No-Bake Raspberry Cream Bars (cashew-free)

I'm one of those people who cooks through a crisis. It's therapeutic and a great distraction. And out of tension and worry, lovely and nourishing food is created.

My dad recently had a pretty major operation and is still in hospital. I created these raspberry cream bars one night to cheer myself up (or numb my anxiety by eating, you be the judge!). 

I love using cashews for raw cheesecake type sweets, but I didn't have any handy this time. Using coconut milk makes these bars lighter and less rich than the standard raw cheesecake, but still lovely and creamy. 

Peanut butter, banana, raspberries and coconut - yum! 

Other recipes containing raspberries from the blog:
Raspberry Cake
Raspberries and Cream Overnight Oats

No-Bake Raspberry Cream Bars

Base
1 cup ground almonds (I used almond meal from a packet as I had some leftover)
2/3 cup soft medjool dates, packed
1/3 cup peanut butter
pinch of salt

1 banana, thinly sliced

Topping
1 cup of raspberries (if using frozen, thaw first)
1 cup coconut milk (from tin)
3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1/3 cup rice malt syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp icing sugar (or to taste)
juice of half a lemon

To make the base, put the ground almonds, dates, peanut butter and salt in a food processor and process until the mix sticks together as a dough. Press into your cake tin, cover with the sliced banana and put aside.

To make the topping, blend the raspberries, coconut milk, coconut oil, rice malt syrup, vanilla, icing sugar and lemon until completely smooth. It will be quite runny. Pour this on top of the base.

Put it in the freezer until the topping is set. After about 2 hours, it is set enough to eat but may still be a bit soft. I liked it like this, but it's also nice when left longer in the freezer and the topping has hardened completely. 

Store in the freezer. 

Vegan No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

The moment Sylvia and Lexie tried ice cream on a cone (from Vegan's Choice in Newtown), they fell in love. They got it all over their faces and clothes, didn't accept any help when it was dripping down their cones and our car was never the same again, but it was worth it to see their delight!

Now, whenever Lexie sees a picture of an ice cream in a book, he demands "Lexie, eat!" and proceeds to make his way to the kitchen (where an ice cream is supposedly waiting for him, I guess).

We don't buy ice cream much because it's either got a load of additives or is really expensive. So I thought I'd make a healthy and easy ice cream for the kids to enjoy in the heat. 

I made a very slightly different version of this ice cream last year for Sylvia when she asked for her Fancy Nancy parfait. I thought it would go well on a cone, and I was right! The kids loved this ice cream and so did everyone else. 

It's really creamy and scoop-able, and very simple to make. 

do you know how hard it is to take a photo of ice cream when it is being held by a hungry 4 year old?

Vegan No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

1 cup cashews (I didn't soak mine, however it would be a good idea as they will blend more easily)
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1/2 cup maple syrup
 
Blend all ingredients until completely smooth. This took quite a few minutes for me. 

Put it in the freezer in a container, stirring every hour or so until it reaches desired consistency. For me this was about 4 hours. After this period, just leave it in the freezer and take it out of the freezer about 20 minutes before scooping and eating it. 
 

Vegan Blueberry Frozen Yoghurt Ice Blocks

As the weather is warming up, Sylvia has wasted no time in requesting ice blocks! 

Ice blocks bring back memories of primary school for me. I remember eating those long thin ice blocks in the sweltering heat. I used to make sure that I had 40 cents in my pocket ready to buy them for myself and my best friend. Yes, they were 20 cents each - that dates me!

I love these frozen yoghurt ice blocks. They are fruity and creamy at the same time. You can make them chunky or smooth. 

I'll be trying many more fruit combinations over the summer!

Vegan Blueberry Frozen Yoghurt Ice Blocks (inspired by 5-Minute Healthy Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt)

2 cups frozen blueberries ~ or try another frozen fruit!
1/2 cup coconut yoghurt
1/4 cup rice malt syrup
squeeze of lemon juice

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor to desired consistency, put into ice block moulds and freeze!

Related: Instant Raspberry Frozen Yoghurt