Not long ago my local Aldi (which we visit all the time) started selling some colourful food powders at a very affordable price. I really love food powders because not only are they a very healthy way to add colour to your food, they are also very nutritious. In fact, I have seen a few companies sell a combination of food powders as supplements and the reviews they get on their products are amazing. I think this is because the body isn’t accustomed to digesting isolated elements, its much better at absorbing the nutrients it needs as they come in the wholefood, complete with all the nutrients. I have personally had much better success with food powders than I have with any supplement I used to take back in the day (back when I used to be able to tolerate supplements). I have often felt very sorry for myself for not being able to take supplements because it has made things quite difficult for me especially in times of increased need like pregnancy and breastfeeding, but the more time goes one the more I realise that its a blessing in disguise. I even had a segment in my nutrition and metabolism unit this year at university that spoke about how poorly supplements are utilized by the body and how they mostly don’t work and can create harm at the wrong dosage. Not being able to take supplements has made me come up with many more creative ways to get the nutrients I need. It has been a struggle and it’s definitely not as convenient or easy to weave into the routine as a normal supplement but it has worked with no side effects and much better results. Food powders are one of the things that I have learned to do to give myself a nutritional boost. Howvever, food powders are generally quite expensive and so you can imagine my excitement when I saw some at Aldi dor a very affordable price. I stocked up on all the powders they have available but got extra pitaya (dragonfruit powder) because I just couldn’t go past the beautiful pink colour!
This recipe tastes very similar to the “moon milks” I have been experimenting with. It has a very interesting taste but one that I love. Even though this uses cacao butter which is the white part of chocolate, in this particular recipe I don’t think it tastes like white chocolate very much, the taste is quite unique but I love it. The cake is perfectly girly and pretty and very much something I would love to share with my girlfriends. It’s so girly even the ingredients are all about beauty and skin health. sunflower seeds are a high source of zinc which has been shown to be beneficial in treating acne, dragonfruit is a very rich source of vitamin c which is also great for the skin and rose has many beautifying properties including reducing redness and acne due to its antimicrobial properties and lowering testosterone in women which can help reduce acne (1). This, of course, is dependant on the form in which rose is used and how it is used but in a small way it may still be helpful. I get my rose petals from the bulk plastic-free stores that have them in the little buckets or in little jars at the back. Stores like the source bulk foods or scoop, but there are many similar stores and they should all carry them.
As far as the recipe goes, its a fairly standard raw vegan cheesecake type recipe that follows similar steps to all of my other raw cheesecakes on the blog. It is dairy-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free and delicious. Enjoy.
| Vegan White Chocolate Pitaya Rose Cheesecake | Print |
- BASE:
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup pitted dates
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
- 2 tsp water (if needed)
- FILLING:
- 2 cups raw cashews (soaked in boiling water for 15-20 minutes - or you can soak in cold water overnight)
- 6 TBSP maple syrup
- 1 cup melted cacao butter
- 4 TBSP pink pitaya (dragonfruit) powder
- 1 TBSP rose water
- GARNISH:
- rose petals
- crushed frozen raspberries
- chopped pistachios
- For the base, combine all base ingredients in a food processor and process until the mixture becomes sticky to touch. If the mixture doesn't stick add a little water and process again.
- Press down on to the bottom of a 20cm round baking tin and set aside
- For the filling, melt down the cacao butter in a saucepan over low heat until liquid. Transfer to a high-speed blender, add all remaining filling ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour over base and set in the freezer for about 1 hour. You can also set in the fridge for about 2-3 hours. Once set, decorate with rose petals, crushed frozen raspberries and chopped pistachios or toppings of choice.
