Chocolate and Cheesecake Strawberry Parfait

We received strawberries in our CSA share this week!!

So.... I had to make one of my favorite healthy desserts.

Chocolate...Cheesecake....and Strawberries.....Delicious!!!

Chocolate and  Cheesecake  Strawberry Parfait

Chocolate Mousse

In the food processor:

8 soft dates ~pit removed**

1/2 - 3/4 c. water*

1-2 t. vanilla

2 avocado's  ~peel and remove pit

 1/2 c. raw cacao (cocoa or carob)

dash of salt

*you may need more water to help process

**depending on the size of the dates you may desire more sweetness.  I usually add a few drops of liquid stevia to achieve desired sweetness.

 I usually blend my dates and liquids first until smooth and then add the other ingredients

drizzle water into food processor as you blend  

Blend until smooth & creamy 

place in fridge to set

Cheesecake 

1 c. soaked cashews

1-2 T. extra virgin coconut oil

2-4 T. lemon juice

1 t. vanilla

dash of salt 

begin with 1/3- 1/2 c. of water to blend to creamy consistency

you may need to add more water, but be careful not to add too much...but if you do..you can use the recipe as a sauce for berries!

this cream will be slightly running 

place in the fridge to set

*I blend the cheesecake in the food processor first and then transfer to the Vita Mix to bring it to a super smooth consistency

After both of the puddings are set..layer in pretty glass dish and top with strawberries.

You can make one or both of the recipes above for individual desserts or dips for fruit.

Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Milk, Dulse, Cheesecake, Bell Pepper Juice, etc...another nutty day in the kitchen..

Chocolate Milk~Raw

2 c. fresh raw almond milk

4 dates pitted

2 T. raw cacao powder

1 t. vanilla

4-6 ice cubes

Blend until smooth an a bit frothy

makes 2 servings

My daughter was craving some chocolate milk and this really hit the spot! 

DULSE

It is not often you make acquaintance with people who like seaweed.  This past week I talked with someone else who appreciates this yummy stuff and since I was getting some out to share I thought I'd just take a picture of my stash.  It has been store in a box secured tightly in plastic so it has settled.  It pull apart in strips that can be eating as is...thanks to another friend who turned me on to eating it this way....or you can soak it in filtered water and put it in salads or add it to soups.  I prefer it raw and chewy!  It satisfies my taste for salt and it is better than potato chips.

I also use Dulse granules to sprinkle on some of my foods when I don't want to chew it.

If you want to know a bit more about dulse and other seaweeds check out this article.

Dulse is a natural source of iodine, essential for thyroid gland health and thyroid hormone secretion.

It is extememly high in B 6 and B 12, iron, potassium, fluoide. It is low in sodium, unlike other seaweeds.

It contains C, E, A, calcium, magnesium, dietary fiber and protein.

Eggplant Bacon

follow the link above for the recipe

Today I was busy in my kitchen.  I was trying to hurry along...so I made my eggplant a little thicker this time...I really like to slice it thin so it is more crunchy...I'm going to leave it in the dehydrator overnight to see if it will dry to a more crunchy texture.  It is still good!

P.S. `next day~perfect bacon...I won't be cutting it thin anymore...it was hearty and crunchy... :)

Raw Cheesecake

Crust

1 c. of soaked and dehyrated raw almonds

4-6 dates

blend in food processor until it sticks together and press in springform pan

Filling

1 1/2 c. raw cashews~soaked for a couple hours and drained

1/3 c. lemon juice

1/3 c. extra virgin coconut oil~melted  (set in dehyrator if needed)

1/3 c. raw honey or raw agave

1 t.  vanilla extract

2 twist o Himalyan Salt

Place all ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth and creamy..you may need to scrape the sides down

after assembly~cover an place in freezer until ready to eat. Then sit out for a couple mins before slicing.

I made this for tomorrow, when I will make some chocolate sauce to drizzle over top each slice.

Chocolate Sauce

raw cacao powder

raw honey or agave

vanilla

water to thin

I'll try to take a photo tomorrow if I can before the eaters come.....

Taco Meat

4 c. soaked raw walnuts, drain water

3-4 T. Bragg's Liquid Amino's

2 T. cumin powder

2 T. coriander powder

1 heaping T. dried cilantro

process in food processor for a few seconds until it looks like hamburger meat.  remove and add :

1 c. frozen corn or you can use raw corn

this is quite a bit of taco meat.  It will last our family for a few days of raw taco's

Raw Taco's

use romaine lettuce leaf as the shell top with taco meat, chopped tomato, diced red onion, mock sour cream or tofutti sour cream

I will also use it as a topping for

Taco Salad's

shredded romaine

taco meat

diced tomato

red onion diced

diced jalapeno

squeeze of lime

mock sour cream~optional

I also made 3/4 gallon of Bell Pepper Juice Blend  today~

2 bunches of celery

5 small on the vine tomatoes

the big bowl of bell peppers picture the other day in a previous post

1 bunch of carrots

juiced these items and then added:

pinch of cayenne peper

shake of allspice

4 oz of lemon juice

2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

I made some ~

Almond Cheese Stuffed Bell Peppers

2 C. almond pulp~leftover from making almond milk

2 heaping T. of dried onion

1 T. dried dill

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

couple twist of Himalyan salt

1 small red bell pepper diced very small

Mix and place in a glass jar in the fridge.

we stuffed bell pepper halves with the almond cheese for lunch and had some cherry tomatoes on the side.

you can also eat this with raw crackers or Mary's Gone Crackers

Raw Cheesecake..and victory for my Husband! 31 lbs. weight loss!

Today was my husband's weigh in at work. He weighed in at 199 lbs. for a total loss of 31 lbs. He achieved this by eating a High Raw Vegan Diet.(with just a couple of incidents of seafood and chicken at our daughter's wwedding reception) I have chonicled some of his eating choices in earlier post. He began his journey back in mid-January. He feels so much better and is committed to this way of eating. He may not stay 100% Vegan...but pretty close.
So for this victory of staying with it I wanted to surprise him with a raw version of one of his favorite desserts.

So here is where I landed~

Just Like Cheesecake
By Emily Lee Angell ("The Complete Book of Raw Food")

Makes: 24 slivers

For the Crust:
2 cups raw macadamia nuts
1/2 cup dates, pitted (medjools)
1/4 cup dried coconut

For the Cheese:
3 cups chopped cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt (optional)

For the Raspberry Sauce:
1 bag frozen raspberries (or use whatever berries you prefer)
1/2 cup dates

To make the crust, process the macadamia nuts and dates in the food processor. Sprinkle dried coconut onto the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan. Press crust onto the coconut. This will prevent it from sticking.

To make the cheese, blend the cashews, lemon, honey, gently warmed coconut oil (do not use microwave), vanilla, sea salt (if using), and 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth and adjust to taste.

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

Place in the freezer until firm. Remove the whole cake from the pan while frozen and place on a serving platter. Defrost in the refrigerator.

Serve with Raspberry Sauce.

This book is worth the price!! So many wonderful recipes! over 400 recipes and 486 pages. This is one of my favorite recipe books.

Check out Sunny's Raw Kitchen for pictures and tips on preparing this treat! This recipe is from Sunny's site.

I modified mine a bit..
I used raw almonds in the crust
and a little less coconut..just because I didn't have it available.

I used the leftover cheesecake filling to make
Cheesecake Pudding for my children and me. I also made one extra so I can enjoy it with my husband as he celebrates his weight loss and his committment to his new lifestyle of eating a High Raw Diet

I placed the filling in Sundae dishes and topped it with Cacao sauce~
cacao, agave, maple syrup, vanilla & water to thin

Today~
a.m. smoothie~raw cacao almond milk, banana, chia, cacao nibs, organic decaf coffee

pineapple and kiwi

Blended salad~romaine, celery, tomato, tahini, Bragg's liquid Aminos, Lemon, shredded dulse

after my 40 workout with Tony Horton I drank a 16oz glass of

master cleanse lemonade~instant stuff I had on hand

Cheesecake Pudding~above