I am having a thing for pomegranates at the moment. They are abundantly available here in Mumbai and every time I cut one open I am taken aback by the delightful, wicked ways of nature. Out pop these beautiful, glistening, deep red jewels that are juicy and crunchy, sweet and tart and super super healthy. They go on my breakfast, salads, dips and in this particularly delicious healthy recipe: on top and into a cashew cheesecake. For all you lovers of the sweet life…
(gluten free, dairy free)
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1 1/4 cup almond meal *
- 2/3 cup pitted, chopped dates
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 1/2 tbsp dried shredded coconut
Filling:
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight in the refrigerator and rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice **
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder (or 2 tsp pure vanilla essence)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cold processed coconut oil
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Preparation:
- In a food processor, pulse the almond meal, dates, salt and dried coconut until it forms a sticky mixture
- Press into a 6 – 8 inch springform pie dish
- Blend together the ingredients for the filling until you have a smooth mixture
- Spread over the crust, cover and place in the freezer
- Remove 1/2 hour before serving and top with fresh pomegranate seeds
- Enjoy!
* To make almond meal, place 1 cup of plain roasted unsalted almonds (use raw almonds if you want to keep it truly “raw”) in a food processor and pulse until it turns into a slightly coarse flour. Be careful not to over process or you will end up with almond butter..
** To make fresh pomegranate juice, place the seeds of one pomegranate in a food processor and pulse a 2 or 3 times until the arils have broken and the juice is released. Run this through a strainer.
