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Marissa Nieves, Lifestyle Coach and Sports Model provides clear avenues to success in health and fitness ! Follow us on Blogger to kick start or maintain your best life !!


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Marissa

Monday, August 27, 2012

Cheesecake your body will love !

Love a good cheesecake but don't like the added sugars and fats they give you? Hmm.



Whenever I start a Pure Life Fitness program, I am faced with concerned clients who are worried about how they are going to attend their next social function without being tempted by unhealthy food.
 
I find many people either trying to adapt their nutritional lives around certain events (I'll be good this week because next week is a right off) or feel left out when they attend a party. Time and time again I hear..
 
"I can't go to a party and not eat the food, it's rude!", "I'll be hungry and wont be able to survive the night. I will need to eat something".
 
The truth is your family and friends will be happy to see you whether you eat at the event or not (chances are they probably wont even notice). I always eat at home before I go out and often take a great party trick along with me (a great raw dessert). Most of the time (with the exception of my 1st raw carrot cake), the plate is empty before I can even put it down!
 
I have never felt left out or isolated because I eat healthy. In fact, it's quite the opposite. People are often interested in what I do and I often find myself at parties playing tag with other health professionals (or like minded individuals) answering health-related questions. People love to know how they can create a better life for themselves by looking and feeling great.. it increases their quality of life and level of happiness.
 
Truth be told, sugar of any kind in large quantities can have damaging effects to the body and a huge downfall of the RAW revolution is that refined sugars are not only being "replaced" by natural sugars but I'm finding raw recipes are  increasingly becoming sugar "based" meals.
 
For those who ask me.. if you feel like a cheesecake, what do you do? Here is the answer. It isn't often that I crave sweets or sugary foods as my body is generally getting all the nutrients it requires to satisfy it completely.
 
However, often I do feel like sharing in festivities with friends and family and I will go about making a lovely raw and unprocessed gift for the party.
 
Competitive runner Amy, has shared some of her gorgeous vegan raw cheesecake recipes below.
 
Check out more of Amy's creations at www.fragrantvanillacake.blogspot.com

"A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools".
(Spanish Proverb)
 
Raw Blackberry Lemon/Lavender Cheesecake

 
Ingredients
 
Crust
 
3/4 cup hazelnuts
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3 soft medjool dates, pitted and chopped
 
Filling
2 1/2 cups raw cashews (preferably soaked overnight)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1/3 cup plus 3 Tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp coconut oil (warmed to liquid)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract and seeds from half a vanilla bean (other half reserved for topping)
2 Tbsp organic dried lavender flowers
1 cup fresh organic blackberries
 
Blackberry Puree
 
1/4 cup blackberries
1 Tbsp agave nectar
Cream Topping

1/2 cup raw cashew pieces (preferably soaked overnight)
1/2 cup cococut water
3/4 cup fresh young coconut meat* (or additional soaked cashews if not available)
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla and seeds of half a vanilla bean (the other half of the one you used for the filling)
1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed to liquid)


 
 
Directions
 
To prepare the crust, spray a 6 inch spring form pan with nonstick spray. Process hazelnuts and sea salt in a food processor until the hazelnuts are fine crumbs, then add the dates and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers.
 
Firmly press crust into the bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.
 
To make filling, drain cashews and combine them with lemon juice, and zest, agave nectar, coconut oil, sea salt and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Remove the filling from the food processor, stir in lavender and divide evenly between 2 bowls. Place half back into the food processor and add 1 cup blackberries.
 
Puree until smooth and scrape back in the bowl. For the blackberry puree, using an immersion blender (or you can rinse out the food processor) combine the 1/4 cup blackberries and 1 Tbsp agave nectar and puree until smooth. Drop the filling alternating between the vanilla and blackberry in about 3 tbspful amounts over crust in pan, until all is used up, sort of in a checkerboard fashion. Tap on the counter to level (keeping pan level). 
 
Drop some of the puree in teaspoonful amounts over the top of the cake (reserving some for serving) and swirl with a knife to create marbling. Place in the freezer until it is set, 6 hours about. After that store in the fridge until ready to top.
To make topping, drain cashews and blend all ingredients until smooth in a food processor, and set in the freezer about 30 minutes until a frosting consistency. Place in a pastry bag and pipe decoratively on top of the cheesecake. Store in the fridge when not enjoying.
Strawberry Key Lime Cheesecake
 
 
 
 
Ingredients

3/4 cup pecans
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3 soft medjool dates, pitted and chopped


Filling

2 1/2 cups cashews (preferably soaked overnight), divided
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp organic lime zest
1/3 cup plus 3 Tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp coconut oil (warmed to liquid)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract and seeds from half a vanilla bean (other half reserved for topping)
a few spinach leaves (to color green if desired)
1 cup fresh organic strawberries

Cream Topping

1/4 cup raw cashew pieces (preferably soaked overnight)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp fresh young coconut meat
1 tablespoons agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla and seeds of half a vanilla bean (the other half from the filling)
2 Tbsp coconut oil (warmed to liquid)
 
Directions
 
Spray a six inch spring form pan with coconut oil spray (or other oil spray) and set aside.

To prepare the crust, process pecans and sea salt in a food processor until the pecans are fine crumbs, then add the dates and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Firmly press crust into the bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.
 
 


To make filling, drain cashews and combine them with lime juice and zest, agave nectar, coconut oil, sea salt and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Remove the filling from the food processor and divide evenly between 2 bowls.  Place half back into the food processor and add the spinach leaves to tint green and process until smooth and uniform, scrape back into the bowl and rinse out food proocessor. 
 
Stir 1 cup strawberries into the other half of the filling and place back in the processor.  Puree until smooth.  Drop the filling alternating between the lime and strawberry (in about 3 tbspful amounts) over crust in pan until all is used up, sort of in a checkerboard fashion.
 
Tap on the counter to level (keeping pan level) and swirl with a knife to create marbling.  Place in the freezer or fridge until it is set, 4 hours or overnight (overnight in the fridge, but the freezer might get too hard after a few hours).
 
To make topping, drain cashews and blend all ingredients until smooth in a food processor, and set in the freezer about 30 minutes until a frosting consistency. Place in a pastry bag and pipe decoratively on top of the cheesecake.
 
Committed to your success,

Marissa

www.marissanieves.com



1 comment:

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    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting our blog page, be sure to share any information you love with your friends and family. Sending health forward to you ! Marissa xo