Pink Flamingo Vegan Cheesecake Bars

These Pink Cheesecake Bars are made using cashews, coconut oil and pitaya. Raw and vegan.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Servings: large bars

Author: Kathy Patalsky

2 cups soaked raw cashews, drained ** If you do not have time to soak the cashews, you may be ok using unsoaked -- just give them a "quick soak" for 2-3 minutes in some boiling salted water to help soften a bit. And run your Vitamix on high for a few minutes longer. You may also want to add a splash of water to the mixture. (I have not tested it this way, but think it will work.)
½ cup virgin coconut oil, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (or a real vanilla bean)
¼ cup fresh grapefruit juice (or sub with lemon or orange)
⅓ cup maple syrup
⅛ teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoon frozen pitaya puree (or use fresh dragonfruit if in season)
on top: 1 teaspoon grapefruit zest

For these bars, I used a 5" x 5" square dish. It made 4 very thick bars. You could double the recipe and fill a large dish - or try to use whatever dish you have on hand. The dish size will change the thickness of the bars.
Prepare the dish by layering it with parchment paper.
In a blender, process the cookies until they become a fine powder. Transfer the powder to a small bowl and combine with the crust oil. Then pour the oiled crumbs into the parchment-lined dish and flatted down a bit. This doesn't have to be donw perfectly, the cashew mixture does an excellent job of soaking up the crumbs and helping with binding of the crust.
In a blender, process all the fink filling mixture until silky smooth. Process on high for a few minutes to slightly warm the mixture - I find that this changes and thickens the mixture a bit, which I like. It lightly cooks it from the heat of the blender. (High speed blenders or food processors work best for processing this recipe. I used my Vitamix.)
Pour the filling into the dish, over the crust and smooth with a spatula. Add the citrus zest on top.
Chill in the fridge overnight or for at least a few hours. Slice and serve. The bites will soften up pretty quickly, so if serving for a party, you will want them to be served within a half hour or so or presenting them. Otherwise, serve them on some ice to keep them nice a firm. I like these slightly soft - which is the texture they get after about 15 minutes at room temperature.