March 14, 2013

All-raw sugarless Cheesecake or baked sugarless cheesecake

Mini version: I halved the recipe,
which made two small ones like this. One I kept raw in the fridge- shown above- and the other 
I cooked for the next day! 

Finally: a healthy cheesecake made by Mazzou for Valentine's Day 2013! (thanks to Sally Fallon's book Nourishing Traditions for the original recipe!)
2016 update: this doesn't follow my current strict health code (Sweetened with Stevia) but it's fun for the person just beginning a healthy diet! :)
  • Ingredients:
  • 2 cups nuts (I used almonds and walnuts)
  • 1 cup pitted dates and/or raisins (you could even use figs or apricots- whichever you prefer/whatever is cheaper! I used dates and raisins)
  • 4 cups cream cheese softened
  • 4 organic or free range eggs, separated, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups milk, preferably raw milk
  • 2 tablespoons gelatin
  • 1/2 cup raw honey (I used about 1/4 cup because I'm trying to eat a very minimal amount of sweet things.)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla (sugarless; preferably homemade!)
  • pinch sea salt
  • some raspberries (to taste!)
  • unsweetened dark chocolate or pieces of an organic chocolate bar (to taste!) or carob coconut balls, frozen
In a food processor, process dates (and/or raisins) and almonds (and/or walnuts) until they form a sticky mass. (if not sticky enough, you could add some melted butter and/or honey! Also consider flavoring your crust with lemon zest or cinnamon...) Press into a buttered 9 inch by 13 inch pyrex pan to form a crust. (Next, I did bake my crust for 10 minutes in a 325 F degree oven just for fun, and then cooled it in the freezer while I prepared everything else!)
Put egg yolks and milk in a sauce pan, beat lightly, sprinkle with gelatin and warm slightly until gelatin is dissolved. In a food processor (or mixer), combine cream cheese, honey and vanilla and process until smooth. Add yolk/milk mixture and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and place in refrigerator while beating egg whites. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, fold into cream-cheese mixture along with your desired amount of raspberries and chocolate pieces/crumbles and pour into crust. Chill several hours before serving. Garnish with extra raspberries and chocolate pieces.
Optional, but not as healthy: I cooked my second mini cheesecake in a 325 F degree toaster oven until it was set and golden on the top. Pictured above is the raw version.
With the minimal amount of honey which I put in the recipe, the raw version was sweeter than the cooked version, which was more like an Italian cheesecake appetizer!
DO ENJOY! :) 

March 11, 2013

Dancing on Friday

Yet another special time with friends on Friday! 
This is one of our favorite dances....


....which we are getting better and better at dancing, don't you think? 
Original (ouch):