Raw Vegan "Cheese"cakes

I've been posting (and eating) a lot of sugary desserts lately, so I figure it's time to take a break from those and make a dessert that's actually good for you. The desserts I usually post are healthier than traditional ones, as they have substitutions like coconut oil for butter, and apple purée for eggs, but they're still not exactly health food. These "cheese"cakes actually can be considered healthy and nutritious, and they're delicious! It's a win win!

I've made them in mango and strawberry flavors, but I bet most fruits would be delicious. Blueberry is next on my list. I made these in muffin tins lined with unbleached baking cups (I always walk out of Wild By Nature with something new), but I bet this recipe would work in a traditional cheesecake springform pan. I'll try it for Andrew's birthday next week and fill you in. He was a big fan of the strawberry ones!

I prepared the crust exactly as directed in the original recipe. I've tried other raw vegan crusts, but this one is by far the best. I even got over my intense dislike of stevia for use in the filling and found a brand that doesn't make me gag!

Non-nausea inducing Stevia

The original recipe called for coconut oil and cocoa butter.
I don't have the latter, so I improvised and used coconut butter.

Tasty medjool dates from Blue Mountain Organics.
I went a little nuts recently in their online store.

It's best to freeze these, then let them sit on the counter for a couple minutes before serving.

Raw Vegan "Cheese"cakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Crust:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1/4 cup packed medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tsp. water
• Pinch of salt

1. Grind the almonds in a blender or food processor. Be careful not to over grind them, stop when you reach a crumb consistency.
2. Roughly chop the dates and grind them in with the almonds until they have turned to crumbs also.
3. Add the water and salt and grind again until a dough forms.
4. Press this dough into the bottom of lined muffin tins.

Almond crumbs

The crust in the muffin tins

Filling:

• 2 cups chopped fruit, such as mangos, strawberries or blueberries
• 1 cup cashews
• 3 Tbsp. agave
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 4 drops of liquid stevia
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped (vanilla extract could work, too)
• 4 Tbsp. coconut butter, melted

1. Blend all the ingredients in a blended or food processor until everything is thoroughly mixed.
2. Pour over the crust, and freeze for a few hours until firm.

Mac and CheeZe

Following my tendency to think on the bright side, I normally look at Logan's allergies to egg and milk products as a blessing. They force us all to eat healthier, and they keep people from feeding him junk. I don't understand the compulsion people feel to feed babies like they're garbage disposals, but his allergies keep those people at bay. That said, home baked macaroni and cheese is still one of my favorite meals. It's quick, easy and oh so satisfying. If it wasn't for Logan's allergies, I'm afraid I would make guilty pleasure meals like that all too often, especially lately since the challenges of being a working mother are making themselves known! I do periodically get the crave for mac and cheese, but making that now means having to make a separate meal for Logan too. Kinda defeats the purpose of a quick and easy dinner.

In a stroke of luck, I came across a recipe promising a cheesy sauce, but without the cheese. Well the recipe wasn't perfect, but I was able to doctor it into a dish that Andrew likes even better than my original recipe that's full of dairy. I have to admit, it's pretty darn good considering it doesn't have cheese. And everyone knows how much I love cheese. It's pretty simple, too. Roasting the butternut squash (yes, the "cheeze" sauce contains butternut) is the only time consuming part, but the extra time spent on this dish is worth the healthier and more nutritious alternatives.

Kale chips

I usually top mac and cheese with breadcrumbs and Italian spices. I checked the label on the breadcrumbs I had in the cabinet and yup, whey. I'm glad I checked. I made kale chips and sprinkled a few crushed ones over the top instead. It was just as good! I rekindled my love of kale recently after having kale chips for the first time at a chickapalooza festival. They're a breeze to make. Just tear the washed leaves into bite sized pieces, toss on a baking sheet with a tablespoon of oil, some garlic and onion powder, and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Mac and Cheeze

Serves about 6

• 1/2 of a butternut squash, peeled and cubed.
• 1 Tbsp. of oil
• 1 lb. of whole wheat pasta
• 3/4 cup of cashews
• 1 3/4 cups of almond milk
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp. of ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp. tumeric
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• Ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Toss the butternut and oil on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 40 minutes, or until soft.
3. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
4. Make the cheeze sauce by combining the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend until combined.
5. When the butternut is done roasting, add it to the blender and mix with the rest of the cheeze sauce.
6. Combine the pasta and the cheeze sauce in a casserole dish, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until warmed.
7. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti Squash with Spinach "Cream" Sauce

I can't believe how beautiful it is today! It's hard to believe it's the first day of February when it feels more like April. I took Logan to the park so he can run wild while I update my blog. It's hard to focus when he's being this cute though!

My little tree hugger

I've been digging through raw food blogs for some recipe inspiration, and came across something called nut cheese. Basically it's a mixture of nuts and other ingredients to make a food with a cheesy texture. A lot of these recipes contain raw cashews, which I was having trouble finding- until yesterday. I went to the grocery store promising to only buy fresh produce since Andrew and I are still on our 2 week grocery strike of non produce items. The cashews were right there in the produce section. I couldn't help myself.

Last night was my first experience with nut cheese. I made spaghetti squash with a creamy spinach sauce. The cashews gave the sauce it's creamy texture. The original recipe, which I got from The Sunny Raw Kitchen, was a little bland for my taste. This could have been because I used frozen spinach instead of fresh. Next time I'll definitely use fresh, but I wanted to use up what I already had, and that was frozen. To make up for the blandness I added some onion and doubled the amount of spices. It came out pretty good, and tastes great with the spaghetti squash. I'd say my first nut cheese experience was a success!

To make this dish, start by roasting the squash. Cut in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Place cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 400º for about an hour, or until easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and flip the squash over. Scrape a fork along the inside to create "spaghetti". This is a very versatile squash. It can be eaten hot or cold, and you can top it with just about anything you would put on top of regular spaghetti, it's even good with brown sugar if you're looking for a sweet fix.

Creamy Spinach Sauce

• 1/2 cup of cashews
• 1/4 cup of water
• 4 cups of spinach
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. of safflower oil (or whatever type of oil you have on hand)
• 2 Tbsp. of finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. of thyme

    1. Blend the cashews and water until a cream forms. It should look like this:

     2. Add the rest of the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

I also made a whole wheat loaf to go with the meal. To make this, just follow the recipe for whole wheat burger buns through step 5. Once the dough has doubled, punch down and knead for a couple more minutes. Form the dough into a loaf shape. Cover with a dish towel and let rise until doubled again, about 30 minutes. If you're having trouble making the dough rise, place it on the stove towards the back and preheat your oven. Dough needs warm temperatures to rise. Brush the top of the loaf with a mixture of 1/2 Tbsp of water and 1/2 Tbsp of almond milk. Top with sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 20 minutes in a 400º oven.

We ate this bread dipped in a peach balsamic vinegar that I bought from a vendor at the organic Garden of Eve's Garlic Festival. If you're in the Long Island area in September I highly recommend checking out this festival. Last year I bought the most delicious sicilian garlic and made a vegan roasted garlic soup. It's on my to-do list to make again soon, so stay tuned for that post!