The Orange Kitchen

Vegan Lemon and Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes.

I'd like to declare that I have discovered a culinary miracle. Some people might even go so far as to say that I have achieved the ultimate stage of food enlightenment because not only have I created a delicious mini cheesecake, but I have succeeded in creating a delicious mini cheesecake that is guilt free. You heard me right, I used guilt free and cheesecake in the same sentence which may appear somewhat contradictory however that is not so.

I assure you that these taste as good as they look!

In accordance with my new food philosophy that 'natural is good' I've started experimenting with well known classic recipes in an attempt to turn them healthy. These vegan cheesecakes are entirely dairy, gluten and refined sugar free. I hear you ask 'but Rebecca, how on earth can you make a cheesecake without cheese', so I'll let you in on my secret ingredient - an apple. As if things couldn't get stranger with the proposed guilt free cheesecake, but yes, I did indeed use an apple.

Ingredients;
The Base
1 cup of plain almonds
6 pitted medjool dates
1 tbsp coconut oil (in its liquid form)
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Put the dates and almonds in the blender on high and mix until they have broken down into a crumbly mixture. Add in the coconut oil and shredded coconut and again mix on high until you have a crumbly mixture that when pressed between your fingers, will stick. You should be able to roll the mixture into a ball if you try. If it is too watery and won't hold, add more almonds and if it is too dry add some more dates.
Place 1 tbsp of this mixture in the bottom of a muffin tin and press down with a spoon, a glass or your fingers. I placed strips of baking paper (approx. 2cm wide) in the muffin tins first so that removing the cheesecakes is easier at the end. When the mixture has been pressed down, place in the fridge for around 40 mins.

The Cheesecake Filling
1 cup of plain cashews (soaked in water for 3 hours, then drained)
1/2 cup coconut milk (the liquid part)
1tbsp coconut creme (the solid part of the coconut milk - this is for extra creaminess and isn't essential)
1 apple peeled with the core removed
2 tbsp natural maple syrup
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
Juice of 1 medium lemon
2 tbsp coconut oil (in its liquid form)
1/2 cup blueberries
2 tbsp water

Place the cashews, coconut milk, coconut creme, chopped apple, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice and coconut oil in a blender and blend on medium speed for around 4/5 minutes or until completely smooth and creamy in texture and taste. Take the muffin tins with the base mixture in the bottom out of the fridge. Pour just over 1/3 cup of the cheesecake mixture over the top of the almond mixture base. If you'd like a bigger cheesecake, just pour more mixture into the tin.
In a small saucepan, place the blueberries and water over a low heat and simmer until the blueberries begin to thicken and break down into a sauce. Take off the heat while there are still some whole blueberries. Take a small spoonful of the blueberries and place in the centre of the cheesecake filling in the muffin tins. Using a knife, gently swirl through the blueberry mixture to create a swirl through the cheesecake. Make sure you're gentle otherwise the blueberry mixture will taint the colour of the lemon cheesecake.
Place the cheesecakes in their muffin tins in the freezer for 2 hours. To remove the cheesecakes simply pull either side of the baking paper tab you created or use a small knife to gently prise the cheesecake away from the tin.
Serve with fresh blueberries and a sprinkling of shredded coconut.

These cheesecakes will keep for around 1 month in the freezer. When serving I recommend allowing the cheesecake to defrost naturally for around 30 mins so that they are not hard.

Enjoy!