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| Gluten-Free vegan pumpkin cheesecake- creamy and dairy-free. |
Is this the week to shun dessert in favor of lettuce and green detox soup? I can answer that.
The answer is no.
As in N. As in O. NO. Nope. Nada. Not gonna happen.
Because I, my darling, am a temptress. I am not going to write about New Year's Hoppin' John today, or some virtuous legume soup with kale. I am going to tease you. I am going to lure you- with one more fork-worthy dessert recipe before the final eve of 2012. A silky, creamy pumpkin cheesecake recipe that begs for a party. One last hurrah before the pale glare of January dawns in all her cold and sober glory. One last indulgent sweet before I gingerly step on the reality check scale. And maybe, sigh. A little hint of a sigh.
Because the annual jean shrinkage has begun. You know- that time of year when (mysteriously!) my jeans come out of the dryer a size too small. And that familiar jolly pie roll affectionately known as Doris is rolling her merry way up and out of my favorite roomy cargo pants. It's rather comical. And in truth, she makes me smile. I pat her affectionately.
Like a pet bunny.
Because the truth is I am not about to start counting calories.
Though I admit I may feel the need to cleanse my palette in the bright new year that lurks around the corner (the new year the Mayans allegedly did not give a whit about). Detox mulligatawny is surely in my future. If for nothing else, for the sheer love of shedding old stuck energy. A fresh start feels good. If you do it with a big dash of humor.
And humility.
I know from experience that January will ignite the urge to clean out closets, chase those dust bunnies and walk off our collective Doris's. Or would that be Dori, for plural? We have plenty of time, come 2013, for detoxing and courting virtue with ginger laced green soup, and recipes that will encourage our lovely pinchable pie rolls to skedaddle. I promise. I'll be
But this week? Nah.
There's one more gluten-free dessert recipe to share in 2012.
And it's cheesecake. Well, faux cheesecake. And no one will suspect it is vegan and gluten-free.
I won't tell, if you won't.
Have a beautiful, safe, healthy, light filled New Year!
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| No eggs or dairy in this rich and creamy gluten-free cheesecake. |
Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Prepare a 9-inch Springform pan by lining the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.
First, make the cheesecake crust:
Crust ingredients:
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour blend
1/2 cup organic light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
5 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
Place all of the dry ingredients into a food processor bowl and pulse until the mixture looks a bit like coarse sand. Add in the vegan butter and pulse in quick, short bursts until the crumbs are moist and fall away from the sides of the bowl.
Dump the crumbs into the cake pan and spread them evenly. Using your fingers gently press the crumbs across the bottom and up the sides- about half the way up.
Set aside.
Wash out the processor bowl.
For the cheesecake filling:
16 ounces vegan cream cheese (I used 2 8-oz containers of Vegan Gourmet Non-GMO Soy Cream Cheese)
14 ounces organic non-GMO silken tofu (I love the sprouted soy tofu)
1 cup cooked organic pumpkin (canned is fine)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions:
Scoop the vegan cream cheese, soft tofu, and pumpkin puree into the food processor bowl. Add the lime juice, vanilla extract, sugar, tapioca starch, ginger, cinnamon and sea salt. Process until the ingredients form a smooth and creamy pudding-like filling.
Spoon the pumpkin cheesecake filling into the prepared pan. Spread the filling evenly and smooth out the top with a back of a spoon.
Place in the center of a pre-heated oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes until golden. Turn the oven OFF. Leave the cheesecake in the cooling oven to set for one hour.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and set it on a wire rack to continue cooling.
When cool, place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the pan and place an inverted dinner plate on top. (This helps to keep condensation from forming and dripping onto the cheesecake.)
Chill the cheesecake for several hours- overnight is even better.
Using a thin flexible spatula or plastic knife, gently loosen the sides of the cake from the Springform pan; release the spring and carefully remove the ring.
Use a thin sharp knife to slice the cheescake. Serve with a dollop of coconut whipped cream, fresh berries, or mint leaves.
Cook time: 1 hour
Yield: Serves 10-12
More pumpkin cheesecake goodness from bloggers:
The Baking Beauties: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping at Hold the Gluten
The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake
Book of Yum's Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Egg-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars by Jules Gluten-Free
Elana's Pantry: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Cheesecake







18 comments:
This looks fantastic. I recently added soy back into my diet after years of not eating it, and am so grateful I can tolerate it :)
Happy New Year Karina! Wishing you a sweet and healthy New Year! Can't wait to see what you create in 2011.
Happy New Year Karina! That cheesecake looks divine!
This looks like a great treat to finish out the indulgent season. Happy New Year to you and Steve!
Karina!
You're the best! Every time I read your blog I laugh because I see so much of myself in what you write! (My jeans have shrunk too!!!!)
Thanks for the great receipes and the even greater laughs!
Breath, believe and receive!
-Nicole
Doris is overstaying her welcome for me too! I'll have to make this...followed by your detox meals. Can't wait...Happy New Year!
Mmmm, this looks very tasty! :) Love those photos - so pretty and festive! Happy New Year!
The holidays are certainly not the time to exercise self restraint. I'm glad you have seen the light too and have posted such a lovely recipe! Plenty of time for dieting when all the leftovers are eaten up.
Looks really good, I think I will make it for New Years Eve party I am going to! I love reading your blog!
Karina, I was just wondering what to do with the last remaining pumpkin from Halloween when a friend called to invite us over for dinner tomorrow. Voila! Now I have something to bring.
You always seem to provide the perfect- and delicious - timely solution!
Best wishes for a wonderful 2012.
Thank you for all of your fabulous inspiration.
Karina, I will definitely be making this wonderful recipe for my daughters birthday next week! Do you have a recipe for coconut whipped cream? I wasn't able to find it. Thanks so very much for all the joy you give to the Celiac community.
This looks absolutely incredible. So I guess I'm going to have to indulge one more time before starting on my New Year's Resolution. Thanks for your wonderful blog.
That looks fantastic! I'd love a slice.
Love it.
I too have had my fair share of treats this season, but I never feel guity about it because I only act this way one time a year. I soak up the goodies and lazy times (literally) but once I get back to my healthy, active routine, I know that my body will bounce right back.
'Tis the season to enjoy.
Thank you thank you thank you! I've been struggling to cook for years now. I have been a vegetarian for 10/11 years which was easy enough. Then just over 2 years ago I started dating someone with a nut allergy. No biggie, until he moved in but still manageable. Then my little sister (who lives with me) was diagnosed with celiac disease. And recently I began having some health issues and needed to cut eggs and dairy from my diet. I was at a loss for what to do. Because we're all so busy and have such different schedules I do all my cooking for the entire week in one day and package it all in single serve packages so everyone can just heat and eat. I had to cook so many different meals, package them all in different coloured containers and then get out my sharpie which took WAY longer and was so much harder (due to cross contamination) that I was about to give up and kick everyone out. I finally found your blog while desperately searching for at least one meal that we could all eat together and what did I find?? An ENTIRE blog. I was finally in heaven. I've been using your recipes and insights on vegan and gluten free cooking because I'm still fairly new at it. The name says it all; you truly are a Gluten-Free Goddess. Thank you for saving my family and my sanity.
-Talor
Any suggestions on what to use instead of the tofu and vegan cream cheese? I'm trying to avoid super processed foods (especially things like vegan cream cheese), so I was wondering if some sort of nut or coconut cream might work.
many thanks!
Rachel Joy
Rachel use goat cream cheese from Trader Joes Or Chevre goat cream cheese from Whole foods.
Karina I am stumped though as I am not sure what to use in place of Tofu .I have a soy allergy.Kindlt advise
Many Thanks
Sandy
Is there something I could substitute for the coconut? I am highly allergic to it.
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