Simple and easy raw cheesecake

Now, if that's not a picture that makes you want to read a blog post, I just don't know what is.

I'm not going to apologise for not posting for the better part of this year, but I will apologise for the lackluster photography.  I received a digital SLR for my birthday and I'm still learning how to use it.

Although this blog probably isn't the best evidence, I've been doing a bit of cooking lately.  I'm still experimenting in both raw and cooked foods, because it's much easier to know what you can safely eat when you are the one making it.

I love raw cheesecakes.  The recipes are so flexible and they can be so tasty.  In fact, I often just skip the base, make the filling and eat it as pudding.  What can I say, I'm lazy.  What could be easier than throwing some stuff in the Vitamix and blending?

So, today I wanted a cashew based, clean flavoured filling.  It was 4pm on Sunday afternoon and I had little patience.  This is where the flexibility of raw recipes shine - I had pre-soaked 2 cups of cashews but other than that, I was winging it.

I put my cashews in the blender with 1/2 cup of water and a glug of vanilla extract (I go through vanilla extract like it's water, it's a very expensive habit).  My starting board recipe used maple syrup as a sweetener but I wasn't in the mood for a maple flavour so I used a couple spatulas of date paste (maybe 1/3 cup).  Then I blended until everything was creamy.

I added 1/4 cup liquefied coconut oil and blended some more.  I felt that this was too much coconut oil - I think the coconut oil taste can be overpowering in some coconut oils.  Lemon juice can cut through the coconut taste, so I added the juice of just under one very small lemon (to taste) and blended some more.  If you've got a high speed blender, don't do what I did and let it go so long it started heating the mix.  It discoloured the cashews a bit.

There you have it: creamy and tasty raw cheesecake filling, ready to stand up to modifications and overblending.  Love it.

I have a great idea for this filling, but I'm not sure it will work out, so I'm going to experiment before I share.