Hi everyone! It is the holiday season which is exciting for so many of us! I know during this time the junk food sales increase including candy and chocolate and then most people create New Years Resolutions to start over and be healthy. Well why put ourselves through the torture of poisoning ourselves when we really don’t have to? Seriously! We are living in the day and age where we CAN have our desserts and eat them too! We can now make delicious desserts that are ALSO packed with nutrients. Here are some of my favorite, enjoy them with your friends and family!
Classic Cashew Cheesecake with Almond Crust
This is a great holiday recipe, easy to make, and great to take to your friends house! This is a recipe from the new Earth Diet book 2014.
Total time: 3 hours to soak nuts, 25 minutes preparation, 4 hours freezing
Serves: 16 slices
Ingredients:
For the base:
4 cups almond meal
5 tablespoons maple syrup (or raw honey)
For the cheesecake filling:
1/2 cup lemon juice (approx 2 large lemons)
3 cups cashews, soaked in water for 3 hours
3/4 cup maple syrup (or raw honey)
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Action:
1. Make the base. In a bowl, combine the almond meal and maple syrup. The mixture should be dry, but moist enough to hold together. Turn the base mixture into a deep pie dish (2 1/2 quarts) and press evenly to cover the bottom and sides of dish. Set aside.
2. Make the cheesecake filling, put all the ingredients in a powerful blender and blend filling is very smooth and light in texture. There should be no chunks at all. Pour the filling into prepared crust.
3. Freeze for 4 hours. Once set, cut into slices and serve.
Tips:
1. You can make it without soaking the nuts, but soaking makes it creamier and easier to blend.
2. The cheesecake is ready to eat as soon as you make it, it will be soft and lush once blending is finished, you can always eat it right away, but setting it in the freezer allows it to get hard.
3. You can store this in your freezer for 8 weeks or fridge for 4 weeks – if it lasts that long!
4. You could use walnuts or macadamia nuts as the base for a crunchier texture.
5. To make a smaller cheesecake halve the recipe.
6. You can also make mini cheesecakes.
Benefits:
- Vegan
- Refined sugar free
- Dairy free
- High in protein
- Increases energy
- High in Anti-oxidants
- Can aid weight loss
- Helps relieve holiday stress!
Nutrition facts:
Calories: 368 (who cares about the calories if it provides us with nutrition?)
Total Fat: 28g
Carbohydrate: 23g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Protein: 7g
This recipe was created by Liana Werner-Gray.
Photo thanks to Roxxe NYC Photography at the very first ALL YOU CAN EAT event by The Earth Diet in New York with Liana Werner-Gray. Ingredients thanks to Wild By Nature in Huntington.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
So quick, so easy, 3 ingredients!!!
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves: One or many
Ingredients:
100g (3/4 cup) unmelted cacao butter
3 tablespoons cacao powder
2 cups strawberries
Action:
1. On very low heat (or use double boiler) melt the cacao butter (About 5-9 minutes).
2. When the cacao butter is melted, add the cacao powder and stir well until combined.
3. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate mixture (you can dip them right into the saucepan), and place them on baking paper (so they don’t stick) on a plate
4. Put in fridge for 10 minutes until chocolate is hard! (Or eat them with the melted chocolate – yum!)
Tip:
The chocolate will be bitter, but when you bite into the Chocolate Covered Strawberry, the strawberries will provide the sweetness, the chocolate will be bitter dark chocolate! So if you want a sweeter chocolate add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to the chocolate mixture.
Benefits:
+ 3 ingredients
+ Ridiculously simple and quick
+ Vegan
+ Superhigh in anti-oxidants
+ Boosts immune system
+ Good for depression and anxiety
+ High in vitamins including vitamin C
+ Aids weight loss
+ Refined sugar free
+ Dairy free
This recipe was created by Liana Werner-Gray.
Photo thanks to Roxxe NYC Photography.
Other delicious holiday healthy recipes from The Earth Diet:
* Every single recipe from The Earth Diet uses nature’s ingredients only. Always choose organic, local and seasonal whenever possible.
Love,
Liana
Chat with me here: www.facebook.com/lianawernergray
Liana Werner-Gray
Author of The Earth Diet Book
Designed by: Salvatore Fiteni
This is part of © 2013 The Earth Diet, Inc. ™ All Rights Reserved