Happy Independence Day my friends!
July 4th!! Usually a day filled with family, friends, food and fireworks but not this year! In fact everything seems eerily quiet around the Bird nest right now. With the grandson and family tucked up in South Carolina loving their new nest we’re taking a moment to breath and rejuvenate. We certainly love our grandson but whew, now I know why we have babies when we’re young, lol All kidding aside, we miss them already.
As Mr. Bird and I enjoyed our morning ride I realized we needed to celebrate anyway! We have so much to be thankful! He loves cheesecake so why not make a festive 4th of July Cheesecake! With plenty of blueberries and strawberries on hand we were good to go!
Back at the Bird nest…
I took a quick moment to enjoy one of my favorite summer treats. Watermelon! Lucky for me I’m the only one who loves this sweet fruit. (Can I just confess I do buy these just for me!) Watermelon is a great way to re-hydrate and it’s so refreshing!
Let’s make Cheesecake!
Fruit-ilicious Ingredients
Base Layer
- Pitted Dates (qty 13)
- Raw Almonds (1/3 cup)
- Maple Syrup (3 tbsp.)
- Cacao Powder (2 tbsp.)
Cheese-y Layer
- Soaked Cashews (1 cup)
- Chilled Coconut Milk (1/2 cup fat only)
- Coconut Water (3 tbsp.)
- Maple Syrup (3 tbsp.)
- Vanilla (1 tsp)
Topping: Fresh Strawberry Compote and Blueberries
Good old Walter…
(my 43 year old food processor) was on hand today to make the base layer. A wedding gift from my father, I cherish and appreciate the gift to this day. Although Walter is quite a heavy beast he is faithful and works well. Pulse the dates and almonds until the texture is crumbly. Now add the cacao and maple syrup.
Nutty chocolate dates…
who doesn’t love that mixture. Of course I tasted it! Pressed into the spring form pan and headed for the freezer we were ready to move on.
Layer by layer….
cheesecake was next. As I added all of the cheesecake ingredients to my blender I thought how quick and easy this dessert comes together. I decided to add a 1/3 cup Kite Hill almond cream cheese to the mix just for fun. With the cheesecake poured onto the base layer it went back into the freezer for 3 hours.
While the cheesecake was in the freezer…
I took a moment to prepare a nice strawberry compote by chopping fresh strawberries and cooking them on low. Add a dash of maple syrup, water and chia seeds to help thicken everything nicely. Oh, be sure to allow the compote to cool before serving! Not only does it taste better, you won’t risk thawing the cheesecake!
Cheers to safe and healthy 4th of July!!
Needless to say, Mr. Bird was chirping a happy tune!! It was fun making a healthy sweet treat to celebrate the day. You can’t have too many fresh fruits in your day! Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Don’t forget to practice social distancing and wash those hands!
And as always... blessings to you all!
