Nut Free Raw Vegan Cheesecake

Raw vegan cheesecakes have been an absolute staple in my quest for healthy eating for almost a decade. I remember the first time I tried a raw vegan cheesecake, I was absolutely shook. It always blows peoples' minds that something so delicious could be Vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free, AND leave you with a satiated sweets craving and no belly ache.

I attended a communication workshop this past weekend and made a cheesecake specifically with the intention for it to be medicinal for the throat chakra (energy center) as well as for the throat/ voice. I added blue spirulina to make it blue (the color that represents the throat energy center responsible for communicating and expressing truth.) I also added some herbs that are used in herbal medicine to soothe and nourish the throat such as ginger, licorice root, and marshmallow root. These are all optional add ins as there are infinite ways to flavor any cheesecake.

Normally, raw vegan cheesecases are made from nuts, which was a real issue when I found out someone had a nut allergy. This was my first attempt at making this dessert nut free and I was pleasantly suprised that it was just as delicious as the nut version!

Recipe

Idgredients:

For the crust:

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

10 medjool dates

pinch of salt

1 tsp grated ginger (optional)

Filling:

3 cups raw sunflower seeds (soaked in hot water for 1-2 hours)

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup coconut cream (canned)

1 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs each licorice root extract powder and marshmallow root powder (optional)

2 tsp blue spirulina for color (optional)

1 cup fresh blueberries (optional)

Directions:

1. In a high speed blender combine shredded coconut, oats, salt, and ginger. Run on low until thuroughly combined and broken down. Add pitted medjool dates one at a time on low/ medium, until mixture forms a sticky dough.

2. Press crust mixture into a pan and place in freezer. (I used an 8 inch springform pan, but any pan will do)

3. To make the filling combine all filling ingredients minus the blue berries in a high speed blender and blend on high for several minutes until smooth.

4. Add half the batter to the pan, add 2/3 the blueberries on top, and then add the rest of the batter.

5. Place cake in the freezer for 3-4 hours or chill overnight. I usually make these cakes the night before so they have had plenty of time to set up. If you place it in the freezer to set up, make sure you allow some thawing time if needed before serving.

6. Top the cake off with remaining blueberries or any other fruit/herbs/flowers you want to make it pretty! Enjoy!