Vanilla and strawberry swirl cheesecake with a chocolate brownie base

It was my sister’s 18th birthday yesterday and I wanted to make something special. She’s recently just gone vegetarian and has become really interested in the ideas surrounding a primarily plant based diet – I saw this this recipe on Pinterest and it looked perfect! It was really easy to make, tastes incredible and looks oh so pretty. Completely vegan, raw, gluten free, dairy free, grain free, egg free and wonderfully plant-based.

This recipe is from Hannah at Health Yeah – the only thing I did was switch the blackberries for strawberries. Go check her site out if you haven’t already, it’s quickly becoming one of my new favourites. Unfortunately it’s not low FODMAP – but I’ve got a FODMAP friendly version that I’m working on in the pipe-line!

Make sure you’ve got the following:

Base

1 1/2 cups raw almonds
Pinch sea salt
1/2 cup pitted medjool dates. If using dried dates, soak them in hot water for ten minutes to soften. Drain.
3 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder
1/4 cup desiccated coconut

Coconut filling
3 cups cashews, soaked
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut cream
1 tbsp melted cacao butter (optional, helps it set nice and firm)
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup to be truly vegan)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out, or 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
Extra water, if necessary, to achieve a thick but pourable consistency (about 1/2 cup)

Strawberry filling
2 cups strawberries
2 cups of the coconut filling

a 7 or 9 inch spring form pan (7 inch gives you a taller cake – i.e looks prettier!)

Method:

Prep: Soak the cashews in water overnight or for three or more hours. Drain them of water and set aside. Soak your dates in hot water for ten minutes if dried.

Base: Place the cacao, desiccated coconut, almonds and sea salt in a food processor and grind roughly. Add the dates and process until the mixture is uniform and sticks together when you squeeze a bit in the palm your hand. Press mixture firmly and evenly onto the bottom of your springform pan (I always line mine with clingfilm first to make your raw desserts waaay easier to get out). Refrigerate base while you make the filling.

Filling: Using a powerful blender or a food processor, blend all filling ingredients except for the strawberries, until silky smooth. Give it a scrape/stir like a pro as needed, to ensure it’s all mixed in. If the mixture is super thick, take care of your blender by adding a some water to make it easier blend and pour. Go easy – I was too impatient waiting for the cashews to blend fully so probably put a bit too much in. 1/2 cup should do it.

Pour half the vanilla/coconut filling into a bowl. Set aside. Blend the strawberries into the remaining mixture until it is well blended, and rich pink colour.

Next: take your base out of the fridge. Now it’s the fun part! Do it like this:

One heaped dessert spoon of coconut. One heaped dessert spoon of strawberry.
One heaped dessert spoon of coconut. One heaped dessert spoon of strawberry.
One heaped dessert spoon of coconut. One heaped dessert spoon of strawberry.
One heaped dessert spoon of coconut. One heaped dessert spoon of strawberry.
One heaped dessert spoon of coconut. One heaped dessert spoon of strawberry.
One heaped dessert spoon of coconut. One heaped dessert spoon of strawberry.
One heaped dessert spoon of coconut. One heaped dessert spoon of strawberry.

(Hannah very cleverly took pictures of this method – look here!)

Do until all of the filling is used up and the swirls come to life. Finally cover and place in the freezer for at least six hours (or overnight). Then decorate and serve! It will keep for around 3-5 days in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer.

Super Green Smoothie Bowl and a dusty student radiator

I never really understood smoothie bowls bar the fact that they looked very pretty. Why bother with a bowl I always thought – you can drink a smoothie waay quicker  in a glass.

But then I made one. And they’re actually amazing.

I often gulp down a smoothie in about two minutes – and sometimes it just doesn’t satisfy. This is thicker, even more nutrient dense depending on what you put in – aaaand you can fit more toppings on! Always a fan of that, plus I love that you’re having a  big bowl of raw for breakfast. So much better for you than sugar filled cereal.

I really upped the greens in this one because I needed a bit of a detox after a hectic week, so swap in some more fruit if you’d like it sweeter – frozen berries would be great or some pineapple. A huge fan of wheatgrass I added a tsp of that too. A natural food source of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and the green plant pigment chlorophyll it’s a great way to add healthy nutrients and fiber to your diet, plus it tastes good and is sweet, so is a good superfood to start with I found – Chalk Board Mag has a great Superfood Spotlight section which is good to get an overview of superfoods if you fancy getting your knowledge on!

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Ingredients:

– 2 frozen bananas

– a big handful of spinach

– a big handful of kale

– tsp wheatgrass powder (can omit)

– tsp almond butter

– coconut water

– toppings of flaxseed, gluten free oats, frozen blueberries and goji berries

To make:

Simply blend all of the ingredients in a blender until thick and creamy before adding toppings! Coconut water is a great liquid to add more of if you want a thinner consistency, and ice is great to thicken – an ice cream esque texture is what you’re aiming for. Enjoy with granola, oats, fruit, superfoods or whatever the hell ya fancy.

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Kath at Kath Eats Real Food has an insane collection of smoothie bowl recipes you should go check out – or I love to use Pinterest for getting inspiration. I’ve just set up my own profile and the organiser inside of me might just be in love with the platform. Check back in a few weeks for pins of great plant-based, vegan recipes, eating clean tips and tonnes of inspiration!

Banana Zucchini Bread

A big fan of The Saffron Girl, her Banana Zucchini Bread recipe caught my eye a few weeks ago.

Having just got back from a successful Body Balance class which saw me fall over slightly less than normal, I was feeling like a real yogi and couldn’t face doing any university coursework just yet. I had a peruse in my cupboard for some lunch and faced with a shiny new bag of coconut flour, this recipe sprang to mind. Debra’s readers have had mixed success with the outcome due to it not setting so I fancied giving it a go. No one likes boring baking right…?

With a stash of ripe bananas and a fresh zucchini to hand I got to work. Egg free, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, grain free and paleo, this bread is suitable for so many diets and was so simple to make. Plus its really healthy which is always a bonus. The bananas added the sweetness while the zucchini and coconut flour gave it an amazing texture – almost soft cake like (which was delicious) and it actually turned out well; at least perfect for post yoga treat. Give it a go and see what you think!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup mashed, ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional – I added cinnamon instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup coconut flour

To make:

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
2. In a large bowl, mix the bananas, coconut oil, orange zest, vanilla extract, and cardamom. With a hand beater, beat until smooth and fluffy.
3. Add the sea salt and baking soda and incorporate well.
4. Add the coconut flour and mix well.
5. Fold in the zucchini.
6. Pour into a loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.
7. Allow to cool before removing from loaf pan, and to cool completely before slicing.

Next time I think I’ll try adding raisins or walnuts just to add even more flavour like these suggestions from Isa, or chia seeds for an extra kick of superfood goodness. Ps. adding chocolate looks amazing too – get your inspiration from these here and these here mmmm.

Raspberry Oat Splat Cookies

Sometimes there’s just nothing better than a cookie.

But when you’ve spent two hours at the gym one morning doing the latest ‘body balance’ fat burning routine with some questionable moves and a very sweaty mustached instructor that resembles an aged Hulk Hogan, you don’t want a double chocolate chip triple butter cookie. Well you do but – you want a healthy cookie, that won’t make everything you had to go through that morning completely redundant…

These require one bowl and about 20 minutes. Refined sugar, gluten and dairy free. Completely vegan. Full of whole, clean ingredients and sustainable energy. Bring on the cookies.

I make these on a regular basis. When I’ve got that craving, or when I want something portable for breakfast or a pick me up late afternoon – they’re even good as a post work out snack if you chuck some vegan protein in there too (I like rice or hemp). I got the concept after seeing this gorgeous recipe and then this two ingredient cookie recipe – I just add in whatever I fancy at the time!

I thought I’d switch it up a bit this time and try adding raspberries which I loved – that burst of fresh flavour is really good.

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flaxseed + 5 tbsp water)
• 2 medium ripe bananas
• 2 tbsp refined coconut oil, melted
• splash of almond or other non dairy milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch sea salt
• pinch of cinnamon
• 3 tbsp raw almonds, lightly crushed (or sub other nut)
• handful of raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• tbsp of nut butter such as almond (can omit)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line or lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl combine flax seed and water and let rest for 5 minutes to achieve that “eggy” texture.
3. Mash in the bananas until well combined, and then add baking powder, baking soda, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and stir.
4. Add oats, milk and mix well.
5. Drop cookies by spoonfuls on your baking sheet – don’t worry them expanding far.
6. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden brown.
7. Let rest on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. After completely cooled, store in an air-tight container to keep fresh for up to a few days. Refrigerate or freezer for even longer storage time.

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Other optional add ins with the two ingredients, gf oats and banana as your base:

– raisins (careful if low FODMAP)

– dairy free chocolate chips

– peanut butter

– dried cranberries

– vegan protein powders

– cacao powder

– coffee

– cocoa nibs

– chopped nuts

– coconut flakes (again use only a little if low FODMAP)

 

Go onn whip em up this weekend. You know you want to.

Coconut-date Bliss Balls for a rainy Easter Sunday

I have a new blog! Please read this post and more at www.shecanteatwhat.com !

Love, Emma x