Tuxedo Cheesecake Brownies

Summer is coming to an end, and many people around the U.S. will be having Labor Day picnics and cookouts this weekend. Tuxedo Cheesecake Brownies from Amber Shea Crawley’s Practically Raw Desserts is an excellent dessert for at your holiday parties. Not only are they incredibly decadent and delicious, they don’t require any heat to prepare, so your kitchen will stay nice and cool in the fading summer heat. They are best served cold, straight from the fridge, but you can bring them to room temperature before serving if you prefer; you just may need to eat them with a fork instead of your hands!

Ingredients:

Brownie Layers:

• 1 cup dry pecans

• 1 cup dry walnuts

• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup pitted dates

Cheesecake Layer:

• 1 cup cashews, soaked for 2 to 4 hours and drained
• 1/4 cup water or nondairy milk of choice
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

• 30 drops liquid stevia (or equivalent sweetener of choice), or to taste

Preparation:

Brownie Layers: In a food processor, combine the pecans, walnuts, cacao powder, and salt and pulse until finely ground (be careful not to overprocess). Add the dates, 2 to 3 at a time, pulsing between additions until each date is well-incorporated and the mixture is sticky. Taste for sweetness, and add another date or some stevia if desired.

Press half of the mixture (about 1 heaping cup) firmly and evenly into an 8-inch square baking pan (lined with plastic wrap for easy removal, if desired). Place the pan in the freezer to chill. Set the other half of the mixture aside while you make the cheesecake layer.

Cheesecake Layer: In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, water, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and stevia and blend until smooth. You can add more water, a teaspoon at a time, as needed to help the mixture blend. Taste for sweetness and add more stevia if desired.

Remove the pan from the freezer and transfer the cheese- cake mixture onto the brownie layer, spreading it evenly with a spoon or spatula. Place the pan back in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours to allow the cheesecake layer to firm up. Once frozen, remove the pan from the freezer again, and evenly scatter the remaining half of the brownie mixture on top of the cheesecake layer. Gently but firmly press the brownie bits into the cheesecake. You may still be able to see the cheesecake layer underneath; that’s ok. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.

Store the brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.

Makes 16 bars

From Practically Raw Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley. ©2013 Amber Shea Crawley. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.

Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

Keeping Cool in the Kitchen the Practically Raw Way

 

Most of the U.S. is smack in the middle of a brutal heatwave this week. It's so hot you could fry a slab of tofu on sidewalk, if you were into that type of thing. With temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s, most people aren't very eager to spend time in the kitchen cooking over a hot stove. Luckily, Amber Shea Crawley's cookbooks Practically Raw and Practically Raw Desserts are full of delicious, easy-to-make recipes that don't require heat to prepare.

In the mood for pasta for dinner? How about Spaghetti alla Marinara from Practically Raw, made with zucchini "noodles' and fresh tomatoes. Or how about some Almond Butter Sesame Noodles made with no-cook kelp noodles?

Is it taco night? Try Practically Raw's Fiesta Taco Roll-Ups, which are made with nut meat, non-dairy cheese and lettuce leaves.

Would you rather have pizza? Practically Raw has you covered there too, with recipes for both Primavera Pesto Pizza and Italian Sausage Pizza.

Ready for dessert? Practically Raw Desserts is packed with tons of no-bake sweet treats. How about some Pecan Chai Bars, which can be enjoyed straight from the freezer? Or Amber's Famous Five-Minute Blondies II, which come together quickly and just need a little time to chill in the freezer before they're ready to eat.

Would rather have pie? Practically Raw Desserts has many recipes for no-bake pies and tarts, including Dark Chocolate Truffle Tart with Macaroon Crust, Coco-Nana Cream Pie and the refreshing Summer Fruit Pizza.

If it's a cold treat you're looking for, try Amber's Creat-Your-Own Ice Cream, made using cashews, non-dairy milk and your choice of flavor options.

Practically Raw and Practically Raw Desserts are both available in softcover, as well as digitally for Nook and Kindle so you can take them with you on your summer vacation.



Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

Pecan Chai Spice Bars

Most of the U.S. is in the middle of a brutal heatwave, and the last thing most people want to do is to turn on the oven to bake dessert. We don't need to be deprived of sweet treats during hot weather though, as Amber Shea Crawley's Practically Raw Desserts is full of recipes for delicious, no-bake desserts. These scrumptious Pecan Chai Spice Bars are easy to make and require no heat at all to prepare. You can either eat them straight out of the freezer, when they’ll be solid enough to eat out-of-hand, or enjoy them from the refrigerator, when the buttery topping will be pleasantly gooey and melty.

Ingredients:
Crust:

• 1 cup dry pecans

• 1/2 cup coconut flour

• Big pinch of sea salt

• 1/4 cup strong brewed chai tea

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Filling and Topping:

• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 1/4 cup strong brewed chai tea
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup 
• Pinch of sea salt
• 
3/4 cup dry pecans, chopped if desired

Preparation:
Crust: Combine the pecans, coconut flour, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add the chai tea and pulse to combine. Add the maple syrup and pulse until the mixture is combined and crumbly. You can add water, a teaspoon at a time, if needed to achieve the desired consistency. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into an 8-inch square baking pan lined with plastic wrap for easy removal, if desired.
Filling: Combine the cashew butter, chai tea, maple syrup, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir vigorously to combine. Pour the filling over the crust and scatter the (whole or chopped) pecans on top. Place the pan in the freezer to chill for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.
Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Yield 16 servings

From Practically Raw Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley. ©2013 Amber Shea Crawley. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.

Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

Nuts and Seeds in Raw Food Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley

Today we have a guest post from Amber Shea Crawley, author of Practically Raw and Practically Raw Desserts. Amber was classically trained in the art of gourmet living cuisine at the world-renowned Matthew Kenney Academy, graduating in 2010 as a certified raw and vegan chef. In 2011, she earned her Nutrition Educator certification at the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute. She's here to talk about using nuts and seeds in raw vegan desserts.

 

Nuts can be chopped, crushed, blended, or used whole; they can add texture, flavor, crunch, or creaminess to a dish; they can even be turned into milks and flours. All nuts contain good amounts of healthy fats (particularly monounsaturated fat), fiber, protein, and minerals. Many nuts are also a great source of fat-soluble vitamins, particularly vitamin E.

■ Almonds: Probably the most all-purpose nut in the raw food world, almonds make beautiful milks, flours, and nut butters, and they’re rich in calcium and vitamin E to boot.

■ Brazil nuts: The world’s best source of the trace mineral selenium, which is important for proper thyroid function, just one Brazil nut supplies 100% of the RDA.

■ Cashews: Thanks to their beautiful creaminess and slight sweetness, they’re an important component of many raw desserts. They’re also a good source of magnesium, which is vital for healthy muscles and bones.

■ Hazelnuts: Also called “filberts,” hazelnuts contain a great deal of folate, an important B vitamin that helps build and repair DNA. They’re super-crunchy and go great with chocolate.

■ Macadamia nuts: Macadamias contain more healthful monounsaturated fats and fewer pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats than any other nut. Rich, buttery-tasting macadamias can be used for creaminess in the same way cashews can.

■ Pecans: Pecans are one of my favorite nuts in the world for their toasty flavor and rich texture. They also contain more antioxidants than any other nut.

■ Pistachios: The lowest-calorie nut, pistachios possess an unmistakable (and lovely) green hue and an addictive crunch.

■ Walnuts: More anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids can be found in walnuts than in any other nut.

As with nuts, seeds are a very versatile ingredient. They have a variety of functions in raw desserts, from binding to thickening to replacing tree nuts. Raw seeds also contain plenty of good fats, protein, fiber, and minerals.

■ Chia seeds: These unique little seeds, which come in regular (black) and white varieties, are positively packed with omega-3 fats, fiber, and protein. When combined with water, they form a mucilaginous gel, which may sound ugly, but it’s seriously awesome. Chia seeds are fabulous at binding to toxins and scrubbing waste from inside your digestive tract.

■ Flaxseeds: Full of plant lignans, omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber, flaxseeds also become gelatinous when ground and soaked. As such, they can be used as a binder in raw recipes. The whole seeds are indigestible and must be ground before eating or using in a recipe.

■ Hempseeds: These superseeds have it all: essential fats, dietary fiber, complete protein, and loads of minerals. They’re tiny and nutty-tasting, and I love making them into a nutritious nondairy milk.

■ Pumpkin seeds: A great seed to use as a tree-nut replacement, pumpkin seeds (sometimes called “pepitas”) are packed with minerals like zinc and iron.

■ Sesame seeds: I most often use these little calcium powerhouses in their ground form, called tahini.

■ Sunflower seeds: Full of vitamin E and delicious in their own right, sunflower seeds are my go-to seed for replacing tree nuts when I need to make a recipe nut-free.

From Practically Raw Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley. ©2013 Amber Shea Crawley. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press. 

Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

Tropical Fruit Tartlets

The weather is warming up and the official beginning of summer is just days away. While cravings for freshly baked dessert might not wane with rising temperatures, the desire to stand in a warm kitchen with a hot oven turned on just might. Fortunately, Amber Shea Crawley has given us a plethora of desserts that can be made without the use of an oven in her new book Practically Raw Desserts. These no-cook Tropical Fruit Tartlets are cool and refreshing, which makes them the perfect summertime dessert.

Ingredients:

Crust:

·      1 cup dry macadamia nuts

·      1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut


·      1 teaspoon lime zest or juice (optional)


·      1/8 teaspoon sea salt


·      1/2 cup soft golden raisins

Filling:

·      1/4 cup coconut butter

·      1 tablespoon coconut water

·      1 tablespoon pineapple juice

Topping:

·      2 small ripe kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

·      1 small ripe banana, peeled and sliced

·      1/2 small ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and sliced

·      6 tablespoons diced fresh pineapple

·      Squeeze of lime juice (optional)

Preparation:

Crust: Combine the macadamia nuts, coconut, zest (if using), and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add the raisins and pulse until the mixture is crumbly but sticky and homogenous. Divide the crust mixture between four 4-inch mini tartlet pans with removable bottoms. Press the mixture firmly and evenly onto the bottoms and sides of the pans. Chill them in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or in the freezer for at least 2 hours, until ready to assemble and serve.

Filling: Combine the coconut butter, coconut water, and pineapple juice in a small bowl. Stir vigorously to combine.

Remove the crusts from the freezer and divide the filling among them, about 1 heaping tablespoon per tartlet, spreading it evenly in the tart shells. Each tart will only get a thin layer of the filling, but that’s ok, because the fruit is the star here. Top with the assorted fresh sliced fruit and a squeeze of lime juice, if desired, and serve immediately.

Snugly wrap leftover tartlets in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Yield: 8 servings (4 mini tartlets)

From Practically Raw Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley. ©2013 Amber Shea Crawley. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press. 

Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest  

VHP Authors Across the World Wide Web

Vegan Heritage Press authors have been busy lately, so you may have seen them around the internet. If you missed them, fret not – here’s a recap of what they’ve been up to.

 Nut Butter Universe author Robin Robertson was recently featured on Yummly.com as a guest blogger. She shared her Linguine with Thai Pesto recipe, which is a fabulous fusion dish made with an Asian-style pesto and Italian pasta.

http://www.yummly.com/blog/2013/05/vegan-linguine-with-thai-pesto

Amber Shea Crawley’s Enlightened Carrot Cake was featured on the China Study’s community website. Amber’s delicious recipe from her book Practically Raw Desserts is gluten-free, oil-free, low-fat, and under 300 calories per serving.

http://www.thechinastudy.com/practically-raw-desserts-author-amber-shea-crawleys-enlightened-carrot-cake/

The Blooming Platter Cookbook author Betsy DiJulio recently did a Cocina Mexicana food feature for VegNews Magazine, and she created so many recipes that there just wasn’t room enough for all of them in the magazine. The rest of Betsy’s mouthwatering Mexican-inspired creations were featured on VegNews Magazine’s website. http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=5726&catId=2

Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

Velvety Chocolate Mousse

For some of you, avocado pudding is probably old news, but for others of you, this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. In this Velvety Chocolate Mousse from Amber Shea Crawley's Practically Raw Desserts, avocado creates a silken texture that you have to taste to believe (and you won’t notice any avocado flavor). Unsweetened cocoa powder or carob powder can be used instead of cacao powder, and 1/3 cup maple syrup or coconut nectar can be used in place of dates, just reduce or omit the water.

Ingredients:

• 2 large, ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and chopped (about 2 cups chopped flesh)
• 1/3 cup water or nondairy milk of choice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Big pinch of sea salt

• 2/3 cup pitted dates, soaked in very warm water for 15 minutes and drained
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• Stevia to taste (optional)

Preparation:

1. Combine the avocados, water, vanilla, and salt in a high- speed blender or a food processor. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, use the food processor here, not a conventional blender. Blend until smooth and combined, using the tamper if necessary with the high-speed blender.
2. Add the dates and blend again until well-combined and smooth. You will need to use the tamper here with the blender. Add the cacao powder, put on the lid (so you don’t get dusted in chocolate!), and blend again until smooth. Taste for sweetness and add stevia, if desired. Serve immediately.
3. Store leftover mousse in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

Yield: 4 servings

From Practically Raw Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley. ©2013 Amber Shea Crawley. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.

We're submitting this recipe to Healthy Vegan Fridays and Gluten-Free Fridays.

Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest 

Practically Raw Desserts Now Available for Kindle

We're happy to announce that Amber Shea Crawley's newest cookbook Practically Raw Desserts is now available for Kindle, so you can take it with you wherever you go!

Practically Raw Desserts is filled with easy recipes for scrumptious cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, puddings, candies, pastries, frozen treats, and more - all of which are totally free of dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat, soy, corn, refined grains, refined sugars, yeast, starch, and other nutrient-poor ingredients. This innovative cookbook revolutionizes raw desserts with versatile variations, substitutions, and baking options. The recipes also allow for easy adaptation to a non-raw kitchen.

Confetti Birthday Cake

Great for beginners as well as seasoned raw foodists, Practically Raw Desserts is jam-packed with delicious, healthy indulgences that include:

• Confetti Birthday Cake
• Pecan Shortbread Cookies
• Baklava Blondies
• Tuxedo Cheesecake Brownies
• Deep Dish Caramel Apple Pie
• Cashew Butter Cups
• Summer Fruit Pizza
• Dark Chocolate Sorbet

Summer Fruit Pizza

Purchase your Kindle copy of Practically Raw Desserts from Amazon. Of course, it's also available in paperback as well.



Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest 

Practically Raw Desserts Blog Tour

Amber Shea Crawley is going on tour. A blog tour that is! All this week Amber will be popping up on different websites across the blogosphere talking about her new masterpiece Practically Raw Desserts. Amber will be talking about raw desserts and sharing some of her favorite recipes from the book. Make sure you check back here every day to see where Amber will be.

Monday, April 22: Vegan Yack Attack
Tuesday, April 23: Vegan Crunk
Wednesday, April 24: Keepin' It Kind
Thursday, April 25: Manifest Vegan
Friday, April 26: Go Dairy Free

See you on the tour!


Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

Practically Raw Desserts is Here!

Practically Raw Desserts is here! Amazon now has Amber Shea Crawley's brilliant follow up to Practically Raw in stock and ready to ship!  

Key Lime Pie

 Practically Raw Desserts is a treasure trove of delectable raw cakes, cookies, bars, brownies, pies, puddings, candies, pastries and frozen treats.  All of the recipes can be made 100% raw or adapted to a non-raw kitchen.  For every recipe, numerous ingredient substitutions are provided, as well as both dehydration and oven-baking directions, if applicable. Most of the recipes are completely no-bake, and many can be made in 20 minutes or less. Every recipe is free of dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat, soy, peanuts, corn, refined grains, refined sugars, yeast, starch, and other nutrient-poor ingredients. Many recipes are also free of grains, oils, nuts, and added sugars as well, and when they’re not, variations are often provided to make them so.  

Austrian Sacher Torte

Inside Practically Raw Desserts, you’ll find everything from family favorites like Sugar Cookie Cutouts and Key Lime Pie to innovative or exotic treats such as Austrian Sacher Torte and Baklava Blondies. The result is a collection of tantalizing and accessible sweets and treats that are sure to impress and delight.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Whether you’re trying to eliminate allergens, watch your sugar or grain intake, or simply feed your family cleaner treats; whether you subscribe to a diet based on whole, natural foods; or whether you’re avoiding animal products – or just like great desserts – Practically Raw Desserts has plenty of sweet rewards to offer you. Order your copy today!

 

Baklava Blondies

Follow Vegan Heritage Press: Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest