Friday, February 27, 2015

FAMILY SHOOT - OLD TOWN ORANGE.

looove how this family shoot turned out!
we did this in november, when violet turned 3, and ivy was 6 months.
we went for an urban vibe this time, since we usually do a nature setting.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

RAW PALEO STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE.





i LOVE making healthy treats,
because i have a perpetual sweet tooth.
i had a good excuse to try a new healthy recipe,
because it was my father-in-law's birthday,
and he hasn't eaten sugar in years.

one of my favorite blogs for healthy recipes is called
delighted momma. they had a fun recipe
for raw strawberry cheesecake bites (paleo).

i made it as a regular size cheesecake,
in a springform pan, and loved how it turned out!
everyone loved the cheesecake!
the texture was perfect, and the flavor was so tart!
and you won't believe how easy it is to make.
you just use a food processor!
so i thought i would share the recipe here,
along with the adaptations i made.

as usual, please forgive the iphone photos.
i don't live my life with the intention of blogging...
it's always more of an afterthought.
but i really wish i had taken better photos!
next time, perhaps.



RAW PALEO STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE


CRUST INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dried pitted dates
(visually inspect to make sure you didn't get any pits!)

2 cups of almonds (or your favorite nuts)

1/2 cup of shredded coconut (unsweetened)

juice from half a lemon


FILLING INGREDIENTS:

3 cups raw cashews, soaked
(soak in water at least 4 hours, or overnight, and then drain)
(if short on time, pour boiling hot water on cashews, soak 1 hour, then drain)

juice from 2 lemons

1/2 cup of honey or agave

1/2 cup of coconut oil (at room temperature)

1 tbsp of vanilla


TOPPING INGREDIENTS:

2-3 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries

1/4 cup of coconut oil, melted

1 tbsp of honey

a few additional fresh strawberries to decorate the top


INSTRUCTIONS:

1. make sure to soak your cashews, if you haven't already.

2. prepare your pan(s). i used a springform cheesecake pan,
lined the bottom with parchment paper,
and sprayed the sides with coconut oil spray.
you could also use a 8x8 or 9x9 pan with parchment paper,
or use muffin tins with muffin liners.

3. put all crust ingredients into food processor or blender,
and process until the nuts are in very small bits. press into
bottom of your pan. if you are using a cheesecake pan or
a square pan, you can press the crust up the sides too.

4. put all filling ingredients into food processor or blender,
and process until you get a creamy texture. pour and spread
on top of your crust.

5. put all topping ingredients into food processor or blender,
and process until it turns into liquid. pour on top of the filling.

6. decorate with a few sliced or diced strawberries.

next time i make this, i'm going to make some
paleo coconut whipped cream for topping!
it's so easy...you just put coconut milk in the fridge,
and after a few hours, scoop off the top cream!
and wouldn't it be fun to experiment with topping flavors!
just swap out the strawberries with your favorite fruit!

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