Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe pears
• 4 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 4 tablespoons ground hazelnuts
• 4 tablespoons chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup vanilla soy yogurt or vanilla soy pudding
• 1 tablespoon ginger syrup
• 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.
2. Melt the vegan margarine in a small frying pan.
3. Add the ground hazelnuts, almonds and sugar.
4. Stir to mix well and remove from the heat.
5. Peel the pears, slice length-wise in half and using a melon baller scoop out the core with the seeds.
6. Fill the cavity in the pears created by removing the seeds with the hazelnut mixture and place the pears in an oiled oven-proof baking dish.
7. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until the pears are soft but not mushy.
8. Meanwhile, put the vanilla soy yogurt or soy pudding in a small bowl.
9. Add the ginger syrup and the chopped ginger pieces. (reserve a few as garnish)
10. Serve the warm pears with the gingered soy yogurt/pudding and garnished with a few candied ginger pieces.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine, room temperature (not melted)
• 8 ounces pineapple pieces, crushed or minced
• 1 & 3/4 cups ap flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup hazelnuts, chopped
• 1 & 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes (divided 3/4 cup and then the rest to roll in)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.
2. Cream the vegan margarine with the sugar until light yellow and fluffy.
3. Add the pineapple and beat until well mixed.
4. Add the flour and baking powder and mix on low speed.
5. Stir in with a spoon the chopped hazelnuts and 3/4 cup of coconut flakes.
6. Mix to a blended batter.
7. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and roll each ball in the rest of the coconut.
8. Place o a cookie sheet prepared with baking parchment. Bake or 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned on the top.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Notes:

The batter was quite wet and sticky. I had problems forming the balls, so wound up taking a spoonful and rolling it in the coconut. It was messy, but worked fine. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet as they will spread somewhat. They really taste like paradise.

Yield: 3 doz.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup or agave
• 1 cup ground hazelnuts
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur or brandy

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F / 177 C.
2. Line cookie sheets with greased foil, shiny side up.
3. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, vegan margarine, and syrup.
4. Cook and stir over medium heat until well blended.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Stir in the ground nuts, flour, and liqueur.
7. Mix until well blended.
8. Drop teaspoonful onto a greased, foil-lined cookie sheet.
9. Bake for 9-11 minutes; let stand 1 minute.
10. Remove from cookie sheet.
11. Makes 4 dozen.

Notes:

Make sure you space them well on the cookie sheet as they spread when cooking.

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:

for the pie shell:

• 150 grams hazelnuts
• 50 grams coconut (not sweetened)
• 150 grams fried cherries or dried mixed berries
• 150 grams dates, pitted
• 1-2 Tbs. cold water or apple juice

for the filling:

• 150 grams raw cashew nuts, soaked overnight
• 75 grams maple syrup, agave or pomegranate juice
• 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger or 2 teaspoons ginger powder
• lemon juice
• salt

topping:

• 500 grams fresh cherries, halved and pitted

Directions:

1. The day before, place the cashew nuts in a bow l of water and allow to soak overnight in the refrigerator.
2. The next day line the tart forms with plastic wrap.
3. Using a food processor, “grind” the hazelnuts, coconuts, fruit pieces and dates together.
4. Gradually ad a bit of water so that it becomes a mass.
5. Press 1-2 tablespoons worth of the mixture in each of the tart forms to make an even crust.
6. Put the tart forms in the freezer to become hard.
7. Pour off the water from the soaking cashews and place them in a blender.
8. Add the liquid (maple syrup, pomegranate syrup) and blend to a smooth consistency.
9. Add a very small pinch of salt, a splash of lemon juice and the ginger and once again blend.
10. Season to taste with extra lemon juice or ginger.
11. Remove the tart forms from the freezer, take them carefully out of the tart form and remove the plastic wrap.
12. Arrange them on a serving platter.
13. Fill each of the tarts with some of the cashew mixture and set in the refrigerator to chill and harden.
14. Clean and cut the cherries in half and remove the pits.
15. Arrange the cherries on top of each of the tarts.
16. Optionally a few mint leaves can also be used as garnish.

Notes:

I made the almond cream pink for Valentine’s Day by using pomegranate juice. It’s really not necessary that it is so sweet, as the crust is sweet.

Inspired by “De Rauwkost Keuken” by Marysia Morkowska & Armin Zogbaum

Other Valentine’s Day recipes:

• Apricot tarts with chocolate sauce
• Easy raspberry tarts
• Hearty Ravioli