Orange, Lemon, and Blueberry Mini Vegan Cheesecakes

It's New Year's Eve. We celebrate with our little one and another family that also has a young boy. ithas been our tradition to celebrate with them for the past decade before either of us had children. We used to even stay up until midnight. Now we go home mid evening to put our kids to bed. Ain't it grant getting old. Tonight we're going to their place, and bringing dessert. I decided to makes something fruity and fancy.  Historically when I've made mini vegan cheesecakes they involved cashew cream instead of cream cheese or ricotta, and blueberry topping. This year, they've been elevated up a notch or two.  The gorgeous organic navel oranges on the counter inspired me to make a layered concoction. The bottom layer of course is the faux-graham wafer crust, followed by a dreamy orange cheese cake layer, a bright lemon cheese cake layer, and finally an abundance of blueberries layer. The fruity flavour combinations are pleasing, although perhaps the colour contrast between the layers is a little inadequate to see it very well.


Please note, they are best after being refrigerated for 24 hours. Don't know why. Which is great because they can be made ahead.

filling:

Lemon Cheesecake Layer:
filling ingredients:

3/4 cups raw cashews soaked in water and sea salt for 2 hours, then rinsed
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp agave
4 tbsp lemon juice
20 drops lemon essential oil
2 tbsp coconut oil



1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp finely ground white chia seeds



Orange Cheesecake Layer:

filling ingredients:

3/4  cups raw cashews soaked in water and sea salt for 2 hours, then rinsed
2 small navel oranges, zested, peeled, and pureed. reserve 1 tsp of zest  (dispose of peel and any stray seeds) (use 3 small navel oranges next time)
2  tbsp agave

1 tsp orange zest if you have used organic oranges
2 tbsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp finely ground white chia seeds



filling directions:

1. in a food processor, process the ingredients until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed



crust:

ingredients for the crust:

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup shredded coconut (I gave it a quick pulse in my grinder to make the shreds small)

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

2 tbsp water

directions for crust:

1. combine the above ingredients in the order listed, mixing well with a fork before adding the water



Blueberry topping:


topping ingredients:


2 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 pinch sea salt
4 tbsp coconut sugar
splash of vanilla extract
a pinch of ground vanilla bean

topping directions:

1. combine ingredients and let defrost
2. mix well




Making the cakes:

preheat the oven to 345

1. once all three parts have been made, you are ready to start

2. scoop the crust mixture evenly into 18 silicone muffin cups  and flatten with your fingers
3. spoon each flavour of cheese cake filling evenly over the crust, and bake for 10 minutes at 345
4. after 10 minutes of baking, spoon the blueberry mixture evenly over the partially baked cakes, then bake for 25 more minutes. 

cool thoroughly before removing from the silicone cups.
I store them in the silicone cups in the fridge, and just remove them prior to serving.

notes:
1. bake at 345 for 30-25 minutes
2. if using the blueberry topping, add after 10 minutes of baking, then bake for 20-25 minutes more
3. cool before removing from the silicone muffin cups
4. makes 18 baby cheesecakes
5. make the day before, and serve chilled

Colin's Birthday Vegan Cheesecakes

Colin's birthday= cheesecake. Vegan cheese cake!!! This time with a soupçon of lemon .... yummmmmm.

Please note, they are best after being refrigerated for 24 hours. Don't know why.

filling:

filling ingredients:

1 1/2 cups raw cashews soaked in water and sea salt for at least 2 hours or overnight, then rinsed
1 cup water
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp agave
2 tsp lemon juice
20 drops lemon essential oil
4 tbsp coconut oil



1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp finely ground chia seeds


filling directions:

1. in a food processor, process the ingredients until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed



crust:

ingredients for the crust:

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup shredded coconut (I gave it a quick pulse in my grinder to make the shreds small)

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

2 tbsp water

directions for crust:

1. combine the above ingredients in the order listed, mixing well with a fork before adding the water



Blueberry topping:


topping ingredients:


1 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 1/2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 pinch sea salt
3 tbsp coconut sugar

topping directions:

1. combine ingredients and let defrost
2. mix well




Making the cakes:

preheat the oven to 345

1. once all three parts have been made, you are ready to start

2. scoop the crust mixture evenly into 12 small tart cups  (I use the silicone muffin cups) -- pressing the crumb firmly down with the back of a spoon. I like to also use my fingers and take it up the sides of the cups (I actually used 16 small muffin cups, not 12, and used my fingers on the crust not a spoon. Damp fingers work best.)
3. spoon the cheese cake filling evenly over the crust, and bake for 28-30 minutes at 345
4. if adding the blueberry topping, add after 10 minutes of baking by spooning evenly over the partially baked cakes, then bake for 15 more minutes. The blueberry topping will be scant. If you want more blueberry, make more.

cool thoroughly before removing

notes:
1. bake at 345 for 25 minutes
2. if using the blueberry topping, add after 10 minutes of baking
3. cool before removing from the silicone muffin cups
4. makes 12 to 24 baby cheesecakes
5. make the day before, and serve chilled

Date Squares Redux

So, I decided to make date squares again. I'm nothing if not predictable. Yummmmm ....

ingredients:

date filling:

2½ cups honey dates, pitted and chopped
2 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
10 drops lemon essential oil
1 tbsp ground  vanilla
pinch sea salt

ingredients:

crust:

1 cup shredded coconut -- lightly ground in a coffee grinder or food processor if desired. I desired!!

2 cups almond flour

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp ground vanilla

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

directions:

crust:

1. combine the ingredients for the crust. Use a fork. Add the liquid last after everything else has been successfully mixed together

2. in a greased glass 9 x 13 pan: line with parchment and firmly press 2/3 - 3/4 of the mixture, reserving 1/4 - 1/3 as topping

(last year I used an 8 by 11 pan for this same quantity so this year will be a little thinner. My 8 by 11 was in the freezer full of homemade lasagna ...)

directions:

date filling:

1. combine the chopped dates, lemon juice, vanilla, sea salt, black pepper and water in a pot and simmer for 5 minutes or until the dates are nice and soft and melty.

directions:

combining the two:

preheat the oven to 300

2. evenly spread the date mixture onto the pressed in crust from above

3. sprinkle the date mixture with the crumbly remains of the crust ingredients

4. bake at 300 for 60 minutes

parchment lined and greased 2L baking dish

the crust pressed in

date filling spread on the crust

remaining crust ingredients crumbled on top

after baking

plated with lemon coconut milk ice cream

Lemon Coconut Milk Ice Cream -- a vegan, raw, frozen treat

We made this last year with lemon juice, coconut milk, honey, and lemon zest. This year it's a little different. Coconut milk, yes. But no honey this time -- raw agave. And not a lot of  lemon juice. Mostly  lemon essential oil. The beauty of lemon oil instead of lemon juice is you get the bright lemon flavour without the sourness, so not as much sweetening is needed. Any recipes for lemon sorbets that I've seen require such an astronomical quantity of sugar that it ends up being the worst possible choice of sorbet.

ingredients

2 cans coconut milk (total 800 ml)
140 drops lemon essential oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup  clear agave
generous pinch of salt



this will make just 1 L of ice cream


directions:

1. combine the above ingredients. I use an immersion blender
2. chill
3. freeze in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturers directions.
4. transfer the ice cream to a freezer container
5. serve with the lemon date squares!!

Orange and lemon ice cream -- an awesome vegan treat

ingredients:

400 ml can of organic coconut milk (don't use low fat, use regular)
1/2 cup coconut nectar

30 drops orange essential oil
30 drops lemon essential oil

1/4 tsp sea salt


directions:

1. combine the ingredients and chill
2. freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions.

I made a double batch!!!

Due to such things as the coconut milk and the coconut nectar, this ice cream stays creamy and smooth when frozen. Yum yum yum.

Fruity Superfood Berry Energy Squares -- perfect for school

Raw, organic, vegan, sugar free, gluten free, superfood fruity energy squares. A good snack to grab on the go. Delicious, addictive, and fantastic. I put twice the quantity of goji and golden berries in this batch as I usually do. Additionally, the lemon and orange extract boost the fruity-ness of the equation. Since I can't do peanut butter for stuff I'm sending with my son to school, I'm going all berry-splosion on his ass. Kapow!!!!

ingredients:

1 cup raw sunflower  seeds

1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup organic sesame seeds

1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp lemon extract

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup wheat grass

1 tbsp maca powder

1/4 cup hemp hearts

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon (if you don't have ceylon, skip this part, because saigon or korintje won't work)

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup pitted honey dates

1 cup goji berries

1 cup golden berries

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut butter

directions:

1. in a food processor, combine the raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, sesame seeds, flax meal, wheat grass, vanilla bean, ceylon cinnamon and sea salt

2. turn on and process until it resembles sand

3. add the dates, goji berries, and golden berries and pulse and then process until ground up

4. add the coconut oil, and pulse

5. add the coconut butter, and pulse

6. divide between 2 square silicone pans, score into pieces, and  chill

7. when fully chilled, break along the score lines, and store in airtight containers in the fridge.

In which I try Again to make lemon macaroons

The secret to successful macaroons, at least according to my husband, is that the shredded coconut be more finely ground. If it's ground, he's a fan. If it's unground, he finds the texture off-putting. These were happily devoured by my son and his friend, as well as by my husband. Actually, I walked in on my 4 year old and his friend stuffing their cookies in their mouths so their hands would be free to snag some more. Then again, with these ingredients, it's not a bad thing.

ingredients:

1/2 cup water + 2 tsp egg replacer

1/2 cup coconut nectar

1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tbsp ginger

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

3 cups shredded coconut, lightly chopped in food processor or in your coffee grinder

directions:

1. combine the egg replacer and water, then mix in the coconut nectar

2. add the lemon , the sea salt, vanilla bean, ginger, vanilla extract, and ceylon cinnamon

3. mix in the ground chia seeds

4. add the shredded coconut after chopping it in the food processor

5. mix thoroughly 

6. roll into balls and flatten, place on a lined baking sheet

7. makes 24-28 cookies

8. bake at 345 for 16 minutes

9. cool thoroughly

10. store in an airtight container

Lemon Macaroons -- No Sour Pusses Here

I'm gonna tell you a little something about lemon extract (basically lemon essential oil that has been diluted a little with some kind of oil that is good to eat. Although you could safely use organic lemon essential oil for cooking instead of lemon extract, you would definitely have to play around with the quantity!). Lemon extract gives you all that wondrous lemon flavour without the lemon sour. So, you don't need to counter the sour with vast quantities of sweetener. For realsies, when I saw how much sugar was in a lemon gelato recipe, my jaw hit the ground -- it was about 4 times the amount of sugar that was in any other gelato or ice cream. So, I'm thinking this canny little twist of fate will give maximum flavour enjoyment without maximum sugar. Historically, I would use quite a huge amount of lemon juice and zest to get the lemon flavour I craved. Here, presto blammo, lemon is achieved.
The coconut nectar that I've chosen to use in this recipe accents the citrus blast nicely, being a somewhat fruity tasting sweetener. The ginger just goes along for a full rounded flavour high.

ingredients:

1/2 cup water + 2 tsp egg replacer

1/2 cup coconut nectar

1 tsp lemon extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ginger

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

3 cups shredded coconut, lightly chopped in food processor or in your coffee grinder

directions:

1. combine the egg replacer and water, then mix in the coconut nectar

2. add the lemon or orange extract, the sea salt, vanilla bean, and ceylon cinnamon

3. mix in the ground chia seeds

4. add the shredded coconut after chopping it in the food processor

5. mix thoroughly 

6. scoop teaspoons of cookie dough onto a baking sheet and flatten slightly

7. makes 30 cookies

8. bake at 345 for 16 minutes

9. cool thoroughly

10. store in an airtight container

Orange or Lemon Macaroons -- gluten free, grain free, sugar free, vegan and great!

Swoooooooooon.

I don't know what it is -- the combination of coconut nectar and orange essence? These are awesome. So simple.

ingredients:

1/2 cup water + 2 tsp egg replacer

1/2 cup coconut nectar

1 tsp lemon extract or 1 tsp orange extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

3 cups shredded coconut, lightly chopped in food processor or in your coffee grinder

directions:

1. combine the egg replacer and water, then mix in the coconut nectar

2. add the lemon or orange extract, the sea salt, vanilla bean, and ceylon cinnamon

3. mix in the ground chia seeds

4. add the shredded coconut after chopping it in the food processor

5. mix thoroughly 

6. roll into balls and flatten, place on a lined baking sheet

7. makes 24-28 cookies

8. bake at 345 for 16 minutes

9. cool thoroughly

10. store in an airtight container

lemon coconut milk ice cream -- dairy free and delicious

There are two advantages to making a lemon ice cream with coconut milk. One is that those who are intolerant of dairy can still enjoy it. the other is that the lemon juice won't make the coconut milk curdle. Win win!! And this ice cream was definitely a win.

ingredients

2 cans coconut milk (total 800 ml)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup honey
generous pinch of salt
black pepper

lemon zest from one lemon

this will make just over 1 L of ice cream


directions:

1. combine the above ingredients. I use an immersion blender
2. chill
3. freeze in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturers

Hummus -- The Chickpea Variations

When life hands you lemons, make hummus. I'm afraid I took that adage seriously, and made a rather lemony hummus. See, I hate raw garlic. Loathe it. I'm not judging all you raw garlic lovers out there, and I'm not trying to convert you to my anti-raw garlic ways. I know there are many supposed and even demonstrated health benefits from raw garlic, however I would postulate that when it comes to raw onion and raw garlic, I seem to have a bit of a food sensitivity. So, you will find no raw garlic and no raw onion in my recipes. Now, I suppose I could have oven roasted some garlic whilst roasting my sesame seeds. However, I didn't.

What I did instead was use some less traditional flavour enhancers.  Your typical hummus calls for garlic, tahini, lemon, parsley, and salt. I kicked the lemon up a bright and sunshiny notch, added some  cumin, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, and of course parsley. The result is a flavour that is bright and fresh. I think it's possible to reduce the amount of lemon without sacrificing the integrity of the hummus, but I have to admit I like it like this.

Toasting sesame seeds in a ceramic pan

equipment:

food processor
coffee/seed grinder


ingredients:

2 cups cooked chickpeas (or canned -- rinse well)
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp sesame seeds -- toasted, then finey ground in your seed grinder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

4 tbsp fresh parsley , chopped, and more for garnish

1 cup water


directions:

1. puree the chickpeas with the water and lemon juice until smooth and pleasing
2. add the ground sesame seeds, sea salt, cumin, chili powder
3. smile and do a little dance
4. when fully mixed and adjusted for taste, pulse in the chopped parsley (you don't want the parsley to become completely homogenized. Unless you do, in which case whizz away, my friend.)
5. garnish with parsley

We used this as a dip for carrot medallions, put some on lettuce leaves and rolled them up, and spread it on crackers. It can be thinned down to use as a sauce for steamed broccoli etc. It can stay unrefrigerated during the day, so can be put into a small container and taken for lunch with carrots to dip in it. Some schools prohibit the use of sesame in addition to all nuts, so if this is the case, either substitute raw hearts or ground roasted pumpkin seeds for the sesame seeds, or skip it entirely. I'm going to be so screwed when my son starts school if his lunches can't include nuts of any kind!!

Hummus seems to have great appeal for toddlers, which is convenient for me, as this creamy combination of chickpeas and sesame seeds is high in protein, iron, calcium, fiber, etc. Not to mention high in deliciousness ....