Vegan? Raw? Cheesecake?! What?! It's like an oxymoron. How? You ask. Hint: there isn't any cheese.
The last five months of my veganism exploration have brought many surprises and new discoveries about food that I hadn't considered before. One of these things being the versatility of cashews. They really are able to morph into a cheese, a cheese sauce, a creamy salad dressing, and also cheesecake.
Bonus? Super healthy in comparison to real cheesecake and most likely cheaper!
Ingredients
Crust
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raw walnuts
2 medjool dates, pitted
2 tbsp almond milk
Filling
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
juice from one lemon (more if you'd like it extra tangy)
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional, but this is what gives it the 'cheesy' flavour)
Topping
1 pint of strawberries, sliced thin
Directions
1. Line a loaf pan or a small cake pan (6") with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Using a food processor or blender, add all the 'crust' ingredients and pulse until it begins to stick together
3. Line the bottom of the pan with the crust mixture-- press down firmly. Place some of the sliced strawberries along the crust.
4. Using a food processor or blender, add all the 'filling' ingredients and blend until smooth-- this may take up to 5 minutes.
5. Pour the mixture over the crust and strawberries and smooth out the surface. Place in the freezer for minimum 3 hours to set.
6. Remove the cheesecake 20 minutes prior to serving and top with remaining strawberry slices.
Enjoy :)
