So we’re finally into the last official month of summer. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE. Although we may be getting more rain – bloody British weather – it’s still warm at least, so this new recipe working with Indigo Herbs is ideal. A stunning dessert bursting with flavour and colour, let me tell you a bit more about what’s in it.
Have you heard of superfood adaptogens? Nah, I hadn’t either, but I was really intrigued after finding out they help your body adjust to stress and extreme circumstances – particularly useful when with adjusting to strange sleep cycles with baby – and also just help to balance out the effects of too much coffee on the adrenals.
One of the adaptogens on the list is liquorice which can be an acquired taste; I absolutely love it and couldn’t wait to incorporate the root powder form into a dessert creation. After having a little research it seemed that blackberries were a good accompaniment so along with the creaminess of coconut I thought this would work well together. Plus the root powder is 50 times sweeter than sugar so only a little extra sweetness is needed.
Then we’ve got some shatavari in there – an ayurvedic adaptive and tonic for women and quite mild in taste so blends well into all kinds of things like smoothies or stirred into porridge. Working alongside the other ingredients in this recipe, you won’t be able to tell it’s in there while reaping the benefits of this organic herbal powder.
Let’s crack on with his raw, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and no refined sugar cheesecake then!
Ingredients:
For the base –
- 100g rolled oats (can be gluten-free – I used Flahavan’s)
- 4 tablespoons ground almonds
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil (I used LucyBee)
- 2 tablespoons almond butter (I used Pip&Nut)
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup (I used Indigo Herbs)
For the cheesecake –
- 1 x can coconut milk, chilled in the fridge overnight
- 3 frozen bananas
- 4 tablespoons almond or coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons Indigo Herbs Liquorice Powder
- 1 teaspoon Indigo Herbs Shatavari powder
- 150g fresh or frozen blackberries
Get making!
- First make the base: Mix together the oats and ground almonds in a bowl. Gently melt the coconut oil, almond butter and maple syrup then pour into the dry ingredients and stir well so the mixture comes together. Tip into a 20cm lined loose-bottomed round tin and press evenly into the base with your fingers.
- Now make the cheesecake part: Scrape the solid part of the coconut into a blender (I use my Ninja Kitchen) and add the frozen banana chunks, almond or coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, liquorice and shatavari powders. Blend well until quite thick and smooth.
- Pour ¾ of this into the tin. Now add ¾ of the blackberries to the blender and whizz up until smooth. Drizzle this purple part over the cheesecake and swirl in to create a pretty effect. Arrange the other whole blackberries on top.
- Place in the freezer and freeze for at least 6 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove 10 minutes beforehand then push out and place on a serving board. Cut into slices then serve straight away!
Keep any remaining cheesecake in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.