I recently attended an 11 day juice fast in upstate New York (blog to come with more information!) and while juicing I had plenty of time to look up recipes I was interested in recreating once back home and eating again. Having tried a wonderfully delicious raw food cheesecake once in the past, I was particularly interested in a go at it myself. With a quick google search I found this video:

And in no time at all I was able to throw together this delight of a dessert. A truly delicious and creamy raw strawberry cheesecake. The crust is an excellent staple to use with any raw cake or pie, and the filling can be varied any way you like. The next time I make this I am going to use mainly blueberries instead of strawberries in the filling and see how it turns out. It will be heavenly I’m sure!

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw macadamia nuts (soaked)
• 1 cup raw pecan nuts (soaked)
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup shredded raw, unsweetened coconut (optional)
• 4 medjool dates (soaked and pitted)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• pinch of sea salt

Process in a food processor, and then conform mixture to a Spring Form pan.

Filling Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw cashews (soaked)
• 1 cup strawberries
• 12 medjool dates (soaked and pitted)
• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup fresh, raw almond milk

Blend all ingredients in a High Speed Blender (i.e Vitamix) until consistency is very smooth. Place on top of crust, and layer berries on top. A great option is to also layer berries in the middle of pie.

Refrigerate 1-2 hours, or overnight. Or freeze. I found I liked it best when I cut the pie into little squares, froze the pieces, and thawed them for a few minutes before eating.

Pairs very well with Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream.

A dessert you can feel good about indulging in, Cheers!