RAW Vegan Mango Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

I've been meaning to make raw, vegan cheesecake for literally months and last night I finally got to try it out. This recipe's debut did NOT dissapoint. As I wasn't feeling that much like a base vanilla, I decided to add mango for a splotch of summer in this frigid January. When my friend tasted the cake, she spent a good 2 minutes raving and then she paused and said, "mmm you know what this'd be good with? Like a BERRY sauce." That was when shit got fancy.

*moans*

You will need the following:

Crust

3/4 cups almonds

3/4 cups pecans (you are welcome to use only almonds but I don't recommend using only pecans just because they have such a distinct flavor that could clash with the mango)

1 cup fresh medjool dates, pitted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut shreds

1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling

2 1/2 cups raw cashews (I got mine in the bulk nut section at Whole Foods) soaked for 24 hours, 18 is ok but 24 makes a noticeable difference

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chopped, peeled mango (I thawed some frozen ones in the microwave)

3/4 cups coconut oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

Sauce

2 cups frozen raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

To make the crust, blend the nuts in your Vita Mix (or blender) until they resemble crumbs, be careful not to make them into nut butter!

Transfer the nut crumbs into your food processor and incorporate the rest of the crust ingredients, leave the processor on for a few minutes until the mixture becomes relatively uniform. I put the nuts in the Vita Mix first so as not to break the food processor, they get worn down very quickly with grinding nuts.

Line a cake pan (you can try a classic spring form but I wasn't sure about putting it in the freezer) with parchment paper and press the "crust" into the pan.

To make the filling, strain and rinse the soaked cashews and then put them into the Vita Mix (or food processor or blender, but keep in mind you'll have to leave it on for 5+ minutes to get that real creaminess). Blend until the mixture feels creamy with NO LITTLE BITS OF NUT, sometimes you'll think it's ok if it's a little grainy, but trust me, it's best when the mixture is perfectly creamy and impossible to tell there are nuts in it at all. Pour the filling into the crust and freeze for 3 hours. After it's frozen, you can eat it and put the rest in the fridge, the freezer is just for the original setting.

Food porn right here

See? Uniform and creamier than...cream ;)

While the cake is setting in the freezer, you can make the raspberry sauce. Put the frozen raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar into a pan over medium-high heat and stir constantly. The raspberries will give up their water and break down. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved-the raspberries don't need to be completely broken down. 

If that doesn't say summer-in-winter 

then you need someone to write you a prescription for EYES

Press the mixture through a sieve by using the flat of a spoon to smush the berries through the mesh and into a bowl. Put the sauce into the fridge to cool.

When it's time to serve, spoon the sauce over a slice of cheesecake and people will think you are one classy mofo. 

xoxo

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Pancakes

I don't usually eat what you'd call a 'conventional' breakfast. I dig left-overs and sometimes all I really want is a piece of fruit. Waking up past noon when I can usually means that breakfast and lunch are one big BRUNCH and I usually consume the capacity of both meals in a single sitting (classic fat kid). However, sometimes I stumble downstairs really feeling in the mood for some scones or some biscuits or some form of rich carb.
Now, here's my food mentality: "how much extra shit can I put in this?" or "what most offers itself to being jacked up?" Usually I choose quinoa as my victim, adding sauteed eggplant, spinach, pine nuts, oats, avocado, tomato, olives, seeds of the flax, chia, and hemp variety, artichoke hearts, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and whatever else I find that'd be yummy. (Fun Fact: The ancient Incas of Machu Picchu ate a BUTTLOAD of quinoa and by my personal reasoning...that must mean it's good for you).
(I didn't know where to put the period, just now-I think I chose well but I'll switch it up just to be sure.)
So with this "how can I make it better?" element in mind, I set about making pancakes. Here's how to be just like me :)

YUM!

You will need the following:

1 cup bisquick

1/2 cup vanilla or chocolate soymilk (if you don't used flavored, then I suggest adding 1 tbsp agave or vegan sugar per 1 cup bisquick)

1/8 to 1/4 Special Dark Cocoa Powder/Dutch Process Cocoa Powder

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut shreds

3 tbsp peanut butter

*Margarine for frying

OPTIONAL:

1 vegan egg substitute (with bisquick you can leave it out)

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped banana

The Procedure

First, turn on your griddle to 375 degrees Fahrenheit OR put a low-sided sauce pan over medium heat but only when you start cooking, the griddle needs to warm up and the pan doesn't.

While the griddle heats, mix together the bisquick, cocoa powder, and coconut shreds. Once properly mixed, add the peanut butter and soymilk-be sure not to over mix but definitely make sure the peanut butter is well-distrubuted. 

Drop 2-3 tablespoons margarine onto griddle/pan and wait until it melts, as the process goes on you'll want to add more to keep the pancakes tasting buttery and from sticking to the pan. Once the margarine is melted, add the pancake batter in pools spaced 2-3 inches apart and with a diameter of about 4-5 inches. If you make the pancakes too big not only will they be hard to filp, but they could get rubbery, fall apart, and not rise as well. 

The back three have been flipped

YUM!

When the pancakes look a little dry and the edges seem to have almost a "popped bubble" sort of look, flip them. It's fine if you flip a little too early, you can always flip them back over. Remember that the second side will cook faster than the first, time accordingly.

When the second side is dry and browned as well (it'll be hard to tell with the dark chocolate so I recommend eviscerating one to see if the inside is cooked to your liking), stack the pancakes on a plate and serve warm with a dusting of vegan powdered sugar, berries, or bananas. (Maple syrup makes these too sweet in my opinion).

Happy MLK/Inaugural Weekend!

Raw?! Vegan Carrot Cake w. "Cream Cheese" Frosting

Now that I’ve discovered Pinterest, I’ve grown afraid for my girlish figure. For realz though, there are TOO MANY BORED HOUSEWIVES posting delicious and easy vegan desserts on there for me to function. I scroll through my feed and automatically want to consume 3,000 calories!!! So, looking for something just as satisfying to my sweet tooth and significantly less detrimental to my health, I investigated RAW foods. Now, I think raw food people are a little wacko. Like you make oatmeal by just letting it rest in some warm water.

How they thought of something this good

we'll never know

For those of you who don’t know-“raw food” is food that has not been heated above the hottest temperature your climate would get. In VA it’s like 103 but I’m sure there’s some official cut-off for the die-hards. They “cook” a lot of their food by drying it in a dehydrogenizer (incidentally, not a word or so spellcheck tells me) rather than baking it in the oven. There’s significantly less flour and significantly more smugness per recipe.

Yet, I do see the upside, there’s no processed sugar-even maple syrup isn’t used because of the boiling and thickening process it goes through-and they mostly use dates to sweeten things. When I explained about how I was going to use dates in a frosting to my friend, she paused and asked, “…doesn’t that make you poop?” Yes. Yes it does.

Anyway, I found a lot of vegan cheesecake recipes but they’re all like…effort. So I chose to try and whip up some raw carrot cake. What could go wrong, right? It’s not like it’s gonna burn or leaven improperly ;)

So here it is, the 100% Raw, Vegan Carrot Cake!

You’ll want to make the frosting first, trust me.

Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed*

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 pitted medjool dates

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons coconut oil

The Procedure

You can try using a Vita Mix but I usually shy from blenders when I’m making something that’s only going to come out as a little more than a cup of paste/liquid. I used a Cuisinart food processor to blend all the ingredients on high until thick and creamy. I also left it on for like 5 minutes so the mixture looked nice and frosting-y.

Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for 1hour.

That's a close-up of the frosting.

You're welcome.

Now make the cake J

Cake ingredients

1 ½ cups shredded carrot

½ cup pecans soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

¾ cups pitted medjool dates

¼ cup raisins (SO optional, I can’t even begin. Raisins are disgusting, period.)

½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes/shreds

2 ¼ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (OR ¾ t of each nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon juice

The Procedure

Set aside carrot shreds. Grind the pecans in the food processor until they resemble crumbs, you don’t want a paste just yet. Add dates (and raisins *gag*). Pulse until a sort of dough forms. Add coconut, spices, vanilla, and lemon juice. Process until all incorporated and resembling coarse dough. Add carrot shreds to nut mixture and process until carrots are incorporated (do not over mix!) Press dough into either a cake pan, loaf pan, 8x8 brownie pan, or ramekins-all must be lined with parchment paper. Place in freezer and let the cake set for 45 min.

After the hour is up, spread frosting on the cake and eat! Be proud of your decadent, raw dessert! You can keep the cake in the fridge if you don’t eat it all in one go.