No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake (Creamy Meyer Lemon Pie)

I made this for John's birthday last week. I wanted to make a raw cheesecake in a graham cracker crust (John loves graham crackers), but the raw cheesecake recipes all sounded too fatty, so I compromised and used a container of soy yogurt to reduce the fat content. The results were amazing--creamy, tangy, delicious, with the solidity of a good New York Cheesecake. The raspberry sauce on top elevated it to celebration status!

No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake (aka Creamy Meyer Lemon Pie)

If you substituted rice yogurt for soy yogurt, this could easily be made soy-free. It's very important to use organic lemons, because the skin of citrus fruits really soaks up pesticides. Make sure you wash them well to remove any wax, or all the flavor will not come through.

1 prepared 9-in graham cracker crust (see Better-For-Ya Graham Cracker Crust, bottom)

zest, pulp, and juice of 1 1/2 lemons (I used Meyer lemons, because they are in season)

6 oz container of vanilla soy yogurt

2 C raw cashews, ground to a fine powder (I used a coffee grinder)

1/4 C coconut oil

dash of salt

3 Tb agave nectar (or sugar or lightly colored honey)

Pour the lemon zest, pulp and juice into a blender and add the yogurt. Blend on low to combine. In three batches, add the cashew powder. When combined, add the coconut oil, salt and sugar. The mixture should be quite thick. Pour mixture into prepared graham cracker crust, cover tightly, and refrigerate two to three hours until firm. Serve with fresh fruit or Raspberry Glaze.

Raspberry Glaze

1 1/4 C frozen raspberries

3 Tb sugar

juice of 1/2 a lemon

Stir all ingredients together in a small saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook until sauce coats a spoon. Thoroughly cool before using, but do not refrigerate, or it will not spread nicely over the cheesecake.

Better For Ya Graham Cracker Crust

Sometimes you just want a graham cracker crust, but when you read the recipe, your arteries begin crying. This is the fix for you. It is particularly thick and hearty, with a tasty, grahamy flavor.

1 Tb ground flax seeds

1/4 C water

1/2 tsp corn or sunflower oil

1/4 tsp salt

10 crushed graham crackers (they should be about the texture of sand)

2 Tb brown rice syrup, at room temperature

Mix the ground flax seeds with the water and let it rest while you crush the graham crackers. The flax seeds should turn into a thick and gooey paste. Stir in the oil. In a large bowl, sprinkle the salt over the crushed graham crackers, then stir in the flax seeds. Add the brown rice syrup. Stir until the brown rice syrup is evenly distributed and the mixture begins to come together in one big lump. Put the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan or springform and pat into place. Bake at 325 degrees until browned and firm, about 12 minutes.