Raw Cheesecake and Girl's Night

Happy Valentine's Day! I know there are thousands of recipes floating around today, so here's another one for you. Now, this is definitely not my own, but straight from The Detoxinista's website. I know, I know - I'm just a stealer. But it was just too good to pass up!

Crust: Wording is straight from her website! Pictures are mine.

• 1 cup raw pecans
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or stevia, to taste) (I used agave)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

1. Grind pecans in a food processor until crumbly. (Be careful not to over-process, or the oils will be release from the nuts, leaving you with a more glossy, oily crust!)
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend in food processor until it all sticks together, like cookie dough. Press the dough into a greased or lined pan, and place it in the freezer to set.

I don't have a small enough pan - so I tried at first putting the crust into a small bowl.

Wasn't really working for me. So, I transferred it into a large pan, where it filled up about halfway.

Filling: Yep- her website. Pictures are mine, again! :)

• ½ cup zucchini, peeled and chopped
• ½ cup raw cashew butter (I didn't know cashew butter was so crumbly!)
• 2½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2½ Tablespoons raw honey (or agave nectar, for vegans) (I used agave)
• 2 dates
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

1. In a mini food processor, blend zucchini until finely processed.
2. Add the lemon juice, raw honey, dates, vanilla, and sea salt, and blend until smooth.
3. Finally, add in the cashew butter and blend until well combined.

1. Pour into a spring-form pan, over a raw graham cracker crust if desired (uh DUH), and FREEZE OVERNIGHT until set.
2. Serve frozen for an authentic cheesecake texture.

I obviously couldn't wait until it was completely frozen and had a skinny row of these bad boys after only about an hour in the freezer. They were ADDICTIVE. So, this morning, I cut them into little squares and took some more pictures.

So tiny!!

Last night, I went out with my girlfriends for a night of food and salsa dancing at the Pacific Science Center, and we had a blast talking about everything under the sun - relationships, jobs, life goals, boys... it was awesome. I definitely need to get out with just the girls more often. Shoutout to my girl Sam!

Hope you're having a great Valentine's Day!