D'lectable Vegan Cheesecake

I was wondering yesterday how I could make a cheesecake without my food processor :( and I decided not to give up no matter what. I was going to make my cheesecake, food processor or not! I definitely couldn't make a Raw Cheesecake because I had to grind my cashews but then I remembered that I had some Tofutti better than cream cheese in the fridge...ding, ding, ding IDEA!!! I wanted a raw crust and obviously could not make my regular raw crust without my 'S' blade food processor so I came up with a cool recipe that worked, talk about DETERMINATION!


D' lectable Coconut Cheesecake (Vegan)

Raw Crust

Before it went into the oven. Nina came up with the idea of decorating it like this :)

You want to lick the computer screen don't you?

That warm chocolate sauce added another kick to it, YUMMMY

Next time I will use a smaller pan so the 'cheesecake' part of it can be thicker

I got my fix, you can have yours too :) This should keep me good for the next few weeks;)

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut macaroons
pinch of salt
6 Tbsp organic maple syrup (I use the organic grade B maple syrup)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until sticky and starts to formed a dough. Press dough into an 8' pan and set aside.

Cheesecake Filling:

2, 8oz containers of Toffutti Better Than Cream Cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients very well in a bowl. Set aside for about 5 minutes to let flavors and sugar set in. Mix again for another 2 minutes or so and then pour over crust.
Bake in 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes.
Remove from oven and put in the fridge to chill for about 1 hour.
Serve with warm chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sauce:

1 Tbsp cacao powder
1 Tbsp organic grade B maple syrup
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Okay, I came up with this recipe on the spot and the whole time I was keeping my fingers crossed and hoping it tastes half decent enough to eat and not waste--If it was horrible.

VERDICT: I LOVE IT!!!

Now I can make different variations out of this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Also, I warmed my chocolate sauce just a touch before drizzling it over my cheesecake, the contrast between the warm chocolate and the cold cheesecake was MOUTH WATERING!!! YUUUUUUMMMMYYY!!!

I did my hair on the eve of Christmas, took me only  5 hours

These are called 'Urban Twists'

This hairdo is so 'me': trendy

Remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU"LL THANK ME LATER!

The Days that Surround Thanksgiving

I went bowling the day before Thanksgiving for the very first time. Believe it or not, I did pretty good for an amateur. Rick,the perfectionist, did pretty awesome, Wanneh, the underdog, slowly made her way to the top while cool quiet Danielle impressed us with her sleek swipes. The top two battling for the game were David and Mark Jenkins but Mark swept the board by a landslide for all the games we played. I learned something though that might help you the next time you go bowling; walk really close to the left side of the flat surface on which you throw the ball and then swing your ball unto the surface, I noticed it almost always gets all 10 pins down or at least 9, lol. Little tip there huh? Let me know how it works for you.

Mark and Wanneh, Rick and I

Me and Wanneh

I woke up on Thanksgiving morning and went out for a 20 minute jog. The air was crisp and clean and it filled my lungs and gave them wings...lol. It was a great way to begin my day. No day is great without a tasty-nutritious green smoothie, you know, the green muddy drink that makes your body sing? Rick had the biggest glass, I like giving him more because he enjoys it so much plus I eat green throughout the day while he eats his vegan delights.

Thanksgiving wake-up smoothie:

1 head of green or red lettuce
3 ripe bananas

1 ripe pear

2 Tbsp flax seeds

1 Tbsp coconut butter/oil

1.5 cups of water

This is one of my favorite appetizers, that means I have to make more Apple-fennel-ginger juices so I can use the pulp. I am sure I can create one without having to make the juice but I tell you, the consistency might not be the same and also, I think I must want to keep making the juice. Anyone would love this juice even the most resistant SAD person. This, I took with me to the Thanksgiving dinner.

Here's the second thing I made, just assorted fruits, your choice of course. I then sprinkled it with crushed raw cashews and some unsweetened dried coconut shreds, ohhhhhhh YUmmama!!!! I was very happy that every kid at the party wanted some of this, they thought it looked 'so beautiful' and that was such a compliment, made me smile. There were no left overs with this one.

This, I made with lots of love. I could actually feel the love leave me a I prepared this salad. The colors made me smile and the variety of veggies hmm, I was salivating while making this. So what's in this?

Thanksgiving Grateful Salad

2 handfuls of mixed baby springs

1 cup baby spinach

2-4 cucumbers, thinly sliced

3 carrots, julienned

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow squash, julienned

1 zucchini, julienned

3 medium plum tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup of currants

1/2 cup of dried cranberries

2 tbsp sesame seeds, sprinkled on top

Mama Mia! that's what I said after I tried this with my very simple dressing;

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup raw apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp dulse


This was the least touched dish on the table, and yes there was so much of it left over and I thought Yeah, more for me! I can't live without my greens any more, I just can't my body cries out for it.

Papa J, Mark, Rick and Chris Nichols

Around the table: Rick's Tofurky is right after those green sparkling celery sticks

Nina and Savi

We had such a fun time. The food was great and everyone ate to their fill. I hope they also ate to their health. There were smiles everywhere and I was so thankful that we have such wonderful friends who let us join them on this wonderful celebration. You can share a table with your non-vegan friends and family and get along great with everyone respecting each other's choice of food. That's what makes the world go round.

The evening ended with much more fun as we played the Family Feud game. It was the Jenkins against the Lakota-Nichols, can't remember who won this one but having the kids involved--even little Savi and Nina--made it so enjoyable.

The last rounds was for the adults and teens only and it was men against women and you know how this went down, women won!!!!! We have to give it up to our incomparable judge, Mark Jenkins, who constantly kept us on our toes with very intriguing questions. On the women's team Kyra, 14 and Danielle, 14 saved the day more than once. Kyra especially impressed me with her knowledge all the features on the dollar bill, without her the men would have stolen the game because my Rick--who is super-duper intelligent--was ready for the kill.
Let's not forget David, Danielle's father, who kept coming over to the ladies' side, his sense of humour was infectious. Thanks David! Mama J saved us once or twice and Papa J was the silent audience.

Thanksgiving is all about what the word stands for; giving thanks. Thanks for the wonderful friends and family. Thanks for life, for the breath we breath, thanks for the bounties of a very loving and mighty God, thanks for those things we miss each day, for our spouses and children, for our failures and accomplishments, thanks for good health, eyesight, speech, legs to walk, hands to work, ears to listen, a sane brain to discern and understand, thanks for being able to recognize the things we should be grateful for. That is what Thanksgiving is all about.

We should give thanks everyday!

~B~