raw cheesecake bites

I’m feeling a little bit patriot today.

I guess that’s because it’s July 1st. July 1st? Can someone please tell me where June went? I want it back. All 30 days of it. Please? I’ll even relive the last three days of school, which isn’t saying much because the last three days of school were wonderful. Not because school was over — those last few days were sad — but because that’s when all the fun stuff happened. Not that school isn’t fun or anything.

We’re getting off topic here.

July is my month. No, really — it is. Happy birthday month to me! Only 22 more days to go until I turn 24 and exit out of my golden birthday year forever. In my mind, July means a lot of things — the first “real” month of summer, the month where all my fun travels are occurring, the month of my anniversary, and the month of 4th of July (obviously).

I’ll spare you some historical referencing to the founding father of the good ‘ole US of A — but if you haven’t already, you should definitely watch 1776. Not only will you learn way more about the men who took charge of our independence from England (sorry British friends). And really — who doesn’t like to see men in tights prancing around singing ridiculous songs?

I tried really hard not to get all “red white and blue” on you  with this dessert here, but I couldn’t help myself.

I tried really hard not to make desserts for you (which really means for me), but I figured it would be okay — because I like cupcakes cheesecake and that made me hungry.

 
When I was little, I always marched with the marching band on the fourth of July. Yes, I marched — complete with a hat and plume. It was quite the sight to see, and I’m glad those days are over. It always rained. Always. There was never a year when I did not get drenched to my bones.

At least I had that plume to keep my green pool bleached hair from getting wet.

 
This year, I’m going to enjoy cheesecake. Lots of cheesecake. And when I say cheesecake, I don’t really mean cheesecake — because there’s not an ounce of cheese in these babies. But they are in miniature form — which automatically means that you’re allowed to eat more of them. Win.

Red, White, and Blue Raw Cheesecake Bites (makes approximately 30 bites) (inspired by RawMazing)

(read the directions the entire way through before making as there are some preparations that need to occur!)

For the cheesecake:

• 2 cups cashews, soaked for 2 hours
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 3-4 strawberries

For the crust:

• 4 dates, soaked for 2 hours
• 1 cup almonds

Directions: Start by soaking your dates and cashews in a large bowl  of water two hours before you plan on making this dessert. After two hours have passed, drain the bowl of water.

To make the crust, combine the dates and almonds in a food processor and pulse until fairly smooth. You will want all of the almonds to be processed into the dates — the crust should be able to hold together easily. Set aside.

Clean your processor and place the cashews, agave, vanilla,coconut oil, and cinnamon into the processor and pulse until very smooth. Since this is the “cheesecake” filling, you don’t want this to be chunky.  Divide this filling into two separate bowls and set aside.

Meanwhile, clean your processor again (seriously — hardest part about this recipe) and puree your fruits separately. Once the blueberries are pureed, add them to one of the bowls of cheesecake filling. Puree the strawberries and do the same with the remaining bowl of cheesecake filling.

Grease a mini muffin pan (or regular sized muffin pan — your cheesecakes will just be bigger) and press a little less than a table spoon of the crust into the tin — make sure you press firmly and the crust is holding together. Then, spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the crust. Repeat this until all of the crust/filling is gone.

Freeze for 1-2 hours and serve within 5-10 minutes of coming out of the freezer.

 
I don’t know about you — but these babies are making me proud to be an American.

 
Which reminds me of a time when my old friend and I sang that at the top of our lungs to my mom in a parking lot. But that’s another story for a different day.

 
At least I wasn’t wearing my plume while singing. Now that — that would have been embarrassing.

I hope everyone has a safe weekend!

Question: What is your favorite 4th of July themed food?

Tagged as: cheesecake, cheesecake bites, dessert, fourth of july, fruit cheesecake, holidayspecial diet, raw food, recipe, vegan