PINK FLAMINGO VEGAN CHEESECAKE BARS

image credit healthyhappylife.com 

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 cups soaked raw cashews, drained***
2. 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
3. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or a real vanilla bean)
4. 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice (or sub with lemon or orange)
5. 1/3 cup maple syrup
6. 1/8 tsp salt
7. 1-2 Tbsp frozen pitaya puree (or use fresh dragonfruit if in season)
8. on top: 1 tsp grapefruit zest

Crust:

1. 4-5 vegan, gluten-free gingersnap cookies
2. 1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil, melted
3. ***If you do not have time to soak the cashews, you may be ok using unsoaked — just give them a “quick soak” for 2-3 minutes in some boiling salted water to help soften a bit. And run your Vitamix on high for a few minutes longer. You may also want to add a splash of water to the mixture. (I have not tested it this way, but think it will work.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For these bars, I used a 5″ x 5″ square dish. It made 4 very thick bars. You could double the recipe and fill a large dish – or try to use whatever dish you have on hand. The dish size will change the thickness of the bars.
2. Prepare the dish by layering it with parchment paper.
3. In a blender, process the cookies until they become a fine powder. Transfer the powder to a small bowl and combine with the crust oil. Then pour the oiled crumbs into the parchment-lined dish and flatted down a bit. This doesn’t have to be donw perfectly, the cashew mixture does an excellent job of soaking up the crumbs and helping with binding of the crust.
4. In a blender, process all the fink filling mixture until silky smooth. Process on high for a few minutes to slightly warm the mixture – I find that this changes and thickens the mixture a bit, which I like. It lightly cooks it from the heat of the blender. (High speed blenders or food processors work best for processing this recipe. I used my Vitamix.)
5. Pour the filling into the dish, over the crust and smooth with a spatula. Add the citrus zest on top.
6. Chill in the fridge overnight or for at least a few hours. Slice and serve. The bites will soften up pretty quickly, so if serving for a party, you will want them to be served within a half hour or so or presenting them. Otherwise, serve them on some ice to keep them nice a firm. I like these slightly soft – which is the texture they get after about 15 minutes at room temperature.

Yield: 4 large barsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Total time: 10 mins

For more detail healthyhappylife.com 

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