Raw Vegan Strawberry Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful Mom!  Really, she is more than my Mom but also a best friend.  I very much appriciate all that she has done for me, and the way she has always been supportive of the things which are important to me that I choose to go after.  We have always been close.  The other day we were remeniscing about when I was younger and we had matching shirts...they were hideous.  Big T-shirts with lions on the front...which we would now consider tacky, but hey, it was the 90s!  I can remember begging her to curl my hair like hers with the big bangs around the same time when I was about 6 or 7 because I wanted to be just like her.  I still very much admire her although I now have my own style.  I still borrow jewelry once in a while though. 

I am cooking her dinner tonight, but we went out for an early Mother's Day dinner at Alma Restaurant in Minneapolis last night so we could relax and enjoy.  We always have a lot to discuss when we go out to dinner and last night was no exception.  I know we will always be close!

Since the raw cheesecake I made last weekend turned out so well, I thought I would make another one this weekend.  But it would be much more beautiful than the last, as this one was for Mother's Day!  My Mom and I have always shared a love of key lime and all things tart, as well as strawberries so I thought I would combine the two in the raw cheesecake! 

I was going to put a layer of key lime on the bottom and strawberry on the top, but I decided that it would be much prettier if I swirled the two, so each piece got a little of both and both flavors were visible from the top. 

For the crust I used a simple pecan, date and sea salt mixture, as is traditional, so not to distract from the scrumptious filling.  I put plenty of lime flavor into the filling both in the form of zest and juice because I wanted it to be very present. 

I blended fresh organic strawberries into half, and it was such a beautiful pink color!  Both fillings were so luscious and delicious, I could have sat there and ate them with a spoon...but I knew they would be even better in the finished cheesecake!

Once the cheesecake was all assembled it was so beautiful with the pink and green marbled filling!  After it was allowed to set in the fridge, I piped a little decoration around the edges and it was perfect!  Mom loved it as well, commenting that it was one of the most lovely cheesecakes she had seen!  It tasted even better than it looked...silky smooth, sweet tart lime and luscious berry in a decadent filling with a nutty crust!  It was so heavenly! Mom loved it as well and told me that she prefered it to regular cheesecake anyday! 

If you would like to make some for yourself, I have included the recipe!  You will love that it requires no baking, just a food processor and a springform pan!  If you wish to make a 9 inch, just double the recipe.  Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!  Hope you have a fabulous day, you much deserve it!

Raw Vegan Strawberry Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake

Makes one 6 inch cake

Crust:
3/4 cup pecans

1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3 soft medjool dates, pitted and chopped


Filling:
2 1/2 cups cashews (preferably soaked overnight), divided 

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp organic lime zest

1/3 cup plus 3 Tbsp agave nectar

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp coconut oil (warmed to liquid)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract and seeds from half a vanilla bean (other half reserved for topping)

a few spinach leaves (to color green if desired)

1 cup fresh organic strawberries

Cream Topping:
1/4 cup raw cashew pieces (preferably soaked overnight)
1/4 cup water

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp fresh young coconut meat
1 tablespoons agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla and seeds of half a vanilla bean (the other half of the one you used for the filling)
2 Tbsp coconut oil (warmed to liquid)

Spray a six inch spring form pan with coconut oil spray (or other oil spray) and set aside.
To prepare the crust, process pecans and sea salt in a food processor until the pecans are fine crumbs, then add the dates and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Firmly press crust into the bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.

To make filling, drain cashews and combine them with lime juice and zest, agave nectar, coconut oil, sea salt and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Remove the filling from the food processor and divide evenly between 2 bowls.  Place half back into the food processor and add the spinach leaves to tint green and process until smooth and uniform, scrape back into the bowl and rinse out food proocessor.  Stir 1 cup strawberries into the other half of the filling and place back in the processor.  Puree until smooth.  Drop the filling alternating between the lime and strawberry (in about 3 tbspful amounts) over crust in pan until all is used up, sort of in a checkerboard fashion.  Tap on the counter to level (keeping pan level) and swirl with a knife to create marbling.  Place in the freezer or fridge until it is set, 4 hours or overnight (overnight in the fridge, but the freezer might get too hard after a few hours).

To make topping, drain cashews and blend all ingredients until smooth in a food processor, and set in the freezer about 30 minutes until a frosting consistency. Place in a pastry bag and pipe decoratively on top of the cheesecake.