raw strawberry cheesecake

Spent some time with my family this weekend on Whidbey Island...what a beautiful place, even if it did rain most of the weekend. The Pacific Northwest has got to be one of the coolest most beautiful places on earth (you can tell I'm not bias or anything:)

I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out a new raw dessert recipe and see their reactions. I made raw strawberry pie but we all agreed it seemed more like a cheesecake. It was super yummy! Everyone loved it, or at least they said they did and did not want to hurt my feelings:) I usually gauge the success of a recipe from the reaction of the nutbars...my two year old wanted, "...more, big piece. more, big piece..." So pretty much it was a hit.

I absolutely loved it and will make it again and again for sure. It may just become my go-to dessert recipe when entertaining guests.

I changed a few things from the original recipe on gone raw...so here is my adaptation of...

...raw strawberry cheesecake...

Crust:

2 C almonds

1 T coconut oil

1/4 t vanilla

4-5 dates, pitted

1/2 t cinnamon (optional)

pinch of salt

Process nuts in food processor until very fine. Add coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and pulse to mix. Add dates in and process one at a time, until the the mixture holds together when pressed with fingers. I think I used about 6 dates. Press into a coconut oiled pie dish and freeze about 30 minutes before filling.

Cheesecake filling:

2 C cashews soaked 1-2 hours (I have read cashews aren't really considered raw but still works for me:)

1/4 C lemon juice

1/4 -1/2 honey or other sweetener

3/4 C fresh strawberries

3/4 C coconut oil, melted

1/4 C water

1 t vanilla

1/4 t salt

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. I have a regular blender and I blended everything for a good 2-3 minutes just to make sure the nuts were well mixed in...wouldn't want the texture to be gritty. Pour just a little filling on to frozen crust...just enough to cover the bottom. Add a layer of sliced strawberries on top of filling. Then add the rest of the filling on top of those strawberries.

Keep in freezer or refrigerator until ready to serve. Add sliced strawberries on top before serving. I also made chocolate mousse and added a dollop on top of each slice.

As my nutbar and I would say, "...uh huh, it's delicious...uh huh, it's nutritious..."