layer on the mushroom and onion mixture. Now add on clumps of goat cheeze. Bake in over for another 5 minutes or so, watching carefully, until golden in colour.

Note: Makes enough dough and filling to make two 3×12 inch tarts. You can also make mini tarts or even use a cupcake pan if you don’t have mini tart pans. As a third option, simply roll out your dough, trim the edges to form a rectangle, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Score the edges to form a crust.

I didn’t have enough mushrooms and onion (maybe half of what was required), so I had to make due without. I suggest using the quantity recommended in the recipe so you can really fill your tart to the brim. I found my filling was very sparse.

I would have preferred double the filling than what I had…

This ‘goat cheeze’ was fun! I didn’t have macadamia nuts, so I made a modified version of Gena’s Goat cheese.

Oops I forgot the spinach!

Much better.

I love how the goat cheeze browned in the oven. Very authentic looking!

The goat cheeze was slightly dry, so I think next time I wouldn’t cook it for as long. Maybe just 5 minutes to retain the moisture.

It tasted wonderful! Very authentic tasting for a vegan tart.

Now for the one thing I really struggled with since getting back from my trip…

EXERCISE!

While on our trip, my sister and I were a great team. The night before, she would convince me that getting up at 6am while on vacation to workout was a good idea and when the alarm went off the next morning, I dragged her butt out of bed. We worked in complete harmony.

Except for that morning after a night of too much wine, when we both looked at each other with that knowing look and snuggled up under the warm bed sheets for a couple more hours. I had three workouts out of 6 days while away. I consider that a success being jet-lagged and all. We never did regret one of those early morning workouts!

However, once I got home, my motivation disappeared.

I came home to cloudy, cold, and rainy weather and to make matters worse, I felt under the weather myself. I decided to let my body tell me when it was ready to workout again.

Thursday passed, as did Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Nothing.

Not even the slightest desire to workout.

Then I realized that I could go for weeks if I didn’t intervene! This was quite silly, all I had to do was put on my sneakers and sweat. Was it really that bad?

So yesterday, I ran 3 miles and I felt like a new woman afterwards. I always say, starting a workout is the hardest part.

And yes, sometimes, a swift kick to my own butt is necessary to get those workout juices going once again. [Side note: Kicking your own butt is not easy!]