The Perfect Guilt Free Cheesecake Recipe
Before you get too excited, this delectable ice cream -like treat is free of refined sugar (kindof), is made with whole ingredients you probably have in your pantry and is not made with dairy of any sort. It's also worthy of the word scrumptious. Yes, I pulled scrumptious out from the pile of Bridgerton $50 words just for this occasion. And if scrumptious isn't something you're wanting to say out loud, you can try, "OMG! This is so good!" You could probably eat the whole thing yourself and not feel the slightest amount of guilt about it. Believe me, I tried.
Guilt Free You Say?
Sure. Bear in mind, this was a test recipe that simply worked. I made it at 3am with ingredients I had in my pantry. The crust is raw almonds, medjool dates, some gluten free oats and a splash of chia seeds. The lemon "cheesecake" part is made with a (very clean) whole frozen lemon (yes, skin and all) (also, I do not know if the lemon must be frozen, I was going to make lemon ice cream and my plans morphed), half a small can of sweetened condensed coconut milk, a splash of water and a handful of raw cashews for creaminess. The purple cuteness on top is literally fresh blackberry puree (used the last corner of the coconut condensed milk, raw cashews and some water for a quick glaze to swirl in the puree). All together I count 9 ingredients. All you need to make this is a blender or a food processor and it doesn't require an oven. On top of being easy to whip up and perfect for warmer sweet tooth weather, it's perfect for anything you require a quick dessert for (keeping in mind it needs a few hours in the freezer to set up). The recipe below is from eyeball memory. Feel free to adjust to your preference.
Eat an Entire Lemon (no bake) "Cheesecake" Bars:
Make crust first
6-8 soft, pitted medjool dates (depending on how sweet and chewy you're into)
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup gluten free oats
2 TBS chia seeds
Process in blender or food processor until all ingredients are well combined and can easily be pressed onto the bottom of your small, square baking dish, set aside. Note: the bigger the dish, the thinner the crust. I like mine thick :)
Make the "cheesecake"
In blender or food processor add:
1 large washed, quartered, frozen whole lemon (see note above)
1/4 can of sweetened condensed coconut milk -or more or less if you like (yes you can sub reg coconut milk and use another kind of sweetener of your choice)
1/4-1/2 cup raw cashews
add splashes of water at a time until thick, smooth and creamy consistency (like cheesecake batter)
Pour lemon batter over crust, smooth out with knife or spoon
Make the blackberry glaze
In same blender or food processor (no need to wash it -use all that goodness) add:
1/4 cup coconut condensed milk
1/4 cup raw cashews
splashes of water until smooth and thin like a cake glaze
pour over lemon batter, smooth.
puree blackberries and pour over top of the glaze. With a knife or toothpick, make swirls to mix the blackberries with the glaze until you feel giddy with joy.
Cover dish and freeze for an hour or two until its set up. You can cut into squares and enjoy or cut into squares and put back in freezer for several more hours if you'd like the full ice cream experience.
Eat in one sitting by yourself. Share with friends whilst binging Bridgerton or enjoy over the course of maybe a week. Reminder: this was a test recipe. Next time I make it, I'll take pics of each step and add them to this page.
If you make this, take pics and tag me on the Lite 98.7 IG page