Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Raw Strawberry "Cheesecake"

You know when the alarm clock goes off  and you are still sleepy and you tell yourself, "just 5 more minutes."  Next thing you know it's 40minutes later!!!!  That's what happened this morning.  20min. to get the kid fed, lunch made and in the car to take to school.  I'm still tired...the night before I was letting my dog Cleo in and out of the house all night long because she was sick, must of ate something she shouldn't have...those labs!
Moving on to sweeter things.
I finally made a raw strawberry cheesecake or I should say almost raw because I did add some chunks of dark chocolate in the crust that weren't raw.   I can't wait to try another one...maybe lemon or chocolate?  We scarfed it down.  It was real easy to make, the longest part was the waiting around for it to set up.  I put it in the freezer to set...a little too long cuz then I had to let it defrost a bit. Next time, when I make it earlier in the day, I will chll it in the refrigerator.   It tasted more like a whipped strawberry dessert with an amazing crust.  Keaton and Dave really liked it.  This is a must on a hot summer night!  I adapted the recipe from GLIVING.COM, so you can see the original recipe by clicking here.  All of the ingredients are raw(obviously except the dark chocolate).  I also used coconut oil instead of cocoa butter because I didn't have any.  Below is the recipe of my version of this awesome dessert!

Raw Strawberry Cheescake
1 6-inch cheesecake or 9-inch (for a thinner filling)

For the Crust:
1/2 C. pecans
2 medjool dates
1/4 C. shredded coconut
pinch of salt*
3 oz. dark vegan chocolate, coarsly chopped

1.  In a food processor, process pecans, dates, coconut and salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs
2.  Next add in the chocolate and process a few time just to mix in.  You want some good chunks of chocolate in there.
3. Coat the pan with raw coconut oil. Press mixture into a springform pan.  (I wanted a really thick filling so I used a 6-inch springform pan.)
4. Set aside.

For the Filling:

1 C. cashews, soaked overnight
2 C. strawberries, sliced
1 Oz. coconut oil, melted
1/4 C. agave
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 vanilla bean seeds
1/8 salt*

1.  In a food processor add cashews and pulse until crumbly.
2.  Add the strawberries, agave, lemon juice, vanilla bean and salt until smooth. 
3.  Slowly pour in the coconut oil while the processor is blending until incorporated.
4.  Pour filling onto crust.
5.  Cover with plastic or aluminum foil and chill until set.  4-6 hrs.

Note* the salt I used is called HimalaSalt  .  I have a chunk of it and it came with the grater.

20 comments:

  1. Wow this looks like restaurant fare! Amazing! Do you thnk I can use coconut butter in place of coconut oil? Or are they completely different?
    Emma

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  2. you totally had me at "dark chocolate in the crust"! oooooh my goodness, this looks amazing and i bet it's the best ever too, JoLynn! i might have to make this the next time my parents visit. my mom absolutely adores all things cheezecake & strawberries - and i loooove a good raw dessert. they're always so wonderful! sorry that you were super tired and overslept. poor Cleo - and poor you for having to be up with her when she wasn't feeling well. too sweet of you to keep letting her in and out of the house, we've had a night or two like that with julie. she ate a ridiculous amount of cat food once and it was not pretty. ah ha ha!

    i had an amazing time in ny with ryan - he's my favorite. we're close and i loooove hanging out with him - we're each others' sounding board and i wouldn't trade him for the world. yay! he is actually sending me a piece i soooo love of his for my birthday. it was too big for me to carry on the train, but when it arrives sometime soon i'll have to take a photo of his work to share, fo 'sho!

    i hope you're less tired and i hope Ms. Cleo is feeling better, too!

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  3. I am drooling for this. it is fabulous. Excellent job.

    http://nuestracena-vegancuisine.blogspot.com

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  4. That looks seriously good. And sounds reasonably simple, too! Plus, dark chocolate in the crust? What else do you need in life?

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  5. yum - looks awesome and so glamorous! this will be a staple in my desserts-to-make recipe file!

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  6. That is to die for! I am so making it this weekend. Thanks! :-)

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  7. Slurp! I can't stop drooling.

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  8. Emma: Coconut butter and coconut oil are the same.

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  9. I have been looking around for a raw cheesecake and this is just perfect!!

    what other substitute can i use instead of strawberries??

    Thanks :)

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  10. Indu-blueberries would be wonderful and have a beautiful purple blue color!

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  11. What a pretty plate! Hope your doggy's ok, and you're getting good zzz's!

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  12. That looks gorgeous, such a pretty colour!

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  13. So glad to have found you. I'll read your recipes with great expectations.

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  14. Wow, that vibrant color alone is amazing! I can only imagine how good this tastes...!

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  15. DJ Karma-Finally getting my zzz's and it's so nice!
    YSP- So nice you found my blog, I only hope my recipes are as good to you as they are to us! enjoy!

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  16. Oh my, this looks and sounds ridiculously decadent. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, and I usually go without dessert, but this really got my mouth watering. For a special occasion it would be perfect. Thanks for the inspiration - gotta try it!

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  17. I've made this cake before too - LOVE it!!!! Yours looks really pretty!

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  18. That cake looks absolutely amazing!!!

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  19. I'm definately going to be trying this one...! x

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  20. YUM!! This looks so good... I would have all the ingredients on hand if we hadn't eaten all the strawberries last night. Oops! I might actually go to the store and get more so that I can make this.

    Following your blog!

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