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(Try saying that five times fast!)

raw crust mango tart thenovicegardener

It came as somewhat of a shock when I found out I had gained over 1,000 followers. Super bloggers might laugh at that number, but I find it to be a source of pride and inspiration. It continues to make me feel honored and humbled that there are people out there willing to spend some time in their days to view my blog.

However, I’m afraid I haven’t done enough to show my appreciation. In the past, whenever I got a new follower, I always made it a point to thank the person for the follow and return the favor by following back if they had a blog of their own. I haven’t been able to do this lately.

The same went for the likes I received. Generally, I tried to look at their profiles, and if they came from blog owners, I would pay their sites a visit and thank them or leave a comment or two. I haven’t been doing that, either.

Since I feel particularly remorseful, I might as well make this confession complete. I have done absolutely nothing about the last dozen or so awards I’ve been nominated for. Do you see a pattern here? What does this tell you about me? I hate to imagine what Emily Post will say. Bad manners never bode well, and I intend to put a stop to this string of extremely rude behaviors on my part.

So, this post is dedicated to you, my readers and followers, to show my love and appreciation.

no bake crust mango tarts

Mango rose tarts

1/2 cup whole almonds
3/4 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup coconut flakes
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon
2 small mangoes
Agave nectar
Fresh strawberry puree

The crust
1. Grind the almonds in a food processor until they resemble coarse crumbs. Take them out and set aside.
2. Place the dates and coconut flakes in the food processor and grind until they are finely chopped.
3. Place the almonds back, add salt and cinnamon, and grind everything to your desired consistency. The finer the crumbs, the easier it is for the “dough” to stay together. You can see in the picture below that the top heart is made with finer crumbs.
4. Roll “dough” into a log, divide into thirds, and on a piece of wax paper, start forming the heart-shaped tart base by pressing it inside a cookie cutter. You can use a tart mold, if you want, but I find a cookie cutter easier to use. It can be pulled off easily once the base is formed.
5. Refrigerate tart bases for at least 30 minutes to firm them up, before assembling the tarts.

how to make raw tart crust

The mango roses
1. Peel mangoes and cut them in halves while avoiding the large pits in the center of the fruits. You can do this if you position your knife slightly off the center of the mangoes instead of slicing right down the middle.
2. Slice the mango halves thinly to create half-moon pieces.
3. Build the roses by rolling a small piece of mango, and continue to add layers. Place the rose on one corner of the heart-shaped tart base, and continue to add more slices, until the entire base is covered. The process is similar to making the peach roses in my Peach Frangipane Tartlets or the apple roses in my Apple Rose Tart.

how to make mango roses

Prior to serving, drizzle tarts with agave nectar or any syrup of your choice. Serve with strawberry puree.

The crust, by the way, is good even without any fruit topping. You can roll the “dough” into balls or roll it into a thin flat piece and cut into pieces. I used a small biscuit cutter to make little cookies. I pressed these little cookies into hemp hearts and drizzled them with melted chocolate.

no bake:raw protein cookies

They are perfectly tasty and make for a healthy snack and a platter of these would make anybody happy. But I came across this, so I made tart bases for the mango roses, instead. They took a bit of an effort, but how else was I going to show how much I love and appreciate each and every one of you?

heart shaped mango tarts