Save It For Every Day

Ok, I have a really simple one for you today. Easier than pie. Even easier than thinking about making pie. Today we are preserving lemons!

I was making a caesar salad the other day and realized there were no preserved lemons in house. Oh boy. Think quick... ... ... these things can take 3 months to fully cure, which is the exact opposite of quick.

So I zested a few lemons.
I put the zest in a jar.
I juiced those same lemons and strained the juice into the jar.
Himalayan salt was added in a generous amount, to that very jar.
The lid was placed on the jar.
The counter held the jar. For 24 hours.

Hold on a second. Did I just make preserved lemon zest in 24 hours?! Yesssss.

Well well, if this isn't a food-altering moment... (yes, pun intended).

Put them in the fridge after 24 hours. They will stay nice and bright.

As you can see, the ones that are more brown were probably left out a little bit too long (about a week) and they also have a bit of organic cane sugar in them. When they get this colour they are still edible but not as nice or fresh tasting. I've come to prefer the ones without sugar, as per the vague recipe above.

Put these zests on everything. They make everything better, every day.

Unbaking Unbaked Things

Remember unbaked cheesecake? The 80's brainchild of Kraft, Jello, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Cool Whip & diabetes? It had a graham crumb crust, lots of white sugar, Cool Whip and cream cheese in the middle and canned cherry or blueberry pie filling on top. My mom usually made it for special occasions and I loved it. Growing up, baked cheesecakes were unheard of and unbaked cheesecakes were #1. How predictable.

It's interesting when you crave food from your childhood but there is no way you can eat it now... that is what I love about experimenting with raw food - you usually CAN eat it now, you just have to be creative. It's like working your way through an algebra equation and you feel really smart when you solve it.


Mom’s Classic Unbaked Cheesecake – Truly Unbaked

GRAHAM CRUST:
2 cups almond flour (bust up almonds in a small coffee grinder)
¼ cup melted coconut oil
¼ cup coconut sugar (this stuff smells like graham crumbs - perfect!)

Mix together in a bowl and press into a 9” baking dish that has been coated with coconut oil
place in fridge to set

CREAM CHEESE:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked & drained (be sure your cashews are truly raw, otherwise they will taste earthy. I get mine from realrawfood.com in B.C.)
water- about ¼ cup
1 tsp probiotic powder (break open 8 capsules)
Blend on high till smooth and leave on counter in a covered bowl overnight or longer. When it smells fermented, mix with about 1/6 cup nutritional yeast flakes and sea salt. The consistency should be somewhat runny, about halfway between runny and firm. Place in fridge until ready to use.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
1 cup medium-runny consistency cashew cream cheese
1 cup blended young Thai coconut meat (add 1-3 pieces of lemon zest if you want)
1/8 cup clear agave
¼ cup melted coconut oil
½ tsp plus a dash of raw cider vinegar

Blend all on high until smooth. Pour onto crust and place in fridge to firm.

BLUEBERRY TOPPING:
Frozen blueberries, thawed (about 3 cups)
¼ cup or more mild raw honey

Method:
Reserve 1 cup blueberries
Place 2 cups blueberries and honey in blender and add a pinch of vanilla bean powder
Blend for a couple seconds on high
Transfer back into bowl with whole blueberries

Place in a shallow dish, uncovered, in dehydrator at 105 degrees for many hours until desired thickness. Cool and pour over cream cheese.

Two negatives = a positive.
This truly unbaked cheesecake beat the pants off of the classic unbaked cheesecake, in my humble opinion. Thanks for the inspiration, Mom!