Cheesecake is such a classic dessert food and while normally I'm a chocolate girl, there's something about the texture of a good cheesecake that draws me in.  I was looking for sweets the other day and I happened to have some pulp leftover from when Serial made nut milk so I decided to try my hand at a dairy-free and raw cheesecake. 

I had about a cup of raw almond pulp and I soaked another cup of cashews earlier in the morning, but if you don't have pulp you could just use 2 cups of soaked cashews (macadamia nuts would work well too).  This recipe makes a pretty large cheesecake so you could always cut this recipe in half and make a smaller one instead.  Or use a smaller pan and make a thicker cheesecake.  Work with what you have in the kitchen and have fun.

Yields: 13" round cheesecake, about an inch thick

Crust
1 cup of nuts (I used raw almonds, but you can use anything that you like)
1/4 cup agave or coconut nectar
5-6 dates (can substitute 1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries/cranberries, if desired)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp coconut (optional)

Cheesecake Filling
2 cups of nut pulp or soaked cashews (can substitute macadamia nuts)
1/2 cup agave or coconut nectar
1/2 cup coconut oil or coconut butter
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Start by preparing the crust.  In a food processor (I use a Ninja), blend your nuts until they are finely ground.  Add in the remaining ingredients (except the coconut) and pulse until thoroughly mixed and the crust sticks together when pressed with a spoon. 
2. Use your coconut to dust the bottom of your pan.  This will help prevent the crust from sticking to the pan in the next step.  You could use parchment paper instead, if you prefer. 
   
3. Spread your crust mixture into the pan and press down using a spoon or spatula until it forms an even, solid crust base.  Place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
   
4. For your filling, start by draining the water from the nuts you were soaking and give them a quick rinse with fresh water.  Place the rinsed nuts in a food processor with the nut pulp and pulse until relatively smooth (it doesn't need to be perfectly smooth yet).
   
5. Add in the remaining ingredients and continue to blend/pulse until the mixture is smooth.  You may need to stop blending and scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times, but it will eventually be really smooth. 
   
6. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the crust and place back in the fridge to firm up a little.  Leave it in for at least 10-15 minutes, but it's best after an hour or so. 
   
7. (Optional) To give your cheesecake an extra kick, you can add toppings.  Since I used a fairly large pan, I had a lot of surface area to work with and decided to try out a few different toppings.  I had a jar of low sugar blueberry preserves so I simply spread that on top of the cheesecake for one section.  For another section, I made a raw chocolate and let it harden on top.  And of course, I left one section plain to just enjoy the cheesecake.  Be creative - there are so many yummy toppings you could add to this recipe. 
   

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Last week Serial got us started on making our own nut milk and it has been so great to have it for our coffee and smoothies.  With the milk comes the leftover nut pulp and we have a few different recipes we wanted to try, but we decided to start with a raw pesto. 

Back when we lived in the south, there was an amazing restaurant in Boone, NC that made a vegan pesto tempeh sandwich that still makes us drool whenever we think about it.  So we set our sights on making a pesto.  It was super simple and tasty and so far we've used it on a homemade vegan pizza and tonight I plan to use it to saute some tofu and veggies.  The raw garlic gives everything an extra kick.  And requires me to brush my teeth 3 extra times before bed. 

Yields: 1.5 cups

1 cup nut pulp (we used cashews, you can read more about it here)
3-4 garlic cloves, depending on taste
1/2 cup fresh basil (dried basil won't give the same results)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a food processor (we use a Ninja), combine the nut pulp, basil and garlic and pulse until well mixed.  If you want a milder garlic taste you can saute the garlic cloves with a little bit of oil before adding them to your food processor.  Raw garlic has a bit of a "bite" to it, but we love it.  We actually used about 8 cloves of raw garlic, but that's way too much for most people.  If you don't like the raw taste, a few minutes in the skillet will give it the roasted garlic taste instead.  Play around with the recipe and see what you like best!
   
2. Slowly add the olive oil and continue to pulse until it reaches the consistency you desire.  We used a half cup of olive oil, but you might prefer a little less or a little more.  There's no wrong way to do it.
3. Add in the salt and pepper, if you are including it.

That's it!  Store it in the fridge and use it on anything you like!  If you have any good recipes for pesto, we'd love to hear them.

If you like what you read, we would love to hear from you in the comments section!  It's fun to get feedback and it helps us create future posts.  And be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or RSS!