PinterTEST :: Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

So, Im not a vegan. I tried the vegan eating lifestyle a few months ago and I loved it. It was super easy for a while, but then came BBQ's, and Birthdays, and Potlucks. And I 'cheated' all the time. I cant seem to be strict enough to keep going with it to actually help with weight loss. But, since I did like how the diet made me feel, I have completely cut milk out of my diet. Which is a big deal for me lol. And I try to focus more around Veggies, Meats, and Fruits and almost cut out the processed stuff like the cheeses, sour cream, and condiments like that. I am trying my best to only eat Real Food. Clean Eating. But, you guys, I looooooove my sweets. I feel like I need a dessert after supper everyday. Its a problem. So to try and keep myself on track, but still curb those cravings, I feel like Vegan desserts are the way to go!!

So today I have Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Bars.

Holy moly these are yummy. And filling since its mostly made from nuts!

I searched through Pinterest and found this gem and gave it a try. I feel like I nailed my first PinterTest on this recipe. Im sure you could switch out the strawberries for some other fruit too! Maybe raspberries, mango, banana, pumpkin (which Im trying next), or whatever!

The only thing I did differently in mine, is I didn't have pecans, only walnuts (because they are cheaper). But I feel like Pecans would have made this dessert 1 million times more delicious. 

I found the recipe from Choosingchia.com  

Like regular cheesecake, this recipe takes some time, so be patient!

A few tips I found:

~Make this in a bread pan. It will keep it tall and have thicker layers. Don't forget the parchment paper!

~Put your coconut milk in the fridge. I feel like the cream separates from the milk way better when its cold. Otherwise its just all milk! If that doesn't work, maybe just use 3/4 of the can.

~Make sure you press down the 'crust' like crazy. Or else it will just fall apart when you're cutting it.

~Like it says, mix the cashews until it forms a cream or doe. Might take a while. I know it looks like it never will. It just looks like blended up bits of cashews. But just like that it suddenly forms into a doe'like cream mixture! So weird.

~I also added probably an extra 1/2 cup of strawberries. I wanted that extra bit of flavour! 

ENJOY! I know I did!

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup medjool dates (I just used the dried pitted dates from costco)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Filling:

• 1½ cups cashews, (soaked in water for 4 hours or overnight)
• 1 large can coconut milk (just the cream off the top)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup strawberries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lets start by making our crust.
2. Add your pecans, dates, salt, and cinnamon to a food processor and pulse until it forms a dough.
3. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper and press your dough into the bottom of the pan.
4. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of your cheesecake.
5. Strain your cashews, and pour them into your food processor, or a high speed blender.
6. Pulse them until they form a smooth cream.
7. Next add your coconut cream, maple syrup, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and pulse together until creamy.
8. Pour out half your filling into your pan, placing the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up quickly.
9. Next add the strawberries to the remaining half of your filling and pulse until smooth.
10. Add your strawberry layer to the pan.
11. Allow to firm up in the fridge overnight for a creamy cheesecake texture, or in the freezer for a couple hours for more of an ice cream type of texture.
12. Cut into bars, and serve.