Dandelion Tart

Dandelions can be used like spinach leaves

Dandelion Tart from The Mystic Cookfire, by Veronika Sophia Robinson

I enjoy juicing dandelion leaves. They’re a powerhouse of nutrients which help stimulate a sluggish digestive system, and thereby aid the body in removing toxins. The leaves help maintain normal blood sugar levels. They’re a natural source of minerals such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and iron, as well providing the vitamins A, B, C, and D.

If you prefer the idea of cooking them, then you might just like this tart. The recipe makes two tarts ~ which means you get to have one for lunch the next day!

2 sheets of shortcrust pastry (feel free to use a gluten-free or nut-based pastry)
A little olive oil
4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
Pinch chilli flakes
1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt
1 onion, finely chopped
Smoked paprika, generous pinch
2 large handfuls of fresh dandelion leaves (don’t pick from roadsides) or you can use young nettle leaves if you prefer.
1 tub Tofutti plain cream cheese
190 g Redwood Cheezly
3 t egg replacer
15 ml soya yoghurt

(The vegan ingredients can be replaced with eggs and dairy, if preferred)

Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease two flan/tart dishes, and line each with a sheet of push pastry. Blind-bake (cover with baking paper and dry beans) for ten minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for another five minutes until starting to brown. Let cool. Reduce the temperature to 180C.
Sauté the onion in a little olive oil until clear. Add the smoked paprika and dried chilli. Place the washed dandelion leaves into the pan, but remove from the heat. Keep a few to one side. Mix the egg replacer, cream cheese, yoghurt and half the cheese with salt and sweet chilli sauce. Place the onions and dandelion leaves on the pastry, then pour over the cheese mix. Place the reserved leaves on the top with the remaining cheese. Bake for half an hour. Allow to go slightly brown, and wait ten minutes after cooking for it to set before slicing.