Day 2: Ooey, Gooey Sundried Tomato Cheese Sauce

 Hello Day 2! 

I was just sitting here thinking about how fast the days, weeks, months and years go by. We never know when our time will end and yet we let every minute slip through our fingers without a second thought. I wonder how many of those minutes are well spent and how many are wasted? I feel like I don’t have enough minutes to do what I want to do – every day is truly a battle between my wants and needs – but then I think maybe that’s because I waste too many minutes on Facebook or daydreaming. I think it may be time to take a new look at life and to start spending my minutes more wisely, enjoying my life for what is as opposed to what I want it to be. It’s time to start living.

And that was your thought for the day :)

Here’s what went into my belly on DAAAAY 2!

Early Morning: 

Yep, more lemon water. When I first wake up I think I don’t need water until I start drinking and realize how dehydrated and thirsty I truly am! Anyone else notice that too?

Breakfast:

Mmm I am in LOOOOOOVE with today’s smoothie! Mango Mandarin Madness was madly mouth-watering and delicious! Half of it was gone before I even walked out the door. Can we say gulpable!?

Mango Mandarin MAAAAADNESS

By Simple Green Smoothies

Serves 2

• 2 cups of spinach, fresh
• 2 cups of coconut water
• 2 cups of mango, frozen
• 3 mandarins, peeled
• 1 banana, frozen

Snack:

I’ve made a commitment to switch up my liquids. I’ve been so consistent on drinking kombucha that I’ve missed out on the benefits of other liquids such as vitamin water and tea. So today I enjoyed a lovely mug of warmed green tea with raw honey. Very good and refreshing!

I’ve also nibbled on raw nut butter throughout the day. Gotta feed the addiction :)

Lunch: 

Ooooh was lunch GOOOOOD!!! I had somewhat of a craving for something super cheesy so when I came across this recipe for sun-dried tomatoe cheese and broccoli I knew I HAD to jump on it! The cheese sauce is amazeballs! I mean gooey, cheesey goodness amazing. I def plan on making it again, and again, and again! 

Sundried Tomato Broccoli, Cheddar Pasta

Recipe adapted from Young and Raw

Modified to serve one small belly

Sundried Tomato Cheese Sauce

• ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
• 2 Tbsp of chopped sundried tomatoes (I had some oil packed ones I had bought from the olive bar at WholeFoods)
• 1 heaping Tbsp of nutritional yeast
• ½ small lemon, juiced
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup plus of water

1. Add all the ingredients into a small blender (I used my handy, dandy bullet) and blend, adding more water as needed until it blends consistently – in other words, the food doesn’t stop while the blade keeps going - and results in a thick, creamy sauce.
2. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Pasta

• 1 heaping cup of zucchini noodles (about ½ large zucchini. Some use a spiraler, I use a peeler and knife :)
• ½ cup of broccoli florets, cut into smaller than bite size pieces
• 1-2 Tbsp of chopped, sundried tomatoes
• 1 green onion, sliced
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

To assemble:

1. In a large bowl, add the zucchini noodles, broccoli, sundried tomatoes and green onions. Sprinkle with as much red pepper flakes as you like, if using.
2. Add the cheese sauce, adjusting the amount based on personal preference, and toss til well combined and the gooey cheese sauce covers every inch of the pasta and broccoli.
3. Line a serving bowl with mixed greens and/or spinach. Top the greens with the zucchini and broccoli pasta.
4. Garnish with green onions and some delicious broccoli sprouts!

If you can, save a little bit of the sauce for tomorrow’s dish!!

Now take a bite and say, mmm, mmm good!

Dinner:

My naughty self decided tonight was dessert-for-dinner night. If you follow our blog, you may know that by the time the evening hits, I’m just not hungry. I eat something light, if anything at all!  So tonight I figured a small slice of raw strawberry cheesecake was considered light enough. 

The recipe I used came from the awesome Rawmazing! I absolutely ADORE her site and drool daily on her creations. I split her recipe into thirds to accommodate my mini 4.5 X 1.5 springform pan. It surprisingly worked! My mini pan was filled to the top! 

I tried this recipe both frozen and thawed in the fridge. I found the thawed soft version to be more appealing in both taste and texture. I find the flavors to be more pronounced in the refrigerated version and the texture more appealing. It was easier to eat too! It’s still really good frozen, but def let it thaw out a bit before serving. 

What I loved most about this recipe was that although it was made with mainly coconut, the coconut flavor in the cheesecake was not overpowering and only lightly sweetened giving it a more realistic cheesecake taste. After all, cheesecake is a combo of sweet and savory and this recipe is just that. I loved how Susan allowed the strawberries and the chocolate sauce to really shine in this recipe. The strawberries provide a change in texture while the chocolate sauce rounds off the flavor perfectly! I will admit though, I could have totally gone for more than just a drizzle! It’s the best chocolate sauce recipe I have found so far! Sweet, but not too sweet and perfectly thick and saucy. I also topped my cheesecake slices with cacao nibs for a texture boost!

 

All in all, a well rounded raw cheesecake in both taste and texture. Dare we say it’s nearly perfect!?

I didn’t make any adjustments to the recipe minus dividing it in thirds. For me, making raw pies and cheesecakes is like baking regular cheesecake or cupcakes – unless you know what you are doing, which in this case, I still am learning, DON’T MESS WITH THE RECIPE or suffer disaster! So for now, I’m leaving raw cake makin’ to the experts. 

Here’s Rawmazin’s amazing Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecake. ENJOY and try not to eat it all in one sitting. Trust me it’s REALLY hard to do!