Joy to the world

When life gives you lemons, make these no-oven, no-bake lemon tarts!
The second I saw these bright lemon tarts in a recent edition of the Joyous Health newsletter, I had to have the recipe. How creamy and divine do these look? I’m so happy to share the recipe here with you.

Joy McCarthy will be speaking about gut health at Gluten Free Garage from 1:15 to 2 pm
These tarts were created by none other than holistic nutritionist and bestselling author Joy McCarthy, a woman who completely embodies her name. You just have to follow Joyous Health on Instagram to know what I mean. Lucky for us, Joy is returning as a vendor and a guest speaker to this year’s Gluten Free Garage! Be sure to stop by her table, where you’ll find her cookbooks, Joyous Health and Joyous Detox, along with her organic teas, body care (balms, body butter, deodorant and more) and new hair care products.
Joy will be giving her 45-minute talk “Gut Feeling: How your microbiome affects your mood, skin and stress levels” at 1:15 pm on Sunday May 27 at Gluten Free Garage. The microbiome encompasses tens of trillions of microbes that live on you and in you. The food you eat daily, your natural health supplement regimen and your lifestyle can either support these microbes or hamper them, allowing bad bacteria and yeast to proliferate. It’s absolutely fascinating how these microbes impact your mood, your skin and even your stress levels. In this session, you’ll learn about all the delicious and nourishing gluten-free foods you can eat daily to support a joyous microbiome!
Please note: All speaker sessions take place in the Wychwood Barns Community Gallery at Artscape Wychwood Barns. The entrance is off of Wychwood Avenue (the northeast side of the venue). Space is limited so please arrive a few minutes early and form a line.

“I wish my words could adequately describe it. I will try…it’s tart, sour, sweet, fresh and bright. Like an explosion for your salivary glands.” —Joy McCarthy
And now for Joy’s lemon tart recipe, which we know you are sure to enJOY!
CREAMY LEMON MACADAMIA NUT TART
(makes 4 tarts)
Ingredients
For the bottom:
1 cup macadamia nuts
¼ cup almonds
10-12 medjool dates, pitted
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil
For the filling:
3 large eggs
1 tbsp lemon zest
¼ cup honey
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp of coconut oil
1 tbsp coconut butter
Garnish:
dollop coconut yogurt
chopped macadamia nuts
coconut flakes
Instructions
To make the bottom crust, place all ingredients into a food processor and blitz until crumbly.
Using 4 individual tart pans, evenly divide the bottom crust between them. Press the crust down firmly. Refrigerate or place in the freezer until it sets, about hour in the freezer or a couple of hours in the fridge.
Meanwhile, make the lemon curd topping. In a large pot on the stove on low heat, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest and honey. Add the lemon juice, coconut oil, vanilla extract and coconut butter and continue to whisk on medium heat until everything is melted and the mixture starts to thicken. This process may take 10-15 minutes.
DO NOT STOP WHISKING :) Whisk continuously until it thickens.
Once the bottom crust is set, pour the lemon curd mixture into each cup. Put back in the fridge or freezer and wait until it’s set to enjoy. It will take about an hour in the freezer and a couple of hours in the fridge.