Spring Onion, Fig and Goat Cheese Tart with Arugula
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ground almonds (Bob’s Red Mill almond meal/flour works great)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
1/3 cup fig jam or spread
2 cups spring onions, both white and green parts, chopped
1/3 cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups packed baby arugula or mixed salad greens

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Grind almonds in a food processor with 1/4 cup of the flour until ground to a coarse powder. Add remaining flour and process until well blended. Distribute butter over nut-flour mixture and pulse until blended. While pulsing, add honey and process until clumps of dough begin to form, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

While oven is heating, press dough into the bottom of a buttered 8- or 9-inch tart pan, building it evenly up the sides.
Bake crust for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove and let cool a little.

While the tart is baking, heat a fry pan over medium-high heat with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Add the onions, turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and begin to lightly brown (about 10-15 minutes). Set aside until tart is done.

Back to the tart… Spread a thin layer of fig jam/spread over the bottom of the cooled crust. Top with cooked onions (it is ok if they are still warm), distributing evenly. Next, evenly distribute the crumbled goat cheese on top of the onions.

Combine the balsamic vinegar , olive oil, salt and pepper. Adjust, adding more salt or pepper to taste. Toss arugula with the dressing. Top tart with arugula or put salad on the side. Enjoy immediately.

Some notes: You can serve the tart warm by covering and warming 8 or 10 minutes in the oven if desired. It is also great served room temperature.

I added thin slices of red and orange bell pepper to the spring onions when cooking, because I needed to use them up! They are a nice addition if you feel so inclined. If you want a slight smoky flavor, top the tart with crumbled bacon (I use a 97% fat-free, lower cholesterol turkey bacon from Whole Foods that tastes great.) If you don’t have spring onions, yellow onions work fine. If you aren’t an arugula lover, spinach or mixed