Many people mistakenly believe that a vegan diet especially a raw vegan diet is boring. Well that is until they are introduced to raw vegan desserts. Not only are raw vegan desserts way more nutrient rich than traditional desserts and they are wonderfully tasty. Your non vegan friends won’t even be concerned with a lack of dairy products and refined sugar. This Blackberry Cheesecake is sure to please anyone, regardless they diet preferences.
There is no doubt. Raw (no-bake) desserts have been a huge increase in both the popularity and availability around the world. Now raw treats have become a popular trend, popping up everywhere from regular neighborhood cafes to health food stores. The concept is simple – ditch refined, modified ingredients and replace with wholesome ones in their original state to change desserts from mouthfuls of empty calories to nutritionally dense sweet treat. It all sounds too good to be true. Smooth cheesecakes, cupcakes, cakes, cookies, truffles, tarts, bliss balls … minus all the nasty stuff. What started out as part of the vegan scene has now reached many health-conscious enthusiasts who like to indulge without the guilt. Not only most raw treats are refined sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free, but they’re packed with fresh ingredients. PLUS they are healthy and most people won’t even believe they are raw. So, let’s just agree that raw desserts are amazing.
The cake is really easy to make and uses fairly few ingredients. You could substitute any berry for the blackberries. Raspberries would be really great in here or even try a mixture of berries.
- Crust:
- 1 cup pecan
- 1 cup dates, soaked
- Filling:
- 1 medium sized zucchini, peeled
- 1 cup cashew, soaked overnight and dried
- juice of ½ lime
- 1 heaping tbsp coconut nectar
- 3 tbsp coconut butter
- 2 cup fresh or frozen blackberry
- Crumble:
- ¼ cup whole almond
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- 1 tbsp coconut nectar
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- seeds of ½ vanilla bean
- dash nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- pinch salt
- zest of ½ lime for decoration (optional)
- Place pecan and dates into a food processor and pulse a few times.
- Evenly press the base into your pie form (oil, or line a parchment paper for easier removal). Set in a freezer.
- Next blend or food process filling ingredients (except blackberries). The consistency should be thick, rich and creamy.
- Remove the base from the freezer. Pour or spoon the filling over the berries.
- Combine all the ingredients for the crumble in the food processor and pulse a few times. Top your cake with it and place back to freezer for 3- 4 hours or until it’s set.
Calling all the Túró Rudi lovers – Raw Vegan Túró Rudi! Yes, you did read correctly. The original (Túró Rudi ~ Hungarian) bar is composed of a thin outer coating of dark chocolate and an inner filling of sweet cream cheese. Pretty much same like cheesecake. Here’s my Super Healthy Version of the classic. Dairy free, refined sugar free, gluten free … and of course Raw Vegan. How cool is that!! I was very excited when I created this recipe. I served this to my husband Gabor and he couldn’t tell the difference. YES! SUCCESS!
The idea of these bars is came from my blackberry cake above. The filling had a light and smooth, cheesecake texture with a slightly lemon aftertaste. I added a hefty dose of zucchini (zucchini is a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, potassium and fiber), cashews add healthy fat, heart-healthy coconut butter and a touch of coconut nectar. To creating these healthy sweets, I just added a bit of dried fruits, jam made from dried fruits and I dipped them in melted raw chocolate.
Sneaking in a hefty dose of zucchini was easy as pie, and you’d never guess it was in there! These bars a quick and easy solution for getting your chocolate fix, without too much effort or mess in the kitchen.
How to prepare Túró Rudi
Place all the ingredients (cake filling above, except blackberries) in a food processor and process until well combined. Fill your silicone chocolate mold and place in the freezer to set about an hour. Once they set enough dip in melted chocolate. Place back in the freezer to set. Store in the fridge. Enjoy!
Xo, Krisztina
