Raw lemon cheesecake with a luscious caramel chocolate topping.

Once you begin to experiment with fun toppings, a whole new colourful and fun world opens up.

Rose petals, dried lavender, different nuts, seeds and dried fruits as well as fresh fruits and sauces... all make exciting choices to play with.

Bringing lovely fragrances and colours to the end result.

Even big chunks and lumps of toffees, chocolates or protein balls can be included.

No 2 cakes need ever look the same again.

Today the caramel chocolate topping was inspired by an impressive Australian 21 year old student who also in her spare time makes amazing food and photos - she has a stunning Instagram account (@nourishingnicola) and fantastic blog too.

The caramel chocolate topping is thanks to an amazing Australian company that makes gorgeous organic raw vegan chocolates (as well as many other high quality products). The company is called "Loving Earth".

~And for this recipe, their 'Organic Raw Caramel Chocolate' bar, was simply melted (at a gentle temperature to maintain raw status) and then poured over a cooled and set cheesecake.

For those of you that don't have access to that chocolate or brand, I will include in today's recipe -  my own recipe for a raw vegan caramel white chocolate topping - which is quite similar in taste.

It's a great recipe to have - to store in fridge and either eat as a chocolate treat or re-melt and use as a sauce on other recipes. It's posted down below at the end of today's post.

Also at the end is a link to an easy home-made macadamia nut butter recipe which is used in the caramel recipe.

Alternatively you could drizzle your own favourite chocolate sauce or another sauce on this cheesecake.

Raw lemon cheesecake with a luscious 

caramel chocolate topping.

Base.
1 cup pecan nuts
1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup walnuts
1 Tbl. goji berries
1 Tbl. chia seeds

1 heaping Tbl. carob powder

2 Tbl. almond flakes
3 or 4 dates
add a few drops of water if more stickiness needed

Filling.

soak 2 cup raw cashews for at least 2 hours
juice of 1 medium sized lemon
2 or 3 Tbl. sweetener - I used Maple syrup (taste test to see if more/less needed)
1/4 cup water (more if blender needs it)
4 Tbl. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla pastesalt to taste (optional)

Topping.

3/4 Tbl. edible dried rose petals

1 tsp. dried lavender

1 Tbl. chopped raw pistachios

* I used an 18cm spring form pan. And I did line the bottom and then also the inside of the pan with cling wrap. I like to prepare this before I start making the pie. 

Mix base ingredients and as stated above - the tiniest amount of water only needed to make the ingredients turn super stickier. 
Then transfer and press into the bottom of a spring form pan. I know it's not ideal - but use cling wrap if you want a super easy tidy finish and pie that's easy to remove.
Let it sit in the freezer while you make the filling. 

Discard the water the cashews were soaking in and blend well all the other ingredients - taste testing to suit your own preference for sweetness and saltiness. 
If your blender is straining to mix- add a little water at a time.
Sometimes I will end up adding an extra 1/2 cup of water. Aim for a very smooth, yet quite thick consistency -  but it should be runny enough to be able to move-on-it's-own reasonably well when the blender jar is tipped up side down to pour out ... ~ but with you helping it along a little with the spatula.

Pour 1/3 of the blended mixture onto base (or just enough to cover the base) and scatter some fresh berries though out the topping, I used about 7 fresh raspberries and 8 or 9 frozen blueberries.

and now carefully pour the rest of the mixture onto the berries and base - making sure berries are covered  

Now place into the freezer.

It should take at least 2 hours to set - 3 or 4 even better.

When the cheesecake has cooled and you're ready to put the caramel topping onto the cake, if using the "Loving Earth" brand chocolate...

~gently melt 1/2 of one of their 100g bar. (Pictured above).

Now you can drizzle the melted chocolate all over the cold cake and then scatter rose petals, lavender and a small handful of chopped raw pistachios.

If you want the petals and nuts to stick to the chocolate - make sure to scatter them as soon as possible, but if you want them loose, just wait for the caramel chocolate to harden (it will only take minutes), and then scatter the dried flowers and nuts. I prefer it loose, as not everyone is a fan of rose or lavender taste, and it gives someone the option to scrape off / remove them.

The cake is finished... pop it back in freezer to store.

When you wish to serve and eat, take cake out and leave out at room temperature for about 1/2 hour at least. And then when a nice softness is achieved - it can be sliced and served or stored in fridge if you like.

For those of you wanting to make your own chocolate caramel sauce...

Raw caramel white chocolate 

1/3 cup cacao butter melted

1/6 cup macadamia nut butter (or cashew nut butter)

1 1/2 Tbl. light agave syrup (or maple syrup, I used light agave in an attempt to make this a lighter colour thats all)

2 large soft de-pitted dates

3/4 tsp. vanilla syrup

Melt cacao butter (gently at a low temperature if wanting to maintain raw status) 

then pour it in with all other ingredients into a small mixer and blend very well until as smooth as possible. With such a small quantity I couldn't use my blender so this is why I'm using my smaller mixer instead.

It is now ready to pour onto any dessert recipe, or if making a nice chocolate or storing the left over sauce - pour into baking paper lined container, and store in fridge.

If pouring onto a cool surface or putting in fridge - it will cool and harden quite quickly.

For those of you that want an easy recipe to make your own macadamia nut butter .. the following is a link to that recipe.

https://www.facebook.com/serveloveatyourtable/photos/a.784914591577145.1073741828.780950391973565/811965912205346/?type=1&theater

Enjoy xo.

.   .   .   .   .

Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)

Delicious pasta with mushroom sauce.

This recipe is a follow on from yesterday's mushroom soup post.

It's a wonderful way to use the left-over mushroom soup the next day.

Very quick and easy to prepare.

I like to mix just a tiny amount of cashew creamy mayonnaise in with the mushroom soup (see previous recipe post)  - to give the sauce a creamier texture - and it works well for this recipe. Remember only a very tiny amount of the mayo needs to be mixed in with the soup. Approx. 1 tsp. for 1 cup of soup, or to your taste preference.

But this  mayo option  is not essential - the pasta still works well with the soup on it's own.

Prepare the pasta by first boiling water with a little salt and a Tbl. of oil - and when water is boiling - throw in your favourite pasta - for this recipe I prefer Farfalle pasta (bow tie pasta) but Fettucini would also be a good choice.

For those that look for gluten-free options - your choices are obviously limited and I would go with 100% buckwheat noodles.

Simmer pasta stirring regularly to stop it from sticking - cook until al dente and after straining .. pour your sauce over it.

I prefer not to drown the pasta with too much sauce - but go by your own preference how much sauce you like to add.

Hint: to stop pasta from sticking is the reason one waits for the water to boil first before adding pasta and for the oil in the water - as well as the constant stirring. Also not letting it just sit for ages in a strainer - after some time it can start to harden a little as all the liquid leaves it completely. Some like to even leave just enough moisture there to keep it slippery.

For garnish - parsley (very finely cut),  is always my preferred choice as a good match with the earthy taste of cooked mushrooms. And Please have a look at yesterday's mushroom soup recipe post for a description on how to prepare the spicy sliced mushroom for garnish as seen in the photo above. This can be prepared first and will cook while you're cooking the pasta.

Hope you enjoy this easy delicious meal. xo

.   .   .   .   .

Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)

Decadent rich mushroom soup.

mushroom soup with 2 raw button mushrooms and 1 raw swiss brown in the background.

Sometimes one is just in the mood for the rich earthy taste of mushroom soup.

In Sydney selections of mushrooms have improved drastically over the years and I adore getting a nice varied selection of beautiful fresh mushrooms.

This recipe of mine is totally my own invention and I'm calling it decadent because it has some rich and strong ingredients.

Mushroom soup is so unique - so often after the 2nd day of soup,  the craving has well and truly been satisfied.  The beauty is that with the left over mushroom soup, one can use it as a lovely sauce to dribble over other dishes or as a garnish, or even a light drizzle over sandwiches, or use with pasta.

I have a favorite pasta and mushroom sauce recipe that I will share and write / post up today or tomorrow -after I now finish and post this recipe... which is perfect because, like me, you may have more mushroom soup than you know what to do with the next day, and the mushroom with pasta sauce recipe is so good that it really ends up being a few days of delicious mushroomy meals.

Can not stress the importance that the mushrooms are firm and fresh. Soft and older mushrooms will not do and can make you feel ill. With the smaller button mushrooms - they're fresher when the underside is closed off not showing the darker brown ripply insides of the mushroom heads - just as you see in the photo above- they're nice and closed up .. and very firm - so - super fresh.

I Find that parsley is a very perfect marriage of flavours between  the earthy taste of mushrooms and the unique and sharp fresh quality of parsley. 

There are a few other spices I've put in that really go so well in this soup (and sauce), and also some other ingredients you may not have in your pantry - and I do recommend getting the truffle oil and  porcini mushroom powder - these 2 items have strong flavours and only a little is needed at a time -so they last for ages. 

Mushrooms are a great source of B12.

Also, farmers often give their mushrooms a quick burst of UV light - which activates the capability  mushrooms have to create Vitamin D - so this is a perfect soup for winter or if you don't get much sun exposure.

Shiitaki mushrooms are well known for their very strong unique smell and flavour (especially when dried) so be careful using the dried version - it can take over and even ruin a recipe. I never use the dried version - only the fresh.

Shiitaki are also very nutritious and healthy - they're crazy high in copper (which is important for good heart health), and they're very good at fighting off unhealthy organisms and growths in our bodies and also have a good range of B vitamins.

You also get a good hit of Selenium in this mushroom and quite a few other vital nutrients.

If you love mushrooms and mushroom soup, you won't be disappointed in this beautiful special soup.

A selection of mushrooms - N.B. : I wouldn't use black funji in this recipe - 

swiss browns go beautifully but they're not in this photo.

Clockwise from the top left corner- Black fungi, button mushrooms, 

shiitaki, shimeji, enoki (or enokitake) and king brown

Mushroom soup

Use 450 - 500grams (approx. 1 - 1.1 pounds) of various mushrooms (or your favourite mushroom like button or swiss brown). 

I used for this recipe:  3 shiitaki mushrooms,   200g button mushrooms,  200g swiss browns, 1 large king brown mushroom and 40g of shimeji mushrooms. All chopped and sliced in to pieces.

1 small onion sliced

2 cloves garlic sliced

2 - 3 Tbl. light oil

1 tsp. plain paprika

3 black olives chopped into pieces

1/2 tsp. porcini mushroom powder

1 tsp. truffle oil

1 tsp. mushroom soy sauce (or tamari if this is unavailable)

1 heaping tsp. dried parsley flakes

3/4 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp majoram spice

1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

1 1/2 tsp. miso paste

salt and pepper to taste

3 1/2 cups of water (more if thinner soup desired)

fresh parsley finely chopped for garnish

Sauté in the oil all the mushrooms and onion slices.

When  they begin to look nicely browned (but not too dark and over - cooked to get burnt edges) - add garlic and then quickly add paprika. Both of these ingredients burn quickly - but their cooked flavour is brought out best when sautéed in oil. 

After a minute of mixing - add all other ingredients (except for water and fresh parsley garnish). Sometimes at this point I like to turn the heat off  while I now sauté for another few minutes.

Then - add water, turn heat back on and let this simmer for 10 - 20 minutes - mixing every now and then, until it looks and smells nicely cooked.

Now blend - but if you don't have a power blender, wait for cooked mushrooms to cool right down before blending - otherwise you'll end up with mushroom soup exploding out of your blender. 

Blend until very smooth. Only adding more water if a thinner texture is desired.

Taste test to see if more salt or pepper is needed.

*alternative garnish - is dollop of cashew cream mayonnaise (see earlier recipe blog on the 23rd February-Sydney time zone)- with fresh parsley sprinkled all over. But this cashew mayo has quite a strong flavour and will change the taste of this soup and also make it a little creamier.

**If you wish to garnish this meal with roasted and spiced slices of mushrooms (as seen in the photo at the top) - make sure you have at least a few extra mushrooms to slice nicely and roast in oven with oil and spices (I used a little paprika, cracked pepper and salt). I turn them over in the oven to get a nice brown roasted look on both sides  -and when they're finished - leave them sitting on paper towels to absorb the oil and cool before using as garnish. Roast (bake them) while you're making your soup. Ideal if you slice them thick enough so they hold their shape and thin enough so they're still light enough to lie on the soup later without sinking as garnish. Be gentle when handling them after baking as they can be more fragile and break.

Once garnished ~ serve your earthy rich mushroom soup ...  yes - it's decadent, but still so good for you.

Enjoy xo

.   .   .   .   .

Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)