lemon & fig cheesecake for the vegan woman

I share some photos with you today, and a link to the recipe of the cake IN the photos. It is being featured on The Vegan Woman as a special birthday present for Sivan. I'm so honoured to be on the site! It's an excellent place for recipes, articles, resources and everything else you'd want to know about the plant-based, holistic life. Keep in mind that my adoration may be slightly biased because they voted me first place for best vegan food blog of 2013. Teehee. Get the recipe for this {raw vegan} Lemon & Fig Cheesecake by clicking here!

 

vanilla cheesecake with chocolate crust, strawberries, cacao nibs + pistachios

Every part of this is epic. Chocolate cookie crust. Creamy vanilla cashew cheesecake. Strawberries topping it all off. I was going to put this recipe in my COOKBOOK (it is still extremely exciting for me to type that word) but I reached over 15,000 likes on facebook yesterday and thought "Hey, these guys deserve something special for being so freaking amazing, loving and supportive". So here ya go.

It kind of tastes like a giant Oreo, plus strawberries. Eeeexxxccellent. You know what else is excellent? The fact that every single recipe in my upcoming book is going to be just as awesome as this one. I'm not kidding around - I am putting my ALL into this book because I really want it to be a practical tool in the kitchen, as well as a powerful one to impress. Wink wink. Also, I am perfectionist and have to be proud of what I create. There will not be one boring or mediocre recipe in the entire {un}cookbook. That's my promise!

The toppings for this cake are optional but they make it so perdy, don't ya think? I'll be keeping it in the freezer until Saturday, when I'll be hosting a raw vegan dessert party. Yes; that IS the best four word combination possible. As you know, I've been making at least one dessert recipe every day and I figured I can't eat them all - as much as I'd like to - so I may as well share them! Other ways to give away loads of desserts: I'm going to be catering the desserts for a friends party next weekend, and also handing out my extra recipes to the homeless people downtown. Wholesome nutrition for everyone!

vanilla cheesecake with chocolate crust, strawberries, cacao nibs + pistachios 

Crust:

1 cup pecans

1 cup dates

2 tablespoon cacao powder

Cheesecake:

1 cup each of cashews, pine nuts, shredded coconut, and dates
1/2 cup water, as needed

Seeds from one vanilla bean (and/or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

2 tablespoons each of maple syrup and melted coconut oil

Topping:

Strawberries
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
2 tablespoons pistachios, roughly chopped

To make the crust: pulse the pecans in your food processor until they become a rough flour. Add the dates and cacao and process until it begins to stick together. Press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a small spring form pan (mine was about 6 inches) and put in the fridge. 

To make the cheesecake: blend all the ingredients until smooth and thick. Pour into your crust and then refrigerate overnight so it can set and the flavours can develop. Two days is even better. Decorate with the toppings and enjoy! 

blueberry strawberry banana ice cream cake

All I've eaten today is blended frozen fruit which ends up being like ice cream, or this recipe. I love my life. This cake is one delicious demon. It is creamy, sweet, fresh, tart and colourful all at once. Actually that has nothing to do with demons so never mind that. Plus it is super easy to make (surprise, surprise) and can be eaten the same day you make it. I'm probably going to eat 3/4 for my dinner tonight.

Cannot. Resist. Fruit. 

I ran out of bananas (it felt the freaking raw vegan apocalypse over here) so I used walnuts in the berry layer for creaminess. If you don't want to use that many nuts, because there's also cashews in the vanilla ice cream cake layer, then use another banana or one cup of dates. And another option is to decorate the finished cake with chocolate drizzle. You know my stance on chocolate - you can't go wrong with it. 

Random note: I AM SO EXCITED, and not just because of this cake. Because then it wouldn't be random, now would it? I have found an internet location which will provide me with the best songs ever, for free, whenever I want them. I'm set for at least a year. It's Annie Mac's Soundcloud, where she gives you awesome free songs each week. Holy crap I just downloaded like a billion tracks and love every single one. You should do the same, and hopefully react the same. Let me know. 

Anyways - back to ice cream cake. I am seriously getting stoked about the increasing amount of sunshine here. The birds are chirping, the grass is growing, I feel the green slowly coming back and I want to run outside and plant seeds everywhere. The sunshine makes me think of growing my strawberries, which makes me want to eat strawberries...

So, here. Strawberries. 

blueberry strawberry banana ice cream cake: 

10 strawberries for outside, cut in half

Vanilla ice cream cake layer: 
2 cups cashews
2 bananas
1 cup dates
1/4 cup melted coconut oil 
Seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod (or 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
Vegan milk or coconut water, as needed 

Berry layer: 
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup fave vegan milk or coconut water, use as needed
1 cup dates, walnuts or another banana 

To make the first layer: place the halved strawberries around the edge of a spring form pan. Set aside. Now blend all the vanilla ice cream cake ingredients together until smooth, adding as little vegan milk or coconut water as possible (I used about 1/4 cup?). Spread into the bottom of the pan, this should press the berries to the inner edge. Put in the freezer.

To make the berry layer: blend it all up until smooth. Carefully spread over top of the vanilla ice cream cake layer and put in the freezer for about 2 or 3 hours, until it's set. Then cut and serve with other berries! Let it soften a little before eating, because it makes it creamier.

vanilla chocolate chunk cheesecake with peanut butter + coconut

This is my new favourite recipe, and you can probably see why. Chocolate, peanut butter, banana, coconut, vanilla - all in one gooey, decadent cheesecake. Just... YES. I made this for my boyfriend as an apology cake and I'm pretty sure it guarantees I am forgiven. Although I may have just jinxed it... Nawwwww. I'm good. Look at this thing. 

Seriously, make this for people who call you mean names for being vegan or eating healthy. They will never mock your diet choices again. It tastes so deliciously dirty. I crammed a piece into my mouth (sans cutlery) while moaning "OH. MY. GOSH." The boyfriend had two slices before it was even dinner time. 

A couple side notes: I sprinkled some date pieces, coconut flakes and cacao nibs throughout the layers for extra texture - I recommend doing this. The dates are chewy, the cacao nibs are crunchy, the coconut flakes are... coconut-y goodness. Also, I decorated the top with some chocolates I had made the day before. You can use my raw chocolate recipe here. 

vanilla chocolate chunk cheesecake with peanut butter + coconut: 

Crust:

1 cup oats (or buckwheat if you want it GF)

1 cup dates

Cheesecake:

2 or more bananas

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

2 cups cashews

1 1/2 cups dates

1/4 cup liquid sweetener, like maple syrup, if desired

Beans from one vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) 

Water, as needed

1/4 cup cacao or carob powder

Topping:

3 tablespoons raw chocolate

3 tablespoons raw peanut butter (or you can use regular - it's up to you)

To make the crust: process the oats (or buckwheat) and dates until they stick together. Press into the bottom of a spring form pan and put in the fridge. 

To make the cheesecake: blend all ingredients - EXCEPT cacao or carob - until very smooth. Add as little water as possible to keep your cheesecake creamy. If you don't want to add any water, use some liquid sweetener or another banana. Now take out half the batter and put in a bowl. Add the cacao or carob in the remaining batter that is still in your blender and blend until it's incorporated. Now spread the vanilla layer and the chocolate layers on your crust, alternating a few times. Set in the freezer overnight and then drizzle with peanut butter and chocolate the next day. Enjoy! 

orange & blueberry cheesecake

this is delectable! i am so proud of myself because i haven't used chocolate in a recipe for a few times now. this is all fruit, all the time. the colour of chocolate desserts gets boring after a while because it's always brown... ya know? this cake has a vibrant array of colours that are naturally pleasing to your pretty little eyes.

as winter continues to draw nearer, i do the same with my warm clothing and scarves (draw them nearer, that is). the cold weather creates a crisp and refreshing environment that always reminds me to be grateful for what i have been given by the wonderful and mystical forces of our universe. fate is seemingly random, yet also seems absolutely premeditated at times, and i cannot help wondering if our destiny is real or imagined. was i always meant to end up here in this moment; feeling as i do and being what i am?

these are questions that are unanswerable and often this is a cause for frustration, but usually simple awe and appreciation for the mysteries of our reality suffice. returning to my main point: the starkness of winter allows me to contemplate deeper these thoughts and i find myself indebted to my loved ones, my environment, the trees and my own spirit for providing me with such a wonderful life! it's a wonderful life. 

we are all such spiritual beings; inherently, essentially, fundamentally and naturally so. we are all-one, connected by the life of the cosmos and the energy of the world. isn't it wonderful we have evolved to this finite point - where loving one another and doing good is beneficial for every one; where watching a sunset is still one of the most gratifying experiences one may have; where we want to teach the best for our children and make a better world for tomorrow?

this season surround yourself with positive energy, creatures of the earth whom you love (and who love you), and many plants. find enlightenment in the small and beautiful moments, and finally peace in knowing you are a finite participant in this infinite galaxy. i see the light in you.

now onto raw vegan cheesecake. 

orange & blueberry cheesecake: makes one cake

crust:
2 cups raw nuts
1 cup dates or raisins
pinch of salt 

orange cheesecake:
3 cups cashews
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup agave/maple syrup
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
juice of one lemon
zest of all the oranges you juiced
pinch of salt

blueberry layer:
2 cups organic blueberries (i used frozen)
1/4 cup of the orange cheesecake mixture

to make the crust: process the nuts and dates/raisins in your food processor until the nuts have become crumbs and the mixture sticks together when you press it. press into the bottom of a springform pan and put in the fridge. 

to make the orange cheesecake: blend all ingredients (except orange zest) in your high speed blender until very smooth, then add in the orange zest with a spoon. reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture for the blueberry topping - pour the rest onto your crust and put in the freezer. 

to make the blueberry layer: blend the blueberries and the 1/4 cup of cheesecake mixture in your food processor or blender until creamy but still with small pieces of blueberry for texture. spread this over your cheesecake and keep in the freezer or fridge overnight. if you can wait a day - this is best after 2 days (and not frozen, of course) enjoy with sliced oranges and blueberries!

lemon, lime & coconut cheesecake

you know how much i love cheesecake! i made another one yesterday. it's layers of lemon and lime with coconut. sounds pretty tasty, right? RIGHT.

check out this mix above; it's groovy, sexy and funkalicious. there's three of them and i recommend downloading them all. NOW, back to cheesecake. i really like the flavours of this one, fresh and light but just sweet and dense enough to let you savour it. unfortunately my camera is still missing so i couldn't take the best pictures. you will have to deal with it. bear with me, people.

let it sit in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours, or better still, overnight. it leaves it time to set properly and gain some extra flavour. it was way better today than last night when i gave it to my family for dessert. it was still darn good though. the stripe of green is a cute addition i think, but you don't have to add it if you just wanna eat the cake ASAP... i understand completely.

lemon, lime & coconut cheesecake: serves about 12

crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 heaping cup prunes or dates

lemon layer:
3 cups cashews
1 cup coconut milk
juice of 2 lemons
1 banana (optional)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons coconut oi

lime layer:
1 avocado
juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/8 cup coconut milk (use as little as possible anyway)
1/4 cup coconut flakes 

for the crust, blend all the ingredients in your food processor until it starts clumping together and you can press it into shapes. press into the bottom of a springform pan lined with plastic wrap. put in fridge.

to make the lemon layer, blend all ingredients together in your blender until creamy smooth. YUM. pour half of it onto your crust - set aside the remaining half - put back in fridge. 

to make the lime layer, blend all ingredients until smooth in your food processor or blender. pour all of this onto the first layer on the crust, then pour on the remaining lemon layer from earlier. let it sit in the fridge for a few hours (overnight is better). i put coconut flakes on top of mine to add some texture. YEAH, BABY.

vegan feast

a few weeks ago one of my best friends, amanda, asked if i would be willing to cook a vegan dinner for her and her family. duh! so last night i did.

we made pad thai with mushrooms and red onion; a quinoa salad with baked rosemary eggplant, tomatoes, cucumber and roasted peppers; pan-fried tofu with a peanut sauce; and a blueberry vanilla cheesecake for dessert.

i brought strawberries, raspberries and cherries from the farmers market. they were so juicy and delicious. we put some on the cheesecake but i ate most of them for my dinner. amanda's family was a little confused as to why i had spent hours cooking an amazing vegan feast but then didn't eat any of it... being raw can be like that. anyway i did have some quinoa salad and it was SO GOOD. amanda and i are great team-mates.

as usual, every recipe was improvised BUT i will try to recall what we did, so i can share the deliciousness with you. amanda's family said it was super amazing, and her grandpa told me the cheesecake may be the best dessert he's ever had!

quinoa salad with tomatoes, cucumber, baked rosemary eggplant and roasted red peppers: serves 6-8

salad:
2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 eggplant
1 cucumber
4 tomatoes
3 roasted red peppers
handful fresh mint leaves
 
peanut sauce: 
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced and crushed
4 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon each chili and cayenne powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar/agave syrup or other sweetener

follow the quinoa's cooking instructions, then leave it somewhere to cool down.
for the eggplant, slice into circles and put on a baking sheet. rub with olive oil, some salt and lots of chopped rosemary. bake it for about 20-30 minutes until the slices are  "mushy" and have soaked up the oil. chop the cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper, mint and eggplant slices and add to the quinoa.

for the peanut sauce, blend all ingredients until smooth. done! serve with peanut sauce.

blueberry cheesecake: makes 1 pie

crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract

filling:
2 packages silken tofu
3 bananas
2 tablespoon melted coconut oil
2 cups raw cashews (preferably soaked for a few hours)
1/4 cup agave/maple syrup/honey
1/2 cup dates
3/4 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

topping:
2 cups berries
3 tablespoons maple syrup/honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

for the crust: put all the nuts into your food processor and pule until they're crumb-sized. add all other ingredients and pulse until it sticks together. press into the bottom of a pie pan and refrigerate.
to make the filling, blend all ingredients until smooth. taste it and see if you want to change anything. when it's the way you like spoon it into the pie pan and refrigerate for 3 hours or until it's set. for the topping, mix all ingredients together gently and let sit in the sun or somewhere warm for an hour to let the juices out. you might have some filling left over by the way, but this is not a bad thing.

we used the same peanut sauce recipe (with a bit of added spice and soy sauce) to pan fry the tofu with and that turned out awesome, if not a little messy.

for the pad thai, you can just google vegan pad thai and use any of those recipes - there's some good lookin' ones out there. we added chives, carrots and mushrooms and onions sauteed with basil, salt and pepper. not exactly traditional but apparently it was well-received!

everybody wanted seconds of every thing, and her aunt and grandparents took leftovers home. it was a ton of fun and i want to do it again soon! making food for people is so rewarding and enjoyable for me.