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Elise's Raw Pumpkin 'Cheesecake'

I bought/tried the best raw lemon cheesecake at Whole Foods, made by Earth Cafe, over the weekend.  It was so amazing, I wanted to try to recreate it at home. As I was shopping for my ingredients, I couldn't help but notice all of the pumpkins hangin' out in the produce section.  They just looked so beautiful to me, I decided to make a raw pumpkin 'cheesecake' instead.  Boy am I glad I did!  I love pumpkins anyway you prepare them, but this is definitely one of my  favorite recipes.  It's pretty amazing what you can do with raw food!


Ingredients
3 1/2 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup medjool dates, pits removed
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
6 tablespoons coconut oil
1 vanilla bean, split the pod and use the seeds only (I like to save the pod and boil it in a pot full of water with a cinnamon stick and some cloves for an amazing room freshener that can be used over and over.)
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon ginger

Directions
1.  Soak the cashews in water for 4-5 hours in the refrigerator.
2.  Once they've soaked, measure out 2 cups of the cashews and place in a food processor with the dates and chop until the mixture is the texture of cookie crumbs.
3.  Remove the mixture and press into a pie pan and set aside.
4.  Place the remaining cashews in a blender along with the rest of your ingredients.
5.  Blend until smooth.  If you don't have a Vitamix, which I don't, just blend until you start to smell the blender's motor burning.  (I'm hoping Santa will bring a Vitamix for Christmas... hint, hint - Dr. J)
6.  Once the texture is smooth, pour it into your pie crust and place your 'cheesecake' in the freezer.
7.  Before you want to serve, allow your 'cheesecake' to partially thaw on our counter or in the fridge.  Slice while it is still partially frozen.

 

Comments

Ok, to everyone reading these comments...Elise brought some over for me and it is AMAZING! I am in love with this redcipe!
Girl, you are SO talented!!!
Vegan In The VI said…
It's a dessert recipe, room freshner tip and xmas present plea all in one post! Way to multi-task!
aimee said…
I LOVE raw desserts. This is just perfect for the season. I will definitely try this one. Thanks for sharing!
Rose said…
Raw desserts are so interesting. Yours sounds super delicious and healthy too. I really need to try this soon.
Debra said…
Elise, Morgan told me how yummy this dessert was. I love pumpkin so I am definately going to try this. It looks so delicious:) Good job!
Melissa said…
Okay, you're bringing me some, right? Seriously, the recipes your post always look and sound so delicious! You are so talented!

Sarah mentioned you were coming soon. I would love for all of us to get together!

Love you!
jd said…
This sounds absolutely fantastic! And what a happy accident that you were planning to re-create a lemon cheesecake, but ended up with something that was probably even better...

Yum - I can't wait to try it :) Thanks for the recipe!

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