Cheeseless Cheesecake!

Say cheese! And then remember that while our palates may have a love affair with the stuff, our bodies certainly do not. More and more people are realizing they are lactose intolerant, and if your body is telling you it does not want something (and it gives you signs like pain, diarrhea and excess mucous) then common sense would tell you to stay away from it. Even if you don't experience these symptoms, all scientific evidence points to cheese as an artery-clogging substance.

But I LOVE cheese! I don't want to give it up! Well, the good news is, nobody has to completely abolish the stuff from their diets. Our bodies can handle moderation. Using a substitution like this will translate into less cheese consumption. A double treat!

This recipe is for those cheesecake lovers out there that don't want to be without. Again, this was inspired by Angela Elliot and her raw dessert book. Can soaked nuts really stand up to cheese, delicious cheese? I shared this dessert with my friends, and they all went cuckoo! It is super easy to do, and if you don't have a spring form pan, just make this baby up in whatever pan you have.

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups macadamia nuts
6 pitted dates
1/4 cup dried coconut

The Cheesecake:
3 cups soaked cashews
3/4 cup lemon juice
9 pitted dates, soaked in enough water to cover them
3/4 cup coconut oil
pinch of sea salt

Strawberry sauce topping:
1 pint fresh strawberries
6 pitted dates, soaked and drained
extra strawberries for garnish


Directions:
Get the cashews and dates soaking. You should soak them for at least 1 hour.

Line a 9 inch spring form pan with coconut (or whatever pan you're using)

Process the macadamia nuts and dates in a food processor. Press over dried coconut.

Process cashews, lemon juice, dates (with the soaking water), coconut oil, salt and half cup of water until it is smooth like cheese.

Pour over the crust and shake the pan to settle the ingredients.

Freeze for 2 hours.

At the end of the 2 hours, process your pint of strawberries with the soaked, drained dates until smooth.

Remove cake from freezer and place on a plate, or if you used a cooking pan, you can just leave it in there. Pour strawberry sauce over the cake and decorate with more strawberries.


This will keep in the fridge for about a week. And if you keep it in the freezer, it keeps even longer of course!

*A note about coconut oil: If you don't have this stuff in your cupboard, you are really missing out! It's packed with nutrients and tastes delicious. It gives depth to stir-frys and desserts and is crazy good on popcorn. When you purchase the oil, you will notice it is hard, like vegetable shortening. To use it in this recipe, stick the oil jar into a bowl of hot water to melt it a bit, and pour out the 3/4 cup you need.