Cashew Cheesecake Tart: Vegan & Raw 06/28/2010
 Cashew Cheesecake Tart with an Almond Crust This Sunday I met up with my dad for father's day. This weekend I wanted to make my dad something just as delicious as the blackberry shortbread bars I made last weekend for my boyfriend's family. Vegetarian Times recently posted a wonderful recipe for a cashew cheesecake. I've modified it quite a bit, but see their website for the original recipe. I'm certainly not the only food blogger that has made adaptations. Find a recipe that works for your tastes and what ingredients you have available. Next time I make this recipe, I might use a springform pan and double or triple the amount of the cashew cream to make it as thick as a New York Style Cheesecake. The bottom of the tart is made with an almond crust topped with thick cashew cream and then with fresh pitted sweet cherries from my favorite local produce stand. It's a no-bake recipe and if you have a food processor, it's a recipe that's quite easy to whip up. My father was so pleased with the recipe that he decided not to share it with his family guests over the weekend.  Almond Date Coconut Crust  Cashew 'cream cheese'  Cashew 'cream cheese' filling on top of crust Cashew Cheesecake Tart Adapted from Vegetarian Times (The changes are significant enough that I'm really tempted to call it my own.) Almond Date Crust: 1 cup raw, unblanched whole almonds 3/4 cup pitted organic dates 1/4 cup unsweetened unsulphured organic coconut 1/2 cup of rinsed and drained raw cashews (see below) small handful of pecan halves Cashew Cheesecake Filling: 1 container of Giant's Nature's Promise organic raw cashews, soaked in water overnight, rinsed, drained 1 packet of vanilla sugar (or alternatively use vanilla extract and subtract equal amount of soymilk) 6 T raw turbinado sugar 4 T soymilk Juice of 1 lemon 1 T walnut oil* squirt of flax oil Suggested toppings: berries, cherries, or left as is! Day before: soak cashews overnight in water. Combine the almonds, dates, coconut, 1/2 cup cashews, and pecans in a food processor until small crumbs form and when pressed the dough holds its shape. It will be slightly sticky. Press firmly into a prepared tart pan. Refrigerate. Clean the food processor and prepare cheesecake filling. Mix remaining cashews, vanilla sugar, sugar, soy milk, lemon juice, and oils in the food processor until thick, creamy, and dense. Remove crust from refrigerator. Scoop out cashew cream with a spoon and spread on top of almond crust. Refrigerate. Top with toppings of your choice or leave plain. Cheesecake will become more firm as it's refrigerated. *Except with the addition of the oils, this recipe could be considered raw. Add Comment Sauteed Veggies in a Cashew Cream Sauce 11/24/2009
 Veggies in cashew cream On Saturday Matt and I rode our bicycles up to Renningers and stuffed our backpack with produce from various stands at the farmer's market. We stuffed cauliflower, zucchini, button mushrooms, onions, and sweet potatoes into our backpack. This week I'll be working through most of them. Here, I sliced up a few of those veggies and tossed them in a cashew cream sauce. If you don't cook the veggies, you'll have a raw vegan dish. The cashew cream sauce is thick, rich, and creamy with a texture reminiscent of alfredo sauce. Place left over cashew cream in the refrigerator and use for a pasta dish or a dip for vegetables or flatbreads.  Zucchini Sauteed Veggies: 1/2 small onion, chopped 1 shallot, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 zucchini, sliced into thin strips 4 large white button mushrooms, quartered 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 4 handfuls of spinach freshly ground pepper to taste Cashew Cream Sauce: 1 cup of cashews, soaked in water overnight, then drained 4 sundried tomatoes (without oil), chopped 1 clove garlic juice from 1/2 a fresh lemon 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup water, divided Saute onion, shallots and garlic in a large frying pan over medium heat with a little bit of organic cooking spray. When onions have become transparent, add the thin strips of zucchini and button mushrooms. Toss occasionally and vent the lid if there is too much water in the bottom of the pan. Cook the vegetables until almost tender. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, blend drained cashews, sundried tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. It is easier to blend in a food processor, however, I used my blender for this sauce. You'll need to turn it off and on again and occasionally stir with a spatula to ensure even blending if you are using a blender. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend. The mixture will begin to thin out and blend more evenly. Add more water as needed to thin, you want the appearance and texture of an alfredo sauce. More water may be necessary. Set aside until vegetables are ready. Come back to the stove top and fold in the spinach and cherry tomato halves. Toss until spinach wilts but not so much that it looses it's leafy texture. Remove from heat and toss in 1/4 cup of the cashew sauce. Fold in more if necessary. Serve warm. You may want to drizzle the cashew sauce on top or serve on the side. Reserve left over cashew cream for another recipe. To make this dish "raw", slice your veggies really thin and make a cold cashew cream salad. | ArchivesOctober 2011 CategoriesAll |
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