Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

I have been curious, I have dabbled,  but raw foods still seem a bit intimidating to me. I have stuck my toe in the water little by little. The next logical step felt like a raw cheesecake. To me it is like the training wheels of raw food creation.

Photo By: S. Duquet

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake w/Summer Melon

Original recipe by: E. Lee Angell from “The Complete Book of Raw Food”
and modified by: S. Duquet

Crust Ingredients:
3 C raw pecans

8 pitted Medjool dates (the big fat juicy ones)

1/4 C dried unsweetened small flake coconut

Filling ingredients:

3 C  raw cashews soaked for several hours or overnight

3/4 C fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 C Brown rice syrup

3/4 C coconut oil

1 vanilla bean cut in half with insides scraped out

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

1/2 C water

Melon Topping

2 C Honeydew cut into triangles

2 C Cantaloupe cut into triangles

Make It Happen

~To make the crust, process the pecans and dates in the food processor.

~Sprinkle dried coconut onto the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Press crust onto the coconut. This will prevent it from sticking. Press crust up the sides of the pan to form a nice even shape.

~For the filling blend the cashews, lemon, brown rice syrup, liquid coconut oil, vanilla and salt  until very smooth, adding small amounts of the water as necessary. The ingredients create a tart and lemony filling. If you would prefer a sweeter filling add additional brown rice syrup or agave now.

~Pour the mixture into the crust. Remove air bubbles by tapping the pan on a table.

~Place in the freezer until firm. When ready to serve you will want to defrost entire cake or a piece at a time in the fridge until soft and creamy. *Note about serving and freezing. The first piece I had and photographed was during its first trip to the freezer. It was not fully frozen, therefore it was creamy, soft and luscious.  I served the second piece the next day and the cheesecake was frozen solid and needed to defrost for quite a while. So just a tip to keep in mind with respect to when you would like to serve.

Photo By: S. Duquet

Top with juicy, sweet melon and just shake your head in amazement at how delicious your raw cheesecake is.

If you can make cheesecake that tastes like this without dairy products or an oven….why would you do it any other way?
Honestly, we were befuddled by the flavor, texture and deliciousness of this dessert. The musky melon is like a sexy red dress for this creamy and wholesome, raw food delicacy. The filling is lemony and bright while the crust could be consumed like a candy bar.

If this is any indication of the edible ecstasy raw foodists are experiencing…count me in.

Have a delicious day.

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