RECIPE Raw Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake

Raw, Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake 

Regular cheesecake is made from cheese, baked with butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and cream. What a guilty indulgence! 

Raw (unbaked), Vegan (no dairy, no eggs) Cheesecake consists of nuts, (pecans, macadamias, cashews,) dates, coconut oil, honey, lemon juice and vanilla extract. 

It's a guilt-free cheesecake! One that is packed with loads anti-oxidants, heart-healthy, bio-active compounds, flavonoids, fiber, and laden with minerals and vitamins, not forgetting it's also very yummy. 

I wrote more about the nutritional value of such a cheesecake on another blog post. There was just too many health benefits to cover! 

http://bakewithdin.blogspot.com/2015/08/nutritional-benefits-vegan-cheesecake.html

Here's the recipe to good health!:) 

Raw, Vegan Cheesecake 

For the base

1 cup raw almonds (pecan, hazelnuts, macadamias or walnuts will also work)

1 cup soft Medjool dates, pitted

1 tsp Himalayan salt

For the cheese filling

3 cups raw cashews, (soaked in filtered water for minimum 5 hours)

3/4 cup maple syrup (or honey or agave nectar) 

3/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup lemon juice (approx 2 large lemons)

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

For the fruit topping: 

1 cup of thawed frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or actually any fruit u want)

1 cup honey or pitted dates

Method: 

Making the base: 

1. Using a dried foods processor/grinder, process nuts and dates and salt until it looks like damp, coarse sand/soil. The mixture should still be dry, but moist enough to hold together. Turn the base mixture into a spring-form pan, deep pie dish or glass dish and press evenly to cover the bottom and sides of dish. Place in freezer/fridge to set. 

Making the filling: 

1. Soaking the cashew nuts beforehand will allow for smoother blending. 

2. Squeeze 2 lemons and strain 

3. Use your most powerful blender (recommend Vita-mix or Blendtec but I used Braun) and blend up all the ingredients until very smooth and light in texture. There should be no chunks at all. This will take anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes. If your blender is not a powerful one, make sure to pause every 5 minutes to prevent overheating of the motor. 

4. Reserve about 20% or 3/4 of filling, leave it in blender. Pour the rest of the filling into prepared crust. 

5. Blend the thawed berries and honey/dates with the reserve cheese filling. You can blend til smooth, or slightly chunky if you like biting into the fruit. Pour to cover cheesecake. 

6. Freeze for 4 hours. Once set, defrost for 10 minutes before cutting into slices to serve. If desired, top with fresh berries before serving. 

N.b - for processing in Tokit 

Minimally use 0.5x of recipe: 

1/2 cup nuts / dates for base 

And 

1.5 cups of cashew

Etc 

🎂 6 August 2015