Raw Double-Chocolate Summer Cheesecake

This cheesecake was made to celebrate my first vegan anniversary. Surprisingly, I had to make (and eat) it on my own since there are no vegans around. Kind of sad. But anyhooo...

Why "double-chocolate"..? Because of the crust and the icing. 

Why "summer"? Because of the epic tutti-frutti flavor.

                  

The principle is absolutely the same as with my raw blueberry cheesecake so I won't go into much detail. Nevertheless, I swapped the ingredients for the crust a bit. 

I added raw cococa beans and used only hazelnuts because they go very well with the chocolate flavor. Blended with dates properly.

         

Since I don't have a smallish cake pan, I used a little pot and greased it with raw coconut oil to make it easier to pop the cake out afterwards. Worked pretty good :)

          

Now this is the fruit I used for the "cheesecake" layers. Blueberries for the bottom layer, then currants, pineapple and kiwi (wasn't too green which is a pity). The banana was added into each layer according to the recipe. 

Not too perfect food combining but trust me, it is delicious, and if you don't have any problems with your digestion, mix whatever fruit you want to. I presume you won't eat the whole thing at once anyway. (Although you could.) :)

          

The chocolate icing was made of raw coconut oil and cocoa powder. Mixed really well and poured over the top. (You have to work really fast with this because it gets stiff almost immediately.)

          

Freeze overnight, garnish with some leftover fruit, let it sit for a while to get softer and then ... enjoy! :)

          

Raw Almond Truffles

These truffles are so easy to make that I do not dare to call this a recipe. But for those of you who are wondering how I made these, here you go. :)

                

Here are the ingredients that you're gonna need:

• almonds (whole + chips for garnish) / or you can use raw almond butter from the grocery store
• hazelnuts
• raw cacao beans / or you can use raw cocoa powder
• raw coconut oil
• some sweetener (stevia, agave nectar..)

Procedure:

1. Make your own almond butter from scratch- put the almonds into a food processor and blend (the amount depends on your type of the processor, don't blend too many almonds at a time, otherwise you could damage it). It takes some time, approximately 15-20 minutes, so really be patient with this. After some time, the almonds will let the oil and it'll all become creamy and yummy. :) 
2. You can add the sweetener if you wish.
3. Take a spoonful of the almond butter, place a hazelnut in the middle and roll it in your hands to create a nice ball.

1. Make your own chocolate from scratch- blend the cocoa beans as much as possible and mix them with a little bit of coconut oil until it becomes fairly thick. 
2. Then garnish with your chocolate and almond chips.
3. Refrigerate for a couple of hours...

...and enjoy!

          

                        

Raw Physalis Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a perfect guilt-free summer treat. They are refreshing and not too sweet. Physalis, also known as golden berry or cape gooseberry, has an exotic taste to it and it's really delicious. It's often used just as a decoration but it's actually really healthy, it's packed with vitamins (e.g. A, C, B) and other nutrients. Moreover, the goji berries used in crust are an amazing source of vitamin C as well, of iron, calcium and some important antioxidants. :)

                 

The recipe is very similar to the Raw Blueberry Cheesecake recipe that you can find below. 

Nevertheless, I like this version more since you can have the cupcakes in the freezer for months and whenever you crave something sweet, you can easily grab one of these. :)

Here are the ingredients that you'll need (for 6 servings):

Crust:

• 1 cup of dried dates (soaked for at least 3 hours)
• 1/2 cup of dried goji berries (soaked as well with the dates)
• 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds or any seeds of your choice
• 1/4 cup of shredded coconut
• a dash of cinnamon

Frosting:

• 1 cup of physalis berries
• 1 cup of cashews (soaked for at least 5 hours or ideally overnight)
• 1 ripe banana (frozen)
• 1 tbsp of coconut oil

Procedure:

1. Drain the dates and berries and put all the ingredients for the crust into a food processor. Pulse until gooey but crunchy.
2. Take your cupcake forms (the silicon ones are the best since it is easy to pop the cupcakes out) and create the bottom layer. Make sure it's even and there are no air bubbles.
3. Place the forms into a freezer.
4. Drain the cashews and put the rest of your ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until as smooth as possible. (At this point, I took a bit of the frosting, mixed it with cinnamon and put it into a fridge (not freezer), just for decoration. This step is optional.
5. Create the second layer of your cupcakes. 
6. Freeze them for at least 6 hours or overnight. 
7. Wait for it. :)

         

When completely frozen, you can pop the cupcakes out and let them sit on your counter for about half an hour to get soft.

                 

You can decorate them with the remaining frosting and more berriiies. :)

           

Enjoy!  

                  

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake

Now... This is the best cheesecake I have ever had, hands down. Look at that crunchy crust, smooth filling and gorgeous topping. Just look at it. 

            

It's a dairy-free, gluten-free and cruelty-free raw goodness. You can enjoy a giant piece without feeling guilty or heavy. Trust me, you will feel just the opposite! :)

Here are the ingredients for 3 servings:

Crust:

• 1 and 1/2 cup of dates (if they're dried, soak them for a couple of hours)
• 1/2 cup of hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup of seeds - e.g. sunflower or pumpkin seeds

Filling:

• 1 cup of cashews (soak them for a couple of hours or ideally overnight)
• 1/4 of raw coconut oil
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup of blueberries

Bear in mind that in raw "cooking" you don't have to measure everything properly, the amounts are orientational. If it is dry, add some water; if it is too runny, add some more coconut or flaxseed. Juts have fun with it. :)

Procedure:

1. Start off with the crust. Drain the dates and put them into a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until sticky but crunchy. That's it.
2. Take the "dough" and place it into a cake pan or some shallow container (I used just a small square tuppleware) to create your crust. Make sure it's nice and even.
3. Put it into freezer.
4. In the meantime, prepare the filling. Again, drain the cashews and put them into your food processor along with the rest of the ingredients, except from the blueberries. Blend until completely smooth.
5. Take one half of the filling and put it onto your crust, then freeze it.
6. Mix the blueberries and the other half of the filling, blend.
7. Create your second layer and freeze it overnight.
8. After taking the cake out of the freezer, let it sit for a half an hour on your counter. Then cut it with a warm knife.

                    

You can eat it just like that, or top it with something. I added a layer of almonds, fresh blueberries, raw cacao beans and lemon balm leaves to garnish it a little bit more....

                    

...enjoy!

                    

Polenta Pizza

Let's be honest, who doesn't love pizza? I do. And I love it even more when it doesn't make me fat :) This recipe is so simple and quick that everyone can make his own healthy and satisfying pizza at home. 

                  

Here are the ingredients that you're gonna need:

 Base:

• 100g of instant polenta

Sauce:

• 2 tomatoes
• 1/3 of onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• fresh basil
• cayenne pepper (optional)

Topping:

• arugula
• cherry tomatoes
• peppers
• fresh basil

Procedure:

1. Cook the polenta according to the instructions on the packaging (basically you throw it into boiling water, it is ready in 3 minutes).
2. Let it cool down on the stove.
3. Prepare your sauce: put all the ingredients into a blender and blend them. The texture should not be completely smooth.
4. Wash and chop the veggies for your topping.
5. Take the polenta and place it into a cake pan. Create an even base, approx. 1 cm thick. Don't forget to make the border a little bit thicker. Bake at 180C until solid and a tiny bit brown.
6. Spread the sauce on the base and top it with your arugula and chopped veggies.

Enjoy!