Raw Paleo Strawberry Cheesecake

Prep Time: 2 hours with soaking and freezing
Cook Time: it's RAW
Serves: 10

Who doesn’t love cheesecake? Well, my stomach doesn't, way to much cream and sugar leaves me feeling … ya gross. I decided to use strawberries as the base since they came in my CSA box, but feel free to sub in your favorite fruit or keep it plain with just vanilla. Feel free to cook the crust if you do not want it chewy, but then it's not raw anymore :)

Ingredients: 

Crust

• ½ cup raw pecans- you can use any nuts for the crust
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1.5 cup dates, pits removed + do a quick soak if dry
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• Optional: 1 teaspoon Chaga mushroom - Root & Bones
   

Filling

• 2 cups soaked cashews, soak in hot water for at least 3 hours or overnight

• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut cream-  I like Thrive Market’s brand

• 1/3 cup coconut nectar, pure maple syrup or raw honey

• 1/4 cup Brain Octane or you can use coconut oil

• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

• ¼ cup soaking liquid from cashews to get it creamier 

Toppings:

• Berries
• Dark Chocolate Drizzle- mix coconut oil can cacao with a little sweetener over low heat. 

Instructions for Crust:

1. Prepare the crust before the filling. Use a food processor or high-speed blender to get the nuts processed and then add the dates. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
2. Press the sticky crust paste with your fingers in your springform pan and push down evenly with your fingers.

Instructions for Filling:

1. Place soaked cashews AND 1/4 of the soaking liquid into a blender.
2. Place the remaining filling ingredients into a blender, and process until the mixture is smooth and uniform. It definitely helps if you have a Vitamix. You may need to pause and scrape the sides down and stir the mixture a little to help it blend through if you do not have a Vitamix.
3. Transfer the mixture into the springform pan on top of the crust and spread it out evenly, smoothing out the top using a spatula helps.
4. Place the cheesecake in the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours to allow it to set. Once its hard you can garnish with extra strawberries and chocolate on top. You can make this ahead and keep it in the fridge to soften it before serving. 

Note: if you do not have a springform pan (like me) line a round deep dish with parchment paper so once it's frozen you can carefully pop it out.