Raw Cake: Vanilla Strawberry-Raspberry Cheesecake

Happy August everyone! Having been back in Amsterdam for 2 weeks already I must say I really miss the gorgeous summer weather back in Toronto. It's been cloudy, raining and on top of all this a super chilly August in Amsterdam. Leaving home this time was quite difficult. Having spent a whole month with my parents at home made it that much harder to leave them behind. I felt quite homesick coming back, and so I decided to cheer myself up by making something incredibly delicious.

Now I originally wanted to bake something super sweet, and indulgent as usual but having just been on summer vacation and not particularly watching what I've been eating... (aka junk food) I thought I should try to keep it healthy. Thats when the idea of making a raw cheesecake came into mind. I have seen several gorgeous raw cakes on Instagram and it has inspired me to make my own. I have once before attempted to these raw cakes... but let me tell you these cakes are seriously tough however they are very well worth the work. Now I don't want you to think that these cakes taste like the conventional "Cheesecake" the ones filled with cream cheese, butter, and eggs. I love those cheesecakes too but this cheesecake that I am going to share with you is more of a work of art that also benefits your health and tastes amazing at the same time.

Now that I've decided to go with a raw cheesecake it took me quite sometime to figure out the flavour of this little guy. I had made a Matcha Vanilla cheesecake before, but this time my boyfriend had kindly requested a fruity flavour since it is still summer. And since there were some fresh strawberries  and frozen raspberries in the fridge I went with those. I love the double layered raw cakes because of the beautiful colours each layer brought to the cake, so I decided to make the second layer a "Vanilla Cream" layer.

The structure of the cake starts off with the Base. The normal crust of a traditional cheesecake usually contains a "Graham Cracker and butter" crust. For the raw, healthy version I decided to go with a mixture of almonds, walnuts, and dates. So instead of filling our bodies with trans-fats and refined sugars, I went with the heart healthy monounsaturated fats, and natural sugars from the nuts and dates.

Now just so we are clear I won't be using any cream cheese, or dairy products in this cheesecake. The cream cheese is substituted with soaked cashews, maple syrup, lemon juice, fresh strawberries, and raspberries. These ingredients make up the first layer of the cake. As for the last layer, the Vanilla Cream, it is primarily made up of soaked cashews, vanilla powder, agave syrup, and lemon juice.

...

The ingredients are quite similar between the two layer, however one contains fruits, and the other is mainly just a simple cream layer. Along with that I used two different types of sweeteners. For the Strawberry-Raspberry layer I used Maple Syrup because it will add a really nice flavour for the fruit layer of the cheesecake. For the Vanilla Cream I wanted a more creamy consistency so I went with Agave Syrup, which is less runny and will help to achieve the creamy consistency. Now that you know whats going into this cake I think you would agree that this cake is even healthy enough for breakfast. (hahaha says the person who is trying to be healthy...)

Ok ok... so we know that this cake is healthy, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and raw but how do we actually make it? haha... here we go!

Ingredients:

Base:

100g Almonds
35g Walnuts
100g Dates

Strawberry-Raspberry Layer:

200g Raw Cashews
150g Strawberry
50g Raspberry
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp Maple Syrup

Vanilla Cream Layer:

100g Raw Cashews
3 Tbsp Agave Syrup
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Vanilla Powder
1-2 Tbsp Water (Optional)

Directions:

Before we start make sure you...

* Measure out 200g of Raw Cashews and soak this in water overnight/6 hours or more.
(Strawberry-Raspberry Layer)

* Measure out 100g of Raw Cashews and soak this in water overnight/6 hours or more.
(Vanilla Cream Layer)

                                                                                 ...

1. First off I used a square springform pan of 6 inches by 6 inches/15cm x15 cm.

(You can also use a round springform pan if you wish... just keep the size close to this one and it should be fine.)

I begin by taking a large piece of parchment paper and roughly cut out a square piece that was around the size of this pan and placed it at the bottom to prevent sticking and allowing the cake to come out easier serving.

2. Now we are starting the cake from the bottom the Base Layer. For this layer I measured out 100g of Almonds, 35g of Walnuts, and placed these two ingredients into the food processor. I found it to be much better to first process the nuts alone before adding in the dates. Process the nuts until they resemble a crumb like consistency.

3. Now that the nuts are blended up you can add in your 100g of Dates and process the nuts and dates together. *I used some Deglet Nour dates here which are much more affordable than the Medjoul Dates. Feel free to use what you prefer. I found that soaking them in some warm water for 30 minutes really help them to soften up and they blend up much better this way. (Just remember to drain the water out completely after soaking) 

Process the nuts and dates till it reaches a doughy consistency. (So basically when the dates are well incorporated with the nuts and it starts to form a sticky ball)

4. Once you have your sticky nut & date dough press this into the bottom of the spring pan. This part is super fun because you get to use your fingers! It's kinda like playing with play dough! Just try to press it down flat. This forms the crust of our cakes. Now place this into the freezer to set.

5.  While we wait for the Base to set. We are gonna move onto the Strawberry-Raspberry Layer. For this layer I used 150g of fresh Strawberries, 50g of frozen Raspberries (that I defrosted), 2 Tbsp of Lemon Juice, and 2 Tbsp of Maple Syrup. I placed all these ingredients into a food processor and blended it together till everything was smooth.

* Now if you prefer to having a super smooth consistency for your cheesecake then I would recommend taking a fine sieve and straining out the seeds of the strawberries and raspberries. But I personally really love the texture that they bring to the cake so I kept them. 

...

6. Continuing with this layer take the 200g of soaked Cashews, and drain the water out and place this into your blender. Along with the cashews place the Strawberry-Raspberry sauce we just made along with 1 Tbsp of Maple Syrup and blend this together until it becomes smooth and there are no clumps.

7.  Now take out the Base Layer we made earlier from the freezer and spread this mixture of Strawberry-Raspberry Cream onto the base. I used a rubber spatula to smooth out the top of the layer. Place this back into the freezer to set.

8. The final Layer! Our Vanilla Cream. So for this layer I took 100g of soaked Cashews, 2 Tbsp of Lemon Juice, 3 Tbsp Agave Syrup, 1 Tsp Vanilla Powder, and placed these ingredients into the blender.

* I would recommend if your having troubles blending this mixture to add in a tiny spoonful of water just to help the mixture blend. Again we want to reach a very smooth and creamy consistency. 


9. Now take out the pan with the previous two layers we have made from the freezer and spread this Vanilla Cream over top of the Strawberry-Raspberry layer and smooth out the top. Place this back into the freezer and let the cake set for at least 2 hours before attempting to eat it. This is the really hard part! Hehe!

                                                                               ...

So once it has been about 2 hours take your cake out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes. This will assure that your cake comes out of the pan in one piece. I usually place a large cup under the cake tin and push upwards to slide the cake out.

And now you can decorate your cake with anything you can imagine! I just sliced up some fresh strawberries and placed them right on top of my cheesecake.

I made approximately 7-8 slices of cake with this recipe, but its all up to the size of the pan you use, and also how you cut them. The left over pieces I keep stored away in the freezer. When I want to eat it I usually leave it out on the counter for around 30 minutes, or if you know you want to eat it for dessert on the night of, you can always leave the cake in the fridge on the morning of, and by dinner time it should be ready to eat straight out of the fridge! It is a bit of work to make this raw cake but I feel super satisfied and very proud to make something super beautiful and delicious yet extremely high in nutritional benefits! I hope you all will give this a try!!! Stay happy and healthy.

xoxo
Coco

Recipe: Vegan Tahini Pad Thai Noodles

Over the past couple of days the weather has been screaming summer with the temperature around 25 degrees everyday and the sun bringing us loads and loads of shine. These nights I couldn't really bring myself to 'cook' my dinner. With my boyfriend already complaining about feeling too hot I decided to stick to cold noodles... Now I'd say this was a success. Having recently gotten back from Spain our cupboards were quite empty I rounded up some ingredients that were lying around the house and decided to make a Tahini Sauce which would be mixed together with some veggies that both my boyfriend and I loved... And so now we are just a tad obsessed with these noodles on those days where you just want something 'cold' for a change.

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

- 2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 4 Tbsp Tahini
- 1/3 Cup of Hot Water
- 2 Tbsp Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp of Grated Ginger

Directions:

1. Heat up a pot of Boiling Water and pour this into a large bowl.

2. Next place a smaller bowl, (I use a glass measuring jar) into the large bowl of Boiling Water.

3. Now place your ingredients starting with your Hot Water, then Sugar, then Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Grated Ginger, Tahini, Vinegar into the measuring jar and keep stirring. The heat from the Large Bowl of Hot Water should keep the sauce at a liquid temperature. Just keep stirring.

Noodle and Assembly

Ingredients:

- 1 Package of Udon Noodles
- 1 Cup Bean Sprouts
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Snap Peas
- 1 Small Hand full of Chopped Cilantro
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Red Cabbage
- 1 Block of Firm Tofu
- 1/2 Cup of Chopped Chinese Cabbage
- 1/2 Cup of Chopped Cucumbers
- 1 Clove of Garlic
- Sprinkle of Toasted Sesame Seeds (Optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the Udon Noodles in a pot of boiling water, once cooked drain the noodles under cold water and keep them in the cold water so they don't stick.

2. Cut your veggies (Cucumber, Red Cabbage, Cilantro, Snap Peas, Chinese Cabbage).

3. Dice up Tofu into Cubes.

4. Dice the Garlic and heat it up in a frying pan with 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil.

5. Once the pan is heated place the cubed Tofu into the pan and fry until it is Golden Brown on the outside, add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Now its time to assemble everything... First I drain the noodles and place as much as I would eat into a bowl, then I place in the Chopped Veggies (Cucumber, Red Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Snap Peas) and give a good toss. Next I place the Sprouts on top and layer on the Fried Tofu. Finally I pour on the Tahini Dressing, and Garnish with the Cilantro and a sprinkling of Toasted Sesame Seeds.



Now look at that! Finished and it is perfect to prep ahead of time to store away in the fridge to a night in the week where there is just no time, all you have to do is assemble the ingredients. I really hope you will give this one a try, I for one am in love with this Tahini Pad Thai.

xoxo
Coco

Review: Chanel #647 Lilis

The weather has been incredible over the past couple of weeks, for me at least... I have just gotten back to Amsterdam from the super sunny Spain, and surprisingly Amsterdam is just as sunny and gorgeous as Spain. It feels as if summer is really coming... finally. And since I have a couple days free I decided to celebrate by doing my nails! Exciting that I have finally had the time to sit down for 30 minutes to do and worry about nothing but these little guys. So which colour now... well in the end I picked one of my All Time Faves... Chanel #647 "Lilis". What makes this colour a "Fave"? Well first off I got this nail polish for myself on my 18th birthday, (I know I know spoiling myself at such a young age) the first birthday I spent away from home. I was very home sick then but this colour somehow brought some warmth to me in my little room. This colour is one that will give you energy on those days that you just don't feel like getting out of bed. And now when I pulled it out of my drawer it seems perfect for these sunny days of May.

I personally would describe Chanel #647 as a "Coral red". It is not truly as protruding as a "Red" polish since it has a"Coral" undertone and so it is much more wearable for everyday, and much more cheerful than a simple red polish. Under the sun this colour becomes more of a "Coral Pink" shade. Im not the best at describing colours, and I may be colour blind and I just don't know but to me this is what I interoperate this colour to be. In simple words this colour makes me Happy. Super happy. 

I love the way this polish applies on to the nail. It is really creamy, and is opaque on the nail with just one coat. Of course if you decide to go with 2 coats it is even better. Chipping wise I'd say like most Chanel polishes don't  have the best resistance to chipping. But then again it really depends on how much work you are doing with your nails. If I were sewing or trying to scrape things with my nails then most likely it would chip within that day. I personally like to apply an extra coat of Deborah Lippmann's Top Coat which prevents the polish from chipping since I am a bit more active and clumsy with my nails. This Top Coat usually keeps my nail polish on chip free for around 4 days 5 days depending on the polish. 

Overall I highly recommend this nail polish for anyone who is looking for a colour to brighten their mood or just a colour that brings a pop of warmth and energy to their look. For around 24 Euros and 28 USD it is really a treat, but is is well worth it and I believe in treating your self once in a while cause you deserve it. 

lots of love xoxo 

Coco

Coconut Goji Bliss Balls Recipe

Hello everyone! I have just recently gotten back from Spain and believe me when I say I have missed my food processor and blender oh so much, I really have. Today I will finally be sharing this recipe and I am super excited for all of you guys to try this one. These little bombs are perfect for a "Pick-me up" or I personally love having one or two with a cup of coffee in hand. They are packed full of protein, healthy fats, and will keep your body energized. I have seriously been meaning to post this recipe much earlier, since these little guys are simply divine.
Now onto the recipe...

Ingredients:

- 1/2 Cup of Almonds
- 1/2 Cup of Walnuts
- 2 Tbsp of Pine Nuts
- 1 Tbsp of Chia Seeds
- 1 Cup of Dates
- 2 Tbsp of Goji Berries
- 1 Tbsp Cacao Nibs
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1/4 Cup of Shredded Coconut

Directions:

1. Place the Almonds, Walnuts, Pine Nuts, Chia Seeds, Goji Berries, Cacao Nibs, and Chia Seeds into a food processor and Pulse well until you reach a crumble like consistency.

2. Next place your Dates (make sure your remove all pits), and Coconut Oil into the food processor.

3. Blend again until your mixture becomes sticky and when you press the mixture it sticks together.

4. Now roll your mixture into little balls and roll them in the Shredded Coconut.

5. Keep them in a container in the fridge for 30 minutes before eating.

* If they don't stick as well add in a couple more dates, or 1 Tbsp of Maple Syrup



This recipe usually makes around 8 to 10 balls, you can easily double or triple the recipe depending on how big your food processor is. For my boyfriend and I we can easily devour the whole batch in one sitting. They are seriously addictive. I absolutely love these little bombs, and I hope you will too! I will be posting other recipe and blog posts soon so be sure to check back soon and let me know how it goes!!!

xoxo
Coco

Happy Easter!

I guess I've never really celebrated Easter until this year, you see I grew up with Asian parents who never have celebrated this holiday. I do however always think of Easter as that holiday where parents hide eggs for their young ones to find, the supermarkets shelves are fully stocked with chocolate eggs, and there are displays of bunnies almost everywhere one looks. Though Easter has become more of a commercial holiday (just like all the other holidays) it is a holiday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I am not a Christian, but that does not mean that I don't believe in "God" and it also does not mean that I cannot celebrate Easter, I think everyday is a gift and it should be celebrated as you want. And so after 20 Easter's in my life I have decided this 21st Easter was one where I would celebrate.

To celebrate I decided to make a "Superfood Energy Balls", as a replacement for the traditional supermarket milk chocolate eggs, and I made some Sweet Potato Scones, my own version of those tea time Sunday scones.

Superfood Energy Balls

Both recipes are vegan, so it makes everything taste even just that much more amazing.

For the Sweet Potato Scones, I put a spread of Coconut Oil, and Blueberry Jam on as a filling, but they are really delicious on their own as well.

Sweet Potato Scones

Apart from cooking delicious food I also caught up on some much needed sleep... Happy Easter everyone!!!

xoxo
Coco

A little Christmas Lush Haul and Review

We have now officially entered the holiday season, and even though many of us celebrate different holidays, I think we can all agree that this time of the year is always one to look forward to. For me, I celebrate Christmas, and there is often that very common question of, "What makes it feel like christmas"? Well for sure visiting the Lush store and having all of the Christmas collection to shop from reminds me of Christmas. I grew up with these familiar scents that return every Christmas, and recently I popped over to the store and picked out a couple Lush goodies that I have here to share my thoughts on. 

The first item on the list was "Cinders" Bath bomb. This is a classic Lush Christmas bath bomb, it returns just about every year because of all the love people show towards this small orange ballistic. This bath bomb is described as a spicy, soda scented bath bomb, and should fizz and crackle, almost as if you were sitting next to a fire place. Quite honestly I did not hear any crackling and so the image of the fireplace was kind of a disappointment however the scent of this bath bomb is what makes me running back for more every year. It has a warm scent full of spices, and is an absolute joy to bath in. 

Next on the list of "Classic" is the Christmas Eve Bubble Bar. I would recommend using this just before bed, as it gives off a beautiful and calming scent of jasmine, and lavender/ylang ylang. With about half of this bubble bar my bath water changed into a light blue colour and I had a bath full of bubbles. The bubbles are super soft on the skin and makes the water feel like cashmere. I would highly recommend this bubble bar as a relaxing treat before bed. 

Onwards to the Limited edition Lush soap "Yog Nog", this soap is described by Lush as  "Made with soy yogurt and a dash of festive spice, Yog Nog has that unmistakable creamy texture with a fudgy, spicy blend of clove bud and ylang ylang"  I really wanted to like this soap, as a matter of fact the first time I saw this soap I made a note that I would get this one instead of my Christmas favourite "Snow Cake" soap. While it does smell like a ginger bread cake dry, after using the soap it smelled just like cloves and spices that may have gone bad.... I don't know if this makes sense but it smelled like rotten spices on the skin. I very much regret purchasing this soap and will for sure be running back to purchase "Snow Cake".

Last but most definitely not least is my favourite, the "So White" Shower gel. Basically when using this shower gel on the skin it almost smells as if you jumped into a bath of fresh green apples. The "So White" scent also comes in a bath bomb form, and when I saw that they had made a Limited-Edition shower gel of this I immediately gave it a sniff. In the bottle this does not smell like the "So White" Bath bomb, however on the body, the scent is exactly the same as the bath bomb and lingers on the body the whole day. It feels super soft on the skin and leaves you smelling delightful and super fresh. If you are a fan of fruity smells I would highly recommend this shower gel. 

And that is it for my little pre holiday treat at Lush, I will most likely be back there again real soon this winter so stay tuned for some more Lush hauls, and reviews. 

xoxo Coco