Berry cheesecake

Last night we did ‘Pot Luck’ dinner with some friends. This involves everyone bringing a dish to contribute to dinner, no one knows what anyone else is bringing so its always a random mish-mash of great things. The brief for this ‘Pot Luck’ dinner was ‘Paleo’ or ‘Vegan’. We ended up with Vegan Sliders, Raw Paleo Pad Thai & 2 amazing Paleo Tarts. A chocolate one & this blueberry one, of course we all had to taste-test everything & just about needed to be rolled out the door afterwards.

Simple, simple, simple. This recipe only has 6 ingredients & is so freaking easy the dog could make it….. Well actually maybe not, the dog does not have opposable thumbs so it would make opening a can of coconut milk near impossible for him. BUT, if he did have opposable thumbs I think he could make it despite not being the brightest crayon in the drawer. Here he is, look at how clever he looks 😉 Check out that burger tongue!

Berries are loaded with antioxidants & the darker the berry, the greater its phytochemical content. Blueberries especially have great anti-inflammatory properties. This recipe has no processed sugar, some great healthy fats & looks freaking spectacular if I do say so myself. You could make a few changes to this and flavor it any way you like. Take out the berries & add some raw cacao & stevia/ maple syrup for a chocolate cheesecake or some lemon juice & zest for a lemon version. Get creative & let me know if you come up with some good substitutions!

Base-
500g dried coconut
1 tbs cinnamon
10-12 fresh dates

Filling
500ml coconut cream (full fat)
2 heaped cups berries (I used blueberries but any berries will work)
1/2 cup chia seeds

In a dry frypan (or low temp oven) lightly toast your coconut & immediately pop into your food processor & blend until a smooth liquid (this is toasted coconut butter). It could take up to 10mins depending on your food processor. Keep scraping down the sides & be patient. Add dates & cinnamon & blend again until smooth. Remove from food processor & set aside in a bowl to cool. Rinse the food processor & add all the filling ingredients & blend until smooth. Pour the coconut butter mix into a flan tin & press into bottom & sides to form an even base. Pour the filling in on top & pop it in the fridge to set for a few hours. You can top it with some more berries if you like. I used pomegranate because they are in season & beautiful right now.