Cheesecake for the Healthy Soul

I'm a huge advocate of eating healthy 90% of the time.  What that means is to be able to say to yourself "self, I think I deserve to have a piece of this cheesecake guilt free".  What makes those decisions even better is when you can decide that knowing that it's a little healthier for you.  Eating clean sure can take a toll on your sanity.  So indulge, and enjoy life!  
At least that's what I try to tell myself.  

Here's a great recipe that's a little indulgent without the guilt.  It's made from all natural ingredients which can be found in the organic section of your grocery store.   This is a great alternative to regular cheesecake for your romantic dinner :) 

Paleo Cheesecake!

Image and Recipe Via

1: Soak 5 cups of raw, unsalted cashews in water overnight.  Please don’t skip this step, because softening the nuts is a necessary first step to the blending process.

2.  Go to sleep.

3.  The next day, get up and ponder why some of the cashews float while others do not.  Then, gather these ingredients for the crust:

1 cup pitted dates
1 cup pecans
1 cup (or just under) flaked coconut

Place all your crust ingredients in a blender and pulse until they are breadcrumb consistency.  You should be able to press this mixture between your fingers, and it will maintain its shape. Press to the bottom of your pan only — don’t try to make the crust go up the sides.

4.  Now you are ready to make your filling!  Gather

5 cups cashews previously soaked through the night
1 cup coconut oil (melted to oil consistency by sitting jar in a warm bath)
1 cup agave nectar
2/3 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until the mixture is very creamy.   You’ll need to possibly blend, stir, and blend some more.  (I initially used the “chop” function on my blender.)  This filling needs to be super creamy without any chunks at all.  Don’t rush this step. Rather take your time and make sure it’s as creamy as possible.  

5.  Spoon all of your mixture into your springform pan on top of your newly made crust.

6.  Cover and place in the freezer overnight.  

7.  Prior to serving, let thaw about 30 minutes at room temperature.

8.  Cut into pieces and “plate” them.

9. I melted Green & Black’s 85% dark chocolate in a double boiler.  (Actually, I don’t have a double boiler, so I stuck a large metal bowl over boiling water and let the heat melt half of a chocolate gradually.)  This is intensely dark chocolate, by the way.  If you’re not into the dark chocolate flavor, you could choose raspberries or strawberries as a topping.

10.  Then, I placed the melted chocolate into a Ziplock sandwich bag and drizzled the chocolate over each slice of cake.

Enjoy!