3 Easy Vegan Cheesecake Recipes (That Don't Taste Vegan, Promise)

Personally, I have a lot of love for February 14th. While, yes, one would hope we're expressing our love for friends, family, and maybe a special someone all year round, there's something to be said for a day crafted expressly for saying those three little words. Think of it as a bright pink heart-shaped reminder in the middle of an often cold, bleak season to slow down and do something sweet for the ones you care about most.

I come from a long line of people -- men and women alike -- who show their love through cooking. A special meal, a favorite dessert -- the time taken to nourish the ones you love with whole, real ingredients - a simple, quiet and meaningful way to wear your heart on your sleeve. An action that speaks so much louder than any material gift, especially when material gifts are sparse. While I'm quick to write myself off as the most basic of cooks, without totally realizing it, I picked up on this tradition through my love of baking. I love dreaming up which treats I'll give out for holidays and special occasions, and begin planning out my husband's birthday cake (or pie, or tart) months before I've even celebrated my own. If you're looking for a unique way to celebrate love this Sunday, why not take a page from my family tradition and find your way straight to your Valentine's heart with something sweet, beautiful and secretly healthy.

Something like cheesecake.

Have you ever met a dessert quite so indulgent as cheesecake? Dense, deeply flavored, easily customized, it's long been a favorite of mine for special occasions, especially Valentine's Day. I have fond memories of the variety my mother makes, studded with candied ginger and lemon rind, towering at three inches tall. However, traditional cheesecake -- while undeniably delicious (I could go on and on about it, clearly) -- isn't what you'd call "nourishing" in any sense of the word. But after getting my hands on some raw chocolate goodness from Rawmio, I felt inspired to whip up a raw vegan version of my favorite treat -- actually, I love you so much I made three versions. Chock full of antioxidants, thanks to the raw chocolate and berries, and filled with essential vitamins and minerals, thanks to the activated nuts, dates and seeds, the vegan cheesecake recipe below is sure to convey your fondness for the lucky ones you present it to.

Use the base as a jumping off point, then decide which version you'd like to make. Or, split up the batter into three bowls and make all three at once. Because there's no oven involved, it's easy to take this in whichever direction you'd like! Note: this makes one large cheesecake or three to four small ones.

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups raw dates, pits removed

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup walnuts (or any other nut)

3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

For the double chocolate crust: Mix 2 tbsp raw cacao or cocoa powder into the crust before pressing into pan.

For the vanilla base:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 4 hours (this softens the cashews, so they can be pureed and activates the nuts, drawing out their nutrition)

2 packages silken tofu

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup brown rice syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp lemon zest

Tools:

9-inch springform pan OR 3-4 small 4-inch springform pans

Large food processor or high speed blender

Parchment paper

Raspberry Raw Chocolate Cheesecake:

Line the bottom of the pan or pans with parchment paper by tracing the bottom of the pan onto the paper and cutting out the shape.

Place all crust ingredients in the food processor and pulse until crumbed. Press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Rinse out the processor. Place all filling ingredients + 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries in the processor and blend until smooth. Pour the filling over the crust and place in the freezer until completely set, about 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with chopped raw chocolate (I used Rawmio's Simply Hemp Raw Chocolate Bark) and fresh raspberries.

Chocolate Mint Cheesecake:

Line the bottom of the pan or pans with parchment paper by tracing the bottom of the pan onto the paper and cutting out the shape.

Place all crust ingredients + 2 tbsp chopped raw chocolate or raw cacao in the food processor and pulse until crumbed. Press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Rinse out the processor. Place all filling ingredients + 3 tbsp raw cacao and 1 tsp peppermint extract in the processor and blend until smooth. Pour the filling over the crust (to make the swirl, reserve 1/4 cup of plain filling and swirl with a toothpick into the top of the chocolate mixture) and place in the freezer until completely set, about 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with chopped raw chocolate or Rawmio's Mint Chocolate Hearts and fresh mint.

Ginger Blueberry Cheesecake:

Line the bottom of the pan or pans with parchment paper by tracing the bottom of the pan onto the paper and cutting out the shape.

Place all crust ingredients + 1 tsp grated ginger in the food processor and pulse until crumbed. Press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Rinse out the processor. Place all filling ingredients + 1 tbsp chopped fresh or candied ginger in the processor and blend until smooth. Pour the filling over the crust and place in the freezer until completely set, about 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh blueberries.

This post originally ran here as part of my full-time work with Free People

+ All of the Rawmio treats mentioned in this post are on sale for 25% off on www.rawguru.com through 2/14!

Fig, Pistachio & Roasted Strawberry Smoothie

The end of summer is such a bittersweet time of year. The passing of these months feels all too swift — wasn’t May, like, yesterday? — but it can’t be denied that the promise of cooler weather holds a certain kind of excitement. This is the time of year when I truly appreciate living in the Northeast, where we’re treated to fall in all its glory, and one thing I look forward to most from season to season is the new batch of inspiration that will soon fill our local farmers’ market stands. Ripe cherries and strawberries are replaced by figs and, later, pears. Electric green zucchini move over for cold-weather squash of all varieties. These new tastes and flavors jolt our senses back to life, begging to be brought home and tossed into salads, soups and smoothies of all kinds.

While we’ll soon be filling our menus with warming, hearty food to sustain us through the colder months to come, now is the perfect time to experiment with melding the flavors of late summer with early fall. I always look forward to the arrival of the first batch of black figs to the grocery store; looking for a new way to enjoy these little jewels — besides just eating them plain (which I admit might be the best way to enjoy them) or prepared like this — I whipped up the smoothie you see here, tossing them together with a handful of frozen strawberries picked locally earlier in the summer for another recipe. Naturally sweet and full of goodness, this is the perfect morning pick-me-up or, when frozen, a way-better-than-ice-cream ice cream alternative.

Fresh Fig, Pistachio & Roasted Strawberry Smoothie 
Makes one large serving or two small servings 

Ingredients:

3-4 fresh black figs

1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, halved and roasted at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, cooled

1 medium banana, sliced and frozen

1 cup coconut milk, or milk of choice

Toppings:

1 tbsp chopped pistachios

1 tsp hemp seeds

1 tbsp granola (I prefer homemade or Grandy Oats wheat-free)

1 tsp sliced almonds

Sliced fresh figs

Banana spears Honey + anything else your heart desires

First and foremost, that pistachio rim. To make it, dip the rim of your empty glass in honey and place in the freezer upside down on a piece of parchment paper for about 10 minutes. Remove from the parchment and dip the rim into a bowl of crushed pistachios. Place in the freezer until ready to serve. 

To make the smoothie: after roasting and cooling the strawberries (tip: make a big batch ahead of time to have on hand for smoothies and desserts), combine strawberries, fresh figs, frozen banana pieces and coconut milk in a high speed blender or food processor until smooth. Pour into the pistachio-lined glass and top with fresh figs and more crushed pistachios.

Garnish with banana spears, sliced almonds, hemp seeds and granola (look for one with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving). Serve immediately, or pop it into the freezer for 20 minutes and enjoy it as a much healthier version of “ice cream”.

this post originally ran here as part of my full-time work

Gluten Free Sour Cherry & Ginger Scones

The one problem with going on "vacation" to your mom's house? Being wrangled into picking the year's crop of sour cherries at 7am on a Sunday while still in your pajamas. The reward, you know, besides spending quality time with your mom, being the return home with a pound of perfectly red cherries. Tiny, tart, and bright red, sour cherries have a short season at the end of June through beginning of July depending on where you are in the country. They're not as sour as you'd think and lend themselves well to just about everything - sauces, pies, jams, baked goods - but especially sweet things where their tartness has something to play against. The crop this year was impressive and a few days later I made my way home with pot full of them sitting in my passenger's seat and no ideas in my head on how to use them other than straight up eating them, which, you know, I did happily. After some deliberating I landed on scones because I was craving something cake-like but not too sweet... and hence, these gluten-free oat scones were born. Like their brethren the zucchini bread, I recommend eating these warm with plenty of grassfed butter (I like Kerrygold) and an inappropriately large mug of coffee. Because why not.

Gluten Free Sour Cherry & Ginger Scones

1 cup oat flour (use a coffee grinder to make your own from rolled oats)

1 cup oats

1/3 cup coconut sugar

2 + 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground ginger

Generous pinch of sea salt

1/3 cup solid coconut oil or chilled grassfed butter

1 egg

2 tbsp almond milk

1 cup pitted sour cherries (read tips below)

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup almond flour or extra oat flour, for dusting

Tools: Baking sheet, parchment paper, large bowl, small bowl, pastry cutter or fork

Before you do anything, pit the cherries. You can use a cherry pitter, but I've found the fastest, least wasteful, and easiest way is to just squeeze out the pits over a bowl. Place the cherries in the bowl with any juice that may squeeze out and toss the pits in a cup before discarding.

Preheat your oven to 400 F and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the oat flour, oats, coconut sugar, baking powder, ginger, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Use a fork to cut in the solid oil or cold butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

Whisk the egg and almond milk together in a small bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the cherries and the grated ginger.

Dust a cutting board with some almond flour or extra oat flour and turn out the dough. Pat the dough into two large hockey pucks and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.

Remove from the oven and, while still warm, carefully cut into sections with a sharp knife. Cool on a wire rack (or eat immediately, I won't blame you if you do). Enjoy!

Shop my ceramic French press here

Easy Chia Breakfast Bowl

Can we all agree that breakfast is the best meal? After a particularly rough day, sometimes I even fall asleep anticipating what I'll make for myself the following morning. It sets the tone. I've been on a smoothie kick since the start of the year, I love experimenting with them and tweaking my recipes to make them the healthiest I can. But...

...Woman can not exist on smoothies alone, and there are days when I crave something different. I almost always have a simple chia pudding in the fridge, usually just to add a scoop to my smoothies, but on a recent weekend morning I found myself craving something akin to oatmeal... but not oatmeal... and so this chia breakfast bowl was born:

Easy Chia Breakfast Bowl

for the chia pudding:

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

shake or two of cinnamon, ginger, & tumeric

for the breakfast bowl:

Large scoop chia pudding

Splash of unsweetened almond milk

1 scoop hemp protein powder

1 ripe banana, cut in half

Toppings: berries, toasted coconut, mango, sunflower seeds, etc.

You can make the chia pudding a few days in advance, but be sure to prepare it at least the night before. Add all ingredients for the pudding to a mason jar, close the lid tightly, and shake. Place in the fridge overnight.

In the morning the pudding should be very thick. Add a large scoop of the chia pudding to your blender with a splash of unsweetened almond milk, a scoop of protein powder, and half the banana. Blend until smooth and creamy, it should be the consistency of Greek yogurt. Top with the other half of the banana, nuts, seeds, and whatever else you have in the pantry. Enjoy!