Treat yoself to a mid-day sweet treat with these vegan and gluten-free cheesecake bites.
Hey, where I’m from, it might be -10 outside but you’ll still find me eatig strawberries and summer fruits like it’s nobody’s business. I’ll drink smoothies, make myself margaritas and imagine I’m in 80 degree weather in Costa Rica because that’s truly how I get through the winter months.
My favorite thing to much on are strawberries. Especially frozen strawberries. They’re filled with the best stuff. Here are some strawberry nutrition facts —> They help increase good cholestoral, lower blood pressure, protect against certain cancers and are full of vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. [1]
Even though eating strawberrie with no other ingredients and added preparation is the best way to consume them, adding these babies to desserts are never a bad idea.
In this recipe I combined the power of strawberries with cashew butter from Minny Spoons and peanut butter coconut cookies from Emmy’s Organics.
Btw, this is not a sponsored post, I just really like these ingredients and they were perfect with this recipe! I hope you enjoy!
Vegan & Gluten Free Strawberry Cashew Cheesecake Bites
A delicious cheesecake bite of strawberry goodness that’s vegan and gluten free.
- 3/4 cup cashews (raw and soaked )
- 1/4 cup Minny Spoon's Cashew Butter (use a total of 1 cup of whole cashews if you don't have cashew butter in hand)
- 7-8 peanut butter cookies From Emmy's Organics (or your choice of flavor)
- 1/2 cup frozen strawberry slices (for cheesecake base)
- 1/2 cup frozen strawberry slices (for swirl at top )
- 1/4 cup agave nectar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
-
Cheesecake Base:
Drain cashews and rinse under water.
Then add them to a high speed blender or Nutribullet along with frozen strawberries, agave nectar, melted coconut oil, and lemon juice.
Blend until creamy. Pour this mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Clean out the blender to prepare to make the strawberry puree for the swirl.
Swirl:
1/2 C frozen strawberries, melted
Blend this in the blender until smooth!
Crust:
Use a mini cupcake tin and cut thin and long strips from wax (or parchment) paper.
Lay these strips in each mini cupcake tin (this will help you pull the bites out when they are done)
Press the Emmy’s organic cookies into each cupcake slot
Combine:
Scoop about a tablespoon of the cheesecake base into each slot
Finally add the strawberry purree (swirl) onto the top of the cheesecake bites
Grab a toothpick and have fun with the design!
Put in freezer for about 1-2 hours.
Take out and enjoy : )
*Soaked Cashews
If you didn’t have time to soak cashews, I got chu! Simply boil water and pour cashews in pot. Leave in until boiling. Drain and rinse.
There you have it, ready-to-go cashews that you didn’t have to soak overnight : )
fiber and costa rica,
Bella
References
[1] Nutritional Benefits of the Strawberry. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2017, from https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/nutritional-benefits-of-the-strawberry
