Blueberry raw cheesecake bites

 Good day from Steamboat, Colorado! After months of self work and all sorts of sojourns in the jungles and high altitude paradises of Central America, Delicananda travel fever has brought me to the land of plenty. I am so grateful to have found a wonderful place in Steamboat Springs to take my cooking and baking adventures further and finally get to spend long hours in the kitchen again. And even though Steamboat has an insane amount of wonderful outdoor activities to offer, I've found myself stuck in the kitchen more often than not. I've just missed cooking and baking so much that all else comes second. But I have managed to get my butt to some yoga classes and hikes, and even some wonderful 4th of July camping and river shenanigans. So all hope of making me into a river rat isn't lost. But you wanted some yummies, I hear? Let's get on with it!

Combing through the backlog of stuff I've made in the first couple of days, I chose to start the sharing with these cutesy little things. I wanted to ease my way back into the wonderful land of raw treats with a recipe that wasn't too demanding or didn't require a ridiculous amount of equipment or fancy ingredients. And what with gobbling up all blueberries I could get my hands on after being deprived of my favourite berry for so long, this lovely recipe from one of my favourite blogs Comfy belly was an almost self-evident way to get the raw ball rolling again, so to say.

I halved the recipe and made some modifications, and used a loaf pan to make the cake. You could use a springform, or whatever suits your fancy. I chose to cut the deliciousness into small bite size pieces, but you could make bars, or use cookie cutters to make little hearts or unicorns or whatever your heart desires. The choices are endless :)

The base was a tad too sweet for my liking, but everyone else seemed to think it was wonderful. So, if your sweet tooth isn't as sweet, you could get away with less maple syrup. I also added a middle layer of lightly salted and roasted seeds for extra crunch and a tad of saltiness, which I always love and adore in my sweets. I made cashew yoghurt at the same time with the cake, so the amount of cashews called for in this recipe is the soaked amount, and since I sadly still haven't figured out how much cashews expand when soaked, I can't really tell how much dry cashews you should use. But that's the wonderful thing about raw baking: you're not going to have a disaster in your hands even if you use a slightly different amount of ingredients. Something I really appreciate especially after my first few attempts at regular baking in high altitude that turned out... well, interesting ;). Trial and error, eh?

Blueberry raw cheesecake

Base

1 c almond meal

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cacao powder

3 tbsp maple syrup 

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted


Middle layer

roasted and lightly salted pumpkin and sunflower seeds 


Cake layer

1,3 c soaked cashews

0,4 dl (a bit over a half of 1/3 cup :D) coconut oil, melted

0,4 dl lime juice 

dash of salt

2,5 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Topping

fresh blueberries 


Mix all base ingredients in a bowl. Adjust sweetness if necessary. Pat the dough into a pan of choice.

Sprinkle seeds on top.

Blend all cake layer ingredients until smooth. Spread onto the base.

Sprinkle blueberries on top and press lightly into the cake mass.

Freeze until set (4-ish hours), cut up and gobble up!
  

Raw brownie bites

I was originally supposed to return from my Asia trip in July, but in the end the choice between one more month in Asia and a longer summer in Europe was an easy one. Especially Finland is amazing in the summer: there's nothing quite like the light summer nights, the rich and fresh smell of the forest after the rain and the possibility to spend some time at the summer house. Such peace and quiet is hard to find anywhere else.

Midnight

The cooking and baking facilities at the summer house are of course a bit more modest than in the city, so I came prepared: I blended some nuts already before we left and only planned to make something that needed minimal time in the kitchen and minimal amount of washing-up.

Raw brownies seemed like an excellent way to give some rich counterbalance to the fresh berries, salad and smoked fish we were having. And the dollop of sweet and creamy coconut whipped cream didn't exactly ruin the lovely little squares, either. Have I mentioned, how I'm a complete coconut junkie? Well, if I haven't then now you know. Hi, I'm Lilje, and I'm a coconut-holic. Give it to me in every form and consistency and I'll gobble it up like there's no tomorrow. In fact, I'm sipping coconut water as I write this post, and there's a new delicacy waiting to be blogged about in the fridge, where one of the main ingredients is coconut oil. But there are worse things to be hooked on than coconut, right? (Ok yes let's not mention chocolate in this context now, shall we?)

But I digress. Back to the brownies. They were really really good, and the yield of the recipe is perfect for a couple of days snacking for 2 people or a little sample for more people. I chose to make the brownies bite sized since they are quite rich, which was a good decision (and then you can have more pieces! Yay!) And the coconut cream really is a very nice addition, highly recommended.

The recipe is, surprise surprise, again from Syötävän hyvä. That girl is a powerhouse when it comes to amazing recipes and lovely food photography. Enjoy!

Raw brownies

(about 9 small squares)

Brownies

1 dl pecan nuts

a generous dl fresh, pitted dates

3 tbsp raw cacao powder

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

a dash of salt

Topping

0,5 dl fresh, pitted dates

1 tbsp raw cacao powder

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

ca. 2 tbsp water

Throw the nuts into a blender and blend till small but not yet powdery. Add dates, cacao powder and coconut oil and blend to a soft mass. I used a hand mixer, since I hate using blenders for date mixes (it just never works!). Also the hand mixer had a little hard time with the heavy mass, so if you have a small food processor attachment to your hand mixer, that might be the best option. Sweeten if desired, but the dates give ample sweetness in my opinion. Press the mass to the bottom of a rectangular/square dish.

Prepare the topping by mushing the ingredients together with a hand mixer. Add water till the consistency is spreadable-soft but not runny. Spread on top of the brownie mass. Put in the freezer until set (about an hour). Cut into cubes and store in the fridge. Serve with whipped coconut cream! 

Mango-lime raw cake

More "baking" in the paradise! Soooo good, this cake. Except it needs a little more lime, note to self for the next batch. And the mango puree on top isn't necessary, as it is kind of overwhelming to the poor subtle lime flavour. The taste is super fresh and yummy, and the consistency really good (read: doesn't fall apart or melt in the fridge after freezing). Recipe from here with slight modifications.

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Lisää paratiisisaarikokkailua, olkaatten hyvät. Ihan sairaan hyvää! Paitsi että ens kerralla vielä lisää limeä. Ja päälle ei välttis tartte kuvassa olevaa mangososetta, se pistää hennon limen hukkumaan vielä enemmän. Mutta niin, sanoinko jo että aivan älyttömän raikasta ja hyvää. Ja pysyy koossa myös jääkaapissa jäädytyksen jälkeen. Resepti täältä hieman modattuna.

Mango, lime and coconut raw cake

Crust

1 cup raw almonds

¾ cup pitted fresh dates (mine were dryish, so ended up using 1,5 cup)

½ cup unsweeneted fine coconut (not available, subbed with oat flakes)

• ½ tsp lime zest (wanna use more next time)
• 
  

Cake mass

2 cups cashews, soaked at least 1 hour, drained and rinsed

¼ cup fresh lime juice (more next time)

1 cup fresh mango (used 2 cups to get more flavour)

• ¼ cup maple syrup (subbed with honey/coconut syrup)

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup canned coconut milk


To make the crust, place the almonds, dates, coconut (oat flakes) and lime zest in a food processor and process until it forms a dough.

1. Press the dough into the bottom of a 20 cm springform pan (or try your luck with a normal pan, like I did).
2. To make the cake, place the cashews, lime juice, mango, syrup/honey, coconut oil and coconut milk in a food processor and mix well, stopping to scrape down the sides.
3. Continue to blend until it's very smooth.
4. Pour into the pan on top of the crust.
5. Place in the freezer and let set for at least 3 hours.
6. Let thaw for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Suklaa-banaanineliöt

Kevät toi kevät toi raakaneliöitä! Tietty gluteenittomiakin. Viimevuotisen Thaimaanreissun jälkeen makunystyröissäni on majaillut muisto täydellisestä suklaa-avokado-banaanikakusta. Reseptejä googlaillessani löysin sitten tällaiset neliöiset, ja vaikka näistä nyt ei ihan makumuiston mukaisia tullutkaan, niin aika älyttömän hyvä kuitenkin. Mutta mikä tärkeintä: kaikenlaisen mahaongelmailun ja hiivasyndrooman korjausdieetin myötä makeusaineettoman (kyllä, myös taatelit kielletty...) ajan jälkeen tuntui melkoisen ihanalta päästä takaisin keittiöhommiin!

Tässä ensimmäinen kuvaamisen arvoinen tuotos: ihanat banaani-suklaaneliöt. Ensi kerralle voisi tuunailla reseptiä vielä lisäämällä kaakaojauhetta, banaani puskee niin selvästi läpi että suklaakerros vaatisi omaan makuun lisää suklaisuutta. Mutta eihän nämä nyt silleen varsinaisesti pahoja olleet, arvaatte varmaan ;)

Raa'at suklaa-banaanineliöt

Suklaapohja

1 kypsä avokado

1/2 kypsä banaani

0,5 dl sulaa kookosöljyä

3 Medjool-taatelia

2 rkl raakakaakaojauhetta

1 rkl sitruunamehua

ripaus vaniljaa

Kuori avokado, poista kivi ja lusikoi hedelmäliha blenderiin. Sulata kookosöljy vesihauteessa. Poista taateleista kivet ja lisää kaikki loput raaka-aineet blenderiin. Alkuperäisessä ohjeessa kehotetaan valmistamaan suklaataikina kaksinkertaisena, jotta se pyörisi blenderissä paremmin. Niin tein minäkin, mutta laitoin vain yhteensä 4 isoa taatelia. Joka haluaa makeampaa, lisää taateleita. 

Levitä suklaapohja noin 10 x 15 cm astiaan. Jos teit suklaaosan tuplana, voit päättää, minkä suhteen neliöihin haluat. Itse laitoin noin 2/3 koko tuplasatsista, jolloin neliöistä tuli suklaapainotteisia. Valmista sitten banaanitäyte.

Banaanitäyte

2 kypsää banaania

0,5 dl sulaa kookosöljyä

1 rkl sitruunamehua

1 tl kardemummaa (laitoin enemmän, joten maun mukaan)

(1 tl kanelia)

0,5 tl vaniljaa

Vähän jouluiset mausteet joo, mutta kun kanelifani olen, niin lisäilin sitä myös mukaan. Blendaa kaikki ainekset blenderissä tasaiseksi taikinaksi ja kaada suklaatäytteen päälle. Pakasta 1-2 tuntia ja leikkaa terävällä veitsellä neliöiksi. Säilytä neliöt pakastimessa.