Tag: vegan 4th of july

Vegan Macadamia Nut Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Vegan Macadamia Nut Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
Vegan Macadamia Nut Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Happy Fourth of July! This is a delightful summer recipe perfect for cooling off at the end of the day. The base is similar to my Key Lime Pie Cheesecake, but the macadamia nuts make it richer with an almost white chocolate feel to it. The raspberry sauce is a good contrast with its bright fruitiness brings the proper balance to the dish.

Vegan Macadamia Nut Cheesecake

 Ingredients

  • For the crust
  • 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (1 sleeve of whole graham crackers-make sure they are vegan) I used the blender to grind them into crumbs
  • 1 TBL brown sugar
  • 3 1/2 TBL vegan butter, melted
  • For the cheesecake filling
  • 1 cup roasted, unsalted macadamia nuts
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup coconut milk (full fat from a can)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp pure almond extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325.
  2. Prepare muffin pan with 12 liners.
  3. Mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and vegan butter in a bowl until combined.
  4. Divide evenly into prepared muffin tin.
  5. Press crumbs down into pan with the bottom of a cup or you fingers.
  6. Bake 6-8 minutes until lightly golden.
  7. Cool completely.
  8. While crust is cooling, place macadamia nuts and cashews in a small saucepan and cover with water.
  9. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes.
  10. Drain and set aside.
  11. In the container of a high powered blender combine the coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract salt, and agave and blend until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
  12. Add the cooked and drained nuts to the blender. Start your blender on a low speed and slowly turn it up to high, then blend on high for 1 minute until completely smooth.
  13. Divide batter evenly over the prepared crust.
  14. Freeze for at least 3 hours before serving. Store in the freezer and allow them to thaw about 20 minutes on the counter before eating for the best texture.
  15. Top with Raspberry sauce before serving.

Raspberry Sauce

 Ingredients

  • 3 cups frozen raspberries
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3 TBL agave nectar

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
  2. Cook, stirring frequently, until the raspberries are soft and falling apart, and the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes.
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Refined Sugar Free Cinnamon Muffins + Vegan 4th of July Ideas

Cinnamon Banana Whole Grain Muffins- Refined Sugar Free
Cinnamon Banana Whole Grain Muffins- Refined Sugar Free

This pregnancy thing is kicking my butt again. I have to be super careful of what I eat avoiding: acidic, fatty, and spicy foods. Even the good fats were sending my body into a tizzy! So here i sa delicious, low-fat, sugar-free, whole grain muffin to satisfy. I’m not going to lie, I was surprised at how well these turned out! They are moist, flavorful, sweet, and really don’t taste “healthy”! I’m planning on experimenting with the addition of berries and the like as the base for these is just so wonderful.

Due to the lack of fat these will only keep on the counter for about 2 days, then you should freeze them and thaw as desired.

These really are a perfect start to your 4th of July celebrations as they are easy to make, ready for snacking throughout the day, and healthy. If you are looking for something a bit more traditional for the 4th, I have a few ideas:

Whole Grain Cinnamon Muffins- Refined Sugar Free

Makes number of servings (yield): 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unbleached flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup oat flour (I ground rolled oats into flour)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup nondairy milk
  • 2 TBL aquafaba (liqid from a can of beans- Garbonzo, white, black, pinto, whatever)
  • 1/2 a large very ripe banana, mashed
  • 2 TBL coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray.
  2. Mix together dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in a large bowl.
  3. Mix the apple cider vinegar and nondairy milk and set aside for a few minutes.
  4. In a small bowl whisk the aquafaba until just foamy, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add aquafaba, mashed banana, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, and milk/vinegar mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  6. Divide batter evenly into 12 prepared muffin cups.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

Summer has arrived, and with it my desire to eat strawberries and whipped cream as often as possible! This is a lovely vegan version of strawberry shortcake. As you know, I’m not into super sweet desserts so this does not call for a lot of sugar. If you like it sweet, just add more.

We are keeping it super simple here with a tweaked version of my drop biscuits, and coconut whipped cream.  It is best to make the strawberries a few hours ahead of time so the sugar dissolves and they become nice and juicy. The coconut whipped cream can be made a day or so in advance, as can the shortcake if you are planning these for a busy day.

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

Makes 4 large servings

 Ingredients

Strawberries

  • 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries (about 1 lb)
  • 2-4 TBL granulated sugar (depending on how sweet strawberries are, and how sweet you like it)

Shortcake

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 TBL baking powder
  • 1 TBL granualted sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup nondairy milk

Whipped Cream

Instructions

  1. Mix the sliced strawberries and sugar in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until time to serve and at least one hour.
  2. For the biscuits
  3. Preheat oven to 350.
  4. Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar) in a medium bowl.
  5. Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry blender.
  6. Stir in milk a little at a time until batter is sticky.
  7. shape dough into 4 equal shortcakes on an un-greased cookie sheet.
  8. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes until golden brown.
  9. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. I do like them warm, but fully cooled is also fine.
  10. To assemble
  11. Split the biscuits in half placing them in a bowl.
  12. Top liberally with strawberries and juice, then finish with a generous dollop of coconut whipped cream.
  13. Serve immediately!