Raspberry-Acai Gazpacho

Gazpacho is definitely a summer favorite of mine – light and cooling, it's the perfect introduction to an outdoor meal served on the patio. Traditionally it’s based around mostly tomatoes and bread (of all things!) – but I wanted something more fruity, showcasing fresh raspberries, so I came up with this little ditty! :) I think the contrast of the acidic onions and peppers with the sweet, tangy (sub-acid) raspberries makes for a nice complement.

Raspberry-Acai Gazpacho

1 medium tomato, diced, 1 tbsp. reserved
2 medium bell peppers, diced, 1 tbsp. each reserved (any color except green)
1/2 small sweet onion, diced, 1 tbsp. reserved
1/2-pint raspberries, crushed
1 cup raspberry-acai juice*
1/3 cup orange juice
Juice of 1/2 lime

Blend tomato, peppers, and onion in a food processor until mostly smooth. Mix remaining ingredients and serve garnished with the reserved diced tomato and peppers.


*If you can't find raspberry-acai juice, you can blend up some extra raspberries with 3/4 cup of acai juice, which can be found at health food stores.

Tropicalmond Cheesecake! (Raw)

This fun dessert was made for June's Royal Foodie Joust, which showcases raspberries, almonds, and lime. My room mate Candace and I have been dying to make a raw vegan cheesecake for months, and when this month's Joust ingredients were announced, we knew we had to go up to our elbows in CASHEW CHEESE!

As a vegan, I don't do dairy cheeses, so we decided to experiment with a non-dairy alternative. Cashew cheese is made by fermenting pureed cashews with probiotics and Rejuvelac, a fizzy fermented beverage (typically made from sprouted wheat berries), which helps boost the fermentation process. We use buckwheat to make our rejuvelac because it's not only gluten-free, but has an earthy, nutty flavour. We really wanted the almonds to shine through in this dish, so we only put about a cup of cheese into it. I'm definitely making an all-cheese cake soon, with full instructions and pictures on making your own cashew cheese. How can I resist? ;)

Tropicalmond Cheesecake


Crust:
1 1/2 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup cacao nibs
7 dates, soaked for 5 minutes
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

First, take a small amount of plastic wrap and cover the bottom of a spring form pan.

Put all ingredients except oil into a food processor until it's a medium-fine crumb. Add coconut oil and process until just incorporated. Press into the bottom of the spring form pan, and put into the fridge.

Filling:
2 cups soaked almonds
2 cups water
5 Tbsp. agave (or other liquid sweetener)
4 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 cup cashew cheese*
2 cups frozen raspberries, 1/4 cup reserved
1/2 tsp. vanilla
juice of one lime
2 sliced bananas
6-8 sliced kiwis (no need to skin them)

In a blender, liquefy your almonds and water. Toss in everything else except the bananas, kiwis and reserved raspberries. Blend until very smooth, then gently fold in the reserved raspberries. Take out your spring form pan, and pour half of the filling in. Then, gently add a thick layer of bananas, and pour the rest of your filling over the top. Garnish the top with sliced kiwis, and chill in the freezer until the center has set, about 3 hours.

Enjoy!