I am a pizza lover, always have been always will be. The fact is I don't get to miss out on what I love when I am raw vegan. These pizzas taste better than normal pizzas because they taste so fresh and actually taste homemade. I used to love making pizzas at home in my pizza maker until mum broke it by accidentally leaving the pizza handles in them. By the time she realised it was way too late.
The thing I love about pizzas is that you can put whatever you desire on top. But these raw pizza bases obviously call for raw pesto and raw veggies for the topping. So I decided on raw avocado pesto, spinach, tomato and grated carrot. Fresh, healthy and absolutely delicious!!
Raw Vegan Mini Pizza's
Crust:
2 cups beet, chopped
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup water
Pesto:
1 avocado
1/3 cup raw shelled hemp seeds
1 bunch fresh basil
1 garlic clove
juice of one lemon
sea salt to taste
Toppings:
Whatever you desire
For the crust, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and well combined. Spread out to desired circumference on a lined dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for 12 hours, then flip over and continue to dry until crisp, about another 10-12 hours.
To make the pesto, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Spread out over pizza crust. Top with whatever you like and enjoy!
Green and pink are the colours which form swirls of raw goodness. This cheesecake was so fun to make due to all the colours it involved and swirling the colours together was so much fun. The revealing of it is always so exciting, taking it out of the tin to reveal these amazing colours and layers which have all formed together to create heaven in a cake. And then to be able to decorate the top with all the goodness that is inside the cake is even more satisfying.
The only thing I would do differently next time would be putting the spinach in whilst the mixture is still in the blender so it blends it up smoothly and I don't get these bits of spinach in it but apart from that I would do everything the same. The original recipe which was from Fragrant Vanilla Cake I changed a bit by omitting the strawberry puree and making the mixtures separately and it worked out amazingly as you can see by the photos and it tastes like pure heaven.
Raw Strawberry Kiwi Cheesecake
Makes one 6 inch cake
Crust:
2/3 cup dried finely shredded coconut
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup dried finely shredded coconut
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
10-12 soft medjool dates, pitted and chopped (if they are not soft, soak them in water until they are and drain them well)
1 inch chunk raw red beet
Strawberry Filling
2 cups raw cashews, soaked
1/2 cup coconut water
1/3 cup raw coconut nectar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup raw coconut oil, warmed to liquid
1 cup fresh organic strawberries
1/2 cup fresh beetroot, chopped
Kiwi Filling
2 cups raw cashews, soaked
1/2 cup coconut water
1/3 cup raw coconut nectar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup raw coconut oil, warmed to liquid
1 cup fresh organic kiwi
handful of spinach
Fresh strawberries and kiwis for decorating
Lightly coat a 6 inch spring form removable bottom pans with coconut oil. To prepare the crust, process flax and coconut in a food processor until fine crumbs, then add the dates and beet and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers (if not holding together, add more dates). Firmly press crust into the bottom of the prepared pan, and set aside.
To make the strawberry filling, in a high speed blender place coconut water, coconut nectar, vanilla and coconut oil and blend until combined. Then add the soaked cashews one cup at a time blending after each add until completely smooth. Pour filling into the mini food processor and add strawberries and beetroot and process until smooth. Set aside.
To make the kiwi filling, in a high speed blender place coconut water, coconut nectar, vanilla, coconut oil, spinach and kiwi and blend until combined and smooth. Then add the soaked cashews one cup at a time blending after each add until completely smooth.
There are two ways to assemble this cheesecake; layered or swirled.
For the layered look place all the kiwi mixture on top of the base and shake pan until spread over the base and then place the strawberry layer on top of the kiwi layer and repeat until completely covered.
For the swirled look, place tbsp of each mixture on top of the base and once the base is covered swirl with a knife. repeat this process until the mixture is finished or the pan is full. Tap the pan lightly on the bench to settle the mixture and prevent air bubbles.
Place in the freezer for four hours or until firm enough to unmold. Serve and enjoy! Place leftovers in the fridge.
