Gluten & Dairy Free Kalamansi Lime Tartlets

I made this as a dessert to end my birthday lunch. Good thing I made extra, because I had them for dessert after dinner too! Makes six 1.5 inch scrumptious organic kalamansi tartlets with creamy tangy filling.

Tart Shell Ingredients:
1/2 C Gluten free all-purpose flour
2 T Coconut oil (or any good oil. Coconut is great in baking)
1/8 t baking powder
1/8 t sea salt
1/2 egg, beaten

Kalamansi Lime Custard Filling:
4 T Kalamansi lime juice (about 4 limes)
1 1/2 Egg
3 T Honey
1/8 t vanilla essence
Pinch salt

What to do:

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Drizzle over the coconut oil and kinda rub it into the flour mixture. You'll end up with a sort of fine breadcrumby mixture.
2. Add the beaten 1/2 egg. It should be enough there to hold everything together, but not sticky. Might have to add more water to get the consistency right - pliable.
3. Divide dough into six portions and roll each portion into a ball. Use your fingers to press out each ball into a flat disc and fit that into your tartlet mould. Bake blind at 180 deg C for 5 min.
4. Use a fork to beat the egg and lime mixture (everything goes in) till well mixed. Pour into the tartlet shells. Bake at 150 deg for a further 20 min. 
5. Cool and serve!

Garden Salad with vine ripened tomatoes and Kyuri cucumbers

This was a perfect starter to my birthday lunch entree (Honey Glazed Beef Short Ribs). I had crisp kyuri cukes and juicy tomatoes grown in pots on my apartment balcony, and some beautiful red sails lettuce and other organic lettuces. I sliced in a bit of purple cabbage and carrot, tossed in a tangy apple cider vinegar dressing and dug in!

Tender Honey Glazed Beef Short Ribs with Beetroot Puree and Broccoli

Yesterday I saw some amazing short ribs at Jusco and thought it would make the perfect birthday lunch paired with broccoli spears and a sweet beetroot puree. The broccoli and beetroot in the organic veg section looked super fresh and I knew they would add great flavors on the plate.

I marinated the ribs overnight with all-organic ingredients: 2 T honey, 1/2 t chilli powder, 1/2 t cracked black pepper, 2 T balsamic vinegar, sprinkling sea salt, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 T extra virgin olive oil.

This morning I laid the ribs on a glass pie dish, added 3 T water, covered with aluminium foil and oven-baked for 1.5 hr till nearly falling off the bone. Tender! I basted the ribs with the reduced sauce to keep them moist and juicy. 15 minutes before the ribs were done, I boiled the beetroot till fork tender, and blanched the broccoli spears till just cooked but not mushy. I pureed the beetroot and seasoned with a little salt and pepper.

To serve, I smeared the puree on the plate, laid the broccoli on top, plonked down a rib and spooned over some sauce. Delish!!!