Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

​My sweet cousin Laura is coming to visit me this week. Whenever I have a guest, I am inspired to plan a fun menu that includes items I would not normally make for just myself. However, now that I am sharing recipes through my newsletter, I will be pushed to cook creatively and test new recipes and this is a good thing!

I have always loved looking at cooking blogs and dreamed of having one someday. Well, friends, there is no time like the present! If you are not on my newsletter, make sure you subscribe by clicking here so you can stay up to date with new recipes! If anything you can use them as inspiration! 

Anyways, back to the recipe! It is the first full day of summer and it has been a very warm past few days, and down by the ocean, we have had a break in the air and I am enjoying the nice cool breeze in my front yard as I write. So, since Laura is coming tomorrow, I wanted to make a treat that didn't require much cooking, was something different than what she would normally have, and that was summery and sweet. June screams strawberries to me, and raw cheesecake is surprisingly easy if you have a food processor. It keeps great in the freezer and you can make so many different flavor profiles. 

My body enjoys whole grains so I decided to make the crust with oatmeal. A lot of crusts I see and have enjoyed use nuts and I wanted to try something different, so I used oatmeal and coconut. This recipe is also naturally sweetened, vegan, and can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats. It requires a little bit of planning, as you need to soak the cashews and dates overnight (separately). Soaking the cashews creates the creamy texture and soaking the dates softens them enough to process. Be sure to rinse the nuts and discard the water they soaked in, BUT save that sweet date water! You can use it as a sweetener for these recipes and others. The longer you soak the dates, the sweeter the water will get. 

I was also lucky enough to get strawberries in my CSA from Phil's Farm this week! He is at the Kittery and Portsmouth Farmers Markets, and is one of the most dedicated people I know. He grows delicious, organic vegetables on his farm in Eliot, Maine. Check him out!

If you have a summer gathering or cookout to go to, bring this surprisingly easy recipe! People will be impressed and it's delicious and nutritious! 

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

Serves 8

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake with Coconut & Oatmeal Crust


Ingredients 

Crust:
​

1 Cup Oatmeal
1 Cup Flaked Coconut
10 soaked Medjool dates, pitted
1 Tbsp date water
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp Cinnamon


Filling:

2 cups Soaked Raw Cashews
½ cup maple syrup 
2 Tbsp Coconut Butter
1 Tbsp. Chia seeds 
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut oil
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup hulled strawberries 
Optional- 1 Tbsp strawberry Powder


Toppings:

½ cup diced strawberries
2 Tbsp. Shredded coconut

​
Directions: 

1. Place all crust ingredients into a food processor and process into a fine sticky crumble.
2. Transfer the mixture into a pie pan or springform pan you have lined with seran wrap or wax paper. Press down into a crust shape. Place in the fridge while working on the filling.
3. Blend all filling ingredients into a smooth mixture in a high powered blender or food processor scraping down the sides as you blend. Blend until smooth. (depending on your equipment this may take a bit. So just be patient and keep scraping down the sides until smooth
4. Transfer this mixture into the pan over the crust. 
5. Top with thinly diced strawberries 
6. Cover the pan with a kitchen town or plastic wrap and freeze for another 5-6 hours or overnight for the cake to set. 
7. Remove the cake from the freezer and thaw out a little before serving (about 1 hour in the fridge or 15-20 minutes at room temp). Enjoy! (Freeze any leftovers)