Vegan | Gluten-free | Soy-free

I’m a big fan of coconut treats, and this recipe ticks all the boxes: simple, few ingredients & cost effective. They’re not raw, but they don’t require any baking, and they come together with only 6 ingredients. Most importantly, they are intensely, supremely satisfying, seriously addictive and take minutes to whip up! Once you bite into these chewy coconut bars you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about!

Are these Coconut Bars healthy?

Amazingly, yes! They contain lots of good fats: desiccated coconut, coconut cream, coconut oil & nuts.

But what about the sugar?

For this recipe, I used date syrup, which is less sweet than agave, honey, or maple syrup. Its benefits include low-Glycemic index food, high fiber content, & 78% invert sugar. However, if you can’t find date sugar, natural maple syrup will work just fine.

Variations:

• Trade the macadamia nuts for cashews or almonds
• Cover the bars in chocolate to create vegan mound bars!
• Try adding dried berries to the mix: cranberries or goji berries

Keep them in the fridge and serve straight from there. They will stay fresh for a week (or even longer) when kept stored in a covered container, though let’s face it, they will never last that long!

Recipe: Macadamia-Coconut Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• ½ cup raw macadamia nuts
• ½ cup raw cashews
• ⅓ cup coconut cream
• Optional: 4 tbsp coconut oil
• Optional: date, agave or maple syrup (to taste)

Procedure:

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor.
2. Line 8×4 pan with parchment paper & press down coconut mix.
3. Place in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes and let set.
4. Remove from fridge & cut into bars.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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Dairy-free | Gluten-free | Soy-free| No-bake

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, the day to celebrate all of the fall foods, especially pumpkins. I figured out the most decadent fall dessert to let the season go with a bang! This would make the perfect dessert for holiday parties and fall gatherings.

Last week I shared my Vegan Thanksgiving recipes, and I promised that this week was going to be all about the dessert. So, here it is Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake! Back in high school, I discovered how perfect pumpkin pie is; no joke I could eat half of that Costco pie. But all that dairy and sugar? The perfect recipe for a tummy ache.

This year I wanted to try to make it, but I have to admit, I’m no pie baker. I definitely still need some practice. So I thought what else can I make, that it’s not traditional?

After seeing how successful my No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake was, I knew I had to make a fall version. Now, the idea of a vegan cheesecake is nothing new, I know. However, in all of the cashew cheesecake experimentation I’ve done so far through my vegan journey, I haven’t touched on pumpkin yet. And so, Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake was born! Creamy, rich, subtly spiced, and just the right amount of sweetness, filled with good healthy fats, protein, and fiber!

Oh, and did I mention that this is a no-bake recipe? Yup, just assemble the crust, blend the filling ingredients, and pop in the freezer for a couple of hours.

Now, let’s talk about the crust. I got two words for you: scrumptious & comforting. For this, I decided to go off the beaten path and created a crust by combining nuts, berries, and dates, making this cheesecake crust naturally sweet and hearty. However, you can totally try this with a more traditional graham cracker crust or make another creative crust, make it your own!

This was a hit among my family, my mom even said that this might be my best dessert yet!

The best part? You can have it for breakfast without an inch of guilt. Instead of having a slice with heavy dairy and sugar, you’ll have nuts, maple syrup & coconut. I hope you’ll love this as much as much as I did! 

Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• ½ cup cranberries
• 1 cup medjool dates, pitted
• 1 cup walnuts
• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• Optional: ½ cup coconut flakes
• Pinch of sea salt

Cheesecake Filling:

• 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked & drained
• 1 lemon, juiced (approx. 2 Tbsp)
• ⅓  cup light or full-fat coconut milk
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• ½ cup maple syrup or light agave nectar (plus more to taste)
• ⅓  cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• cinnamon, to taste
• Pinch sea salt

Optional Toppings:

• Coconut whipped cream
• Cranberries
• Cherries (my fave)
• More cinnamon
• Pumpkin seeds

Procedure:

1. Line an 8″ diameter x 2.4″ depth Springform Pan (or 8×8 removable bottom pan) with parchment paper.
2. To a food processor, add dates and cranberries and blend until it forms a ball. Remove and set aside.
3. Then add the walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes and salt to food processor and process into a meal. Add back the dates and blend until a loose dough forms – it should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. Tip: if too crumbly, add a few more dates,  if too sticky, add more nuts.
4. Add the crust dough to the pan, and press down with fingers to evenly distribute or use the back of a spoon to press down firmly. Also allow some of the crust to come up the sides, evenly. Set in the freezer.
5. After the cashews are soaked and drained, add to food processor with the other filling ingredients and blend until very smooth; this might take 3-5 minutes. If you find that the mixture is too thick or you have some trouble blending, add some more coconut milk.
6. After it’s completely smooth, taste and adjusts flavor/sweetness to your preference. Here you can add a bit more pumpkin puree, cinnamon, vanilla and/or maple syrup.
7. Pour filling into your parchment-lined pan. Tap a few times to release any air bubbles, then cover loosely with plastic wrap or aluminum paper and freeze until firm; for about 4-6 hours, depending on the size of the dish.
8. Once set, leave out of the freezer for a couple of minutes before serving, to soften up a bit.
9. Serve with your favorite toppings. I chose frozen cherries, and it was heaven!
10. Store leftovers in the freezer for 7-10 days, though let’s be honest, it will not last that long.
11. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

The post Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake appeared first on VeggieJeva.

There is no dessert more perfect for spring than cheesecake! Have you tried vegan cheesecake yet? I’ve been on a cashew recipe kick lately – I can’t seem to get enough of those! I just can’t get my head around the smooth and creamy filling, made from cashews, that results after a few minutes in the food processor.

The first time that I tried cashew cheesecake was for Thanksgiving, right after the electricity returned to my house. It turned out amazing, but it had Oreos in them, and I still wanted to make this recipe as healthy as possible.It’s kind of amazing, cashews, after being soaked in warm water for a couple of hours, transform into the most magically smooth and creamy paste. I’ll admit I was highly skeptical that cheesecake made with cashews, coconut milk, agave nectar and lemon juice could create anything that even compared to the real deal.

Vegan Cheesecake is completely delicious on its own, however, I love chocolate and I will add chocolate to everything that it can be added to. So, I present to you my completely vegan chocolate cheesecake bars, complete with a scrumptious oat & nut crust.

Tips:

• There are three ways to soften cashews: soaked in cold water overnight, soaked in warm water for 3-4 hours, or microwaving them in water for three minutes, for a quicker option.
• Use raw nuts and oats to keep the recipe gluten-free.
• I recommend you use a powerful food processor or blender for this recipe to achieve that super soft creamy texture.
• These bars can be eaten frozen for a more “ice cream” type of texture, or thawed for a softer texture.
• These are completely no-bake, it should last you in the freezer a good two weeks; but let’s be honest, the bars will be gone waaaay before that.

Recipe: No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup oats
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• Agave nectar, to taste

Filling:

• 1 ½ cups cashews, softened
• 1 cup coconut milk (use more, if needed for desired thickness)
• ¼  cup agave, or to taste
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• Juice of one lemon
• ½ cup non-dairy chocolate chips, melted
• Optional: cacao nibs

Toppings:

• Chocolate chips
• optional: cacao nibs

Procedure

1. Lightly grease 8×8 pan with coconut oil
2. In a food processor, blend all of the crust ingredients together. Press the mixture into prepared pan.
3. Blend softened cashews with coconut milk until completely smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend in the melted chocolate chips.
4. Pour on the crust, top with more chocolate chips and/or cacao nibs.
5. Place in freezer for about 6 hours; thaw for 10 mins before eating.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

The post No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Bars appeared first on VeggieJeva.