No-bake Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake Bites

You might wonder why I’m going to start by saying this: when I crack open a can of chickpeas, I hate tossing out the aquafaba - aka “chickpea juice”. So, instead why not make dessert?

Raspberries

While the blueberry might be my favourite for its antioxidant properties thanks to anthocyanin, raspberries take a very close second. It’s often an easy fibre boost for anyone suffering from constipation.

Let’s face it, if this was a recipe with chickpeas and psyllium husk, you would have exited a long time ago. But raspberries are so easy and delicious and a great way to add to your fibre goals for the day.

Raspberries in herbal medicine

Aside from these vitamin-C rich treats, raspberry tea was once used to relieve labour contractions in mothers. Raspberry tea is generally made from the leaf, which contains tannins, and its benefits include:

• burn relief (prevents oozing)

• diarrhea & gastrointestinal disorders

• respiratory troubles, including sore throat

• cardiovascular health

• influenza, fever

• menstrual problems, PMS

• diabetes

• acts as a diuretic

• purifies skin and blood

While these health benefits have withstood the test of time in folk medicine for hundreds of years, some countries refuse to approve raspberry leaf as a herbal remedy, due to its purpoted uses being validated, or simply documented.

Ingredients & Directions

Estimated time: 20 minutes + 1 hour to set

Effort/skill: Easy

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

Crust

• 3/4 cup raw almonds

• 8 medjool dates, soaked in hot/boiling water

• zest of 1 lemon

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Cheesecake

• ~1/2 cup aquafaba from 1 can of chickpeas (here’s a recipe for those chickpeas)

• 100g of medium tofu

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• 2 tbsp creamy oat milk (I used Oatly’s Barista blend)

• 2 cups frozen raspberries

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 tsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Boil water and place dates in a dish, add boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.

2. In a small dish, add a 2 tbsp of the milk with the chia seeds and let the seeds form a jelly.

3. Line a muffin tin with liners, or grease each cup with coconut oil (you’ll need approximately 8-10).

4. In a food processor, add almonds, dates, lemon zest and sea salt. Blend until you have a sticky, pliable mixture to form into crusts.

5. Using wet hands, roll a ball of the mixture into 1.25” diameter balls and press into each muffin cup. Once you have all of the tins filled, place the muffin tin in the freezer to start firming up the crust.

6. In a blender, add aquafaba and tofu until you have a thick mixture — like pancake batter. I blended mine well, then removed and placed into a bowl and whipped further with beaters, but you don’t have to.

7. Once you have a thick batter, add the gelled chia (with its oat milk base), lemon juice, vanilla, and maple syrup. Once you have a fluffy creamy mix, add the raspberries and continue to blend well.

8. Remove the muffin tin from the freezer and top each crust with a layer of raspberry mixture. Place back in the freezer to set, for approximately 1 hour.