Raw Lemon Lime Coconut Cheesecake - Vegan and Gluten-Free

Raw Vegan Lemon Lime Coconut Cheesecake

I won't get long winded on this post... don't hold me to that though.

First off, the photos truly do not give a great representation of how good this was, but since I won't be making another one for a while I figured I might as well post them.  The Arizona sun is just really harsh right now unless you get out there at a certain time without it melting everything.  And indoors, well I just can't seem to get a decent pic.  Anyway, lets move on.

Mark loves lemons and limes, but not cheesecake... at least not traditional cheesecake.  He surely doesn't seem to have a problem eating every last crumb of any of my raw vegan cheesecakes ;)  So I decided to make a double layer of his favorites - one of lemon and the other, you guessed it, lime.  Even though we rarely eat these types of desserts at home, I still like to create them for a splurge and then we share the rest with others.

Speaking of... I sent some with Mark to his work and it was a bigger hit than I expected.  That really made my day!  I sliced up the rest of it and he took it to work this morning. 

Raw Vegan Cheesecake - Lemon Lime Coconut

I really hesitated on posting the above pic, but just imagine taking a bite... taste the freshness of the lemon lime creamy filling and then the coconut nut-free crust... mmmmm.  So good! 


Raw Lemon Lime Coconut Cheesecake
Vegan and Gluten-Free

Crust:
1 1/2 cups dried unsweetened coconut (I used shreds)
1/2 cup flax meal
1 cup medjool dates
pinch of sea salt

In food processor, process a few minutes until well combined.  Mixture will be semi-crumbly.  Put into an 8" springform pan and press down firmly.  Place uncovered in fridge while making the fillings.

Lime Filling:
2 1/4 cups ripe avocados (I used 2 huge jumbo avocados)
Coconut meat from 1 Young Thai Coconut (approximately 1 cup)
Juice from 3 limes
Zest from 2 limes
1/3 cup agave
2 Tbs coconut oil (liquid)
Coconut water as needed

Put all ingredients *except the coconut water* into high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  You'll probably need to use a tamper and work it down or stop the blender and scrape the sides, etc.  The mixture will be thick, but if it seems too thick to blend, add in a small amount of coconut water a little at time. You don't want to thin out the mixture, just enough water to help it blend.

Pour the mixture into the springform pan and place uncovered in the freezer for at least 60-90 minutes.

Lemon Filling:
1 1/2 cups cashews (soaked 6 or more hours, rinse & drain)
Juice and zest from 1 1/2 lemons
3 1/2 Tbs coconut oil (liquid)
*1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/3 cup agave
pinch of sea salt

Add in all ingredients, but start with *1/4 cup of the milk.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  As with the lime mixture, you'll need to tamper down the ingredients.  If needed, add the remaining almond milk.  Mixture will be thick but creamy.

Slowly spoon the mixture on top of the semi-frozen lime mixture and carefully spread it around.  I saved a little of the lime mixture and sort of mixed it in with a little of the lemon mixture on top, but is not necessary. 

Place uncovered in the freezer at least several hours or overnight.  To serve, remove from freezer at least 60 minutes to slice, then let it sit at room temp or in fridge until defrosted.  Time frame varies due to multiple factors.

Enjoy!

Peace☮
Rocki