Dive into the aqua raw food plunge pool of bliss with my latest vegan cheesecake tart. The colour aqua is a favourite for many. Aqua jewellery, Mexican themed aqua interior design, under the sea themed fancy dress, beachy aqua and white homewares and aqua seascapes with rolling waves. Scuba dive your way around the aqua coral reef or why not glide around the aqua Caribbean with your swimmers and a snorkel. Deriving from the Latin word “aqua”, meaning “water”, “sea” or “rain”, it is a colour that represents calming, serene, spiritually grounding energy, as well as patience, emotional balance, friendship, intuition and wisdom. Perhaps this is why we’re drawn to this beautiful hue?
It is not often, however that you see an aqua colour on your plate. At first glance you might think the blue appearance of my aqua cheezecake tart is due to a humble blueberry addition. Think again!
Also read: Dragon Fruit Berry Raw Cheesecake
If you haven’t heard of the butterfly pea flower or its powder, you’re not alone. It is a flower native to South East Asia and India and has been used in traditional medicine on these continents. Its colour is so bright and the blue so striking that in Indonesia the Balinese call it “Bunga telling” which comes from the Indonesian words meaning having clear vision. The flower even has an amazing ability to change its blue colour to pink/purple by simply adding lemon or lime! Magic!
Aqua Raw Vegan Cheescake Tarts
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup of almonds
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Pinch of Himalayan salt
- Preparation:
- Process all ingredients in a high-speed blender till sticky dough forms. Divide into 3.
- Press crust into 12cm tart pans. Freeze while you prepare cheezecake filling.
Filling :
- 1 cups raw cashews soaked an drained
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp butterfly peas flower powder
- 4 tbsp of maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- Topping
- Vegan chocolate buttons
Instructions
- Process all filling ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
- Pour over the crust. Freeze for 6 hours.
- Top with chocolate buttons.
- Thaw for 15 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Not only does this butterfly pea flower powder hold this secret power of creating and changing colour, but its health benefits are many due to it being a high source of antioxidants. It is used to improve eye sight, to flush out free radicals and slow down the ageing process by maintaining elasticity of cells, to reduce stress and lift mood, to prevent wrinkle formation by improving dermal health, to protect the body against harmful carcinogens, and to promote thicker hair and hair growth. Let’s all include an aqua cheesecake tart in our daily diet! Wouldn’t life be sweet!
