I know you are probably thinking, "What the heck is a Health Coach pushing desserts for?" Right??!! Well I'm very much a fan of dessert so I wanted to share one of my new favorites. You see, if and when I indulge in dessert I want to make absolutely sure that it is full of good-for-you ingredients. So when I was getting ready for house guests (who are also Health Coaches), I wanted to have something extra healthy AND delicious.
Dairy-Free Raspberry Cheesecake
from Even More Delightfully Free by Tracy Hill
Makes 1 9 inch pie
4 cups raw unsalted cashews
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup raw honey
3/4 tsp liquid stevia
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp sea salt
1 cup fresh raspberries or 2 cups frozen, thawed + fresh raspberries to garnish
Measure 4 cups of cashews and soak them in 3 1/2 cups filtered water overnight. This allows the nuts to soften and give a much creamier texture. Rinse and drain well. Place on paper towel and pat dry.
Put the nuts in a blender with all ingredients EXCEPT the raspberries. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally, until soft and creamy. Pour half of the mixture into the pie dish. Add the raspberries to the blender with the remainder of the mixture and blend until smooth. Fill the rest of the pie dish up. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Garnish and serve.
Optional Garnish: Shavings of dark chocolate or a raspberry glaze.
Sweet Nut Crust
from Even More Delightfully Free by Tracy Hill
Makes 1 9 inch crust
1 cup plus 2 T brown rice flour
2 T Tapioca flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup plus 2 T coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup coconut nectar
1/2 tsp liquid stevia
1 T cold water
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9” pie plate with grapeseed oil. In a medium bowl, whisk flours, almond meal, salt xanthan gum together. Add the coconut oil. Mix well, using a large spoon, taking time to press and stir dough until it becomes consistently moist. Add the coconut nectar, stevia and water. Stir until well combined. Stir in nuts and knead dough a couple of times with your hands. Turn dough into the prepared pie plate. Pre-bake 16-18 minutes until the edges turn golden brown. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
My guests were delighted and so was my husband. We enjoyed a healthy meal and healthy dessert along with a kombucha toast to future Health & Wellness.