No Bake Vegan Berry Cheesecake

Makes 1 tart

The base is crispy and stays together nicely even though it’s not baked. It’s made of Crunchies – puffed crunchy and crispy cereal are a perfect wheat substitute for a breakfast cereal or an afternoon snack. They are great with milk or eaten straight from the bag. They made such a great crust, with the perfect texture and sweetness for this cheesecake. I have had pie with a cereal base/crust before and thought it was a genius use of it (captain crunch to be more specific. I love a classic junkie cereal as much as the rest (those sugar loaded ones that none of us were allowed to eat growing up except for maybe on the weekend), but I much prefer one that has slightly more nutritional value and not as tooth- achingly sweet. These Crunchies are exactly that and the perfect candidate for the crust in this cheesecake recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Cereal crust

• 4 cups of GoGo Quinoa Organic Crunchies
• ½ cup coconut oil (use refined for no coconut flavour)
• ½ cup of pitted dates or prunes

For the filling

• 1 ½ cups raw cashews
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup full fat coconut milk (or any non dairy milk for no coconut flavour)
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Coconut cream topping

• 1 can coconut cream, set overnight in the fridge
• 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup of fresh berries to garnish
• Fresh mint to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the Crust: In a food processor, crush the cereal into fine crumbs. Pour in the oil and the pitted dates or prunes and pulse until well-combined and resembles wet sand texture. Press into a greased tart pan and place in the freezer while you make the filling.
2. For the filling: Place the cashews in a medium bowl and cover with approx 3 cups boiling water and let the cashews soak in the hot water for approximately 1 hour. Alternatively you can soak your cashews overnight in room temperature water so they are already ready to go. Make sure to drain them before using.
3. Place the drained cashews, maple syrup, vanilla, coconut milk, lemon juice and frozen berries into a high powered blender; blend until smooth and creamy. If it is way too thick you can add another couple tablespoons of coconut milk to help process/blend.
4. Pour the filling mixture over the crust and smooth the top and place in freezer while you make the whipped coconut cream topping
5. With an electric mixer, whip up the solid parts of the coconut cream from the can and powdered sugar of using until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds. (Any extra will keep for a few days in a sealed container for a few days- you may just need to whip again before using)
6. Gently dollop and smooth over the filling.
7. Cover with foil loosely and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or until set.
8. Top with fresh berries and mint and slice and enjoy.