Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

This is the absolute best recipe in the world!  A raw, vegan strawberry cheesecake – bliss.  I’ve made it a few times for dinner parties and it never fails to impress.

This recipe is slightly modified from Sarah’s Raw Cashew Dreamcake over at My New Roots. Hers is a true masterpiece, but don’t be intimidated, it’s really not a difficult recipe at all.

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

Crust:
3/4 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup soft Medjool dates (make sure they are pitted)
1/8 cup shredded coconut
Pinch of sea salt

Filling:
1.5 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 5 hours, overnight is best
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup raw coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup agave nectar (or raw honey)
1 heaping cup strawberries (thaw completely if using frozen)

Directions:
1. Place nuts, dates, shredded coconut and sea salt in Vitamix (or food processor) to chop until they are to your desired fineness. Test the crust by spooning out a small amount of mixture and rolling it in your hands. If the ingredients hold together, your crust is perfect. Scoop out crust mixture in a 7” spring-form pan and press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. I used a pie plate instead, which is fine too. Rinse Vitamix (or food processor) well.

2. Warm coconut oil and agave nectar in a small saucepan on low heat until liquid. Whisk to combine. In summer, the coconut oil is already liquid so you can skip this step and just stir them together.

3. Place all filling ingredients in Vitamix and blend on high until very smooth. The cashews require a lot of ooomph from your blender to blend, you may need to stop and give them a little stir.

4. Pour mixture out onto the crust and smooth with a spatula. Place in freezer until solid.

5. To serve, remove from freezer 30 minutes prior to eating. Run a smooth, sharp knife under hot water and cut into slices. Enjoy!

For the same dinner party, I made a Raw Summer Squash Salad with Feta and Tomatoes from a roundup of 4th of July recipes from Integrative Nutrition. I got a basil plant from Trader Joe’s this week and used the fresh basil for this salad!

And speaking of Integrative Nutrition, if you’ve been thinking about enrolling, I have a 4th of July scholarship to give away, so send me a message for details. I enrolled exactly 5 years ago and it was the best decision!

Happy 4th!
Kerry