Page 110, Photo used with permission, courtesy of Vegan Heritage Press. Keep reading for the recipe!
So, Dianne Wenz, from Vegan Heritage Press (aka Veggie Girl and fellow Vegan Temptivist) emailed me and asked me if I’d review Robin Robertson’s Nut Butter Universe. Of course I said YES! I mean, every single recipe in this book features nuts, seeds, or nut butters (or all 3). Robin gives simple instructions on how to make your own nut and seed butters at home. No more paying $10 a jar for Tahini! Plus, I was super excited after seeing Kristy’s review and the Fantasy Brownies (woah…) Basically, I all ready knew this cookbook would be right up my alley.
I’ve tested more than 10 recipes out of the book and each one turned out every bit as delicious as the last. This is definitely MY KIND of cookbook!
Here’s several of the things I made out of Nut Butter Universe:
pg. 90, one of the top vegan burgers I’ve ever tried, though I may use a flax egg to get it to bind better next round (and there will be a next round).
pg. 132 OMGosh, this fudge literally comes together in minutes and is ridiculously delicious.
pg. 133, yup, something for your LUCKY four legged friend too, my friendly tester definitely approved!
Page 32, Photo used with permission, courtesy of Vegan Heritage Press. I made these tasty bad boys, but my family gobbled them up before I could get a photo shoot, they were that good! Thank goodness Vegan Heritage Press had my back on this one and had a photo for me to share with you.
pg. 52, I have a feeling this will be our “go-to” grilling recipe this summer. SO in love with the Almond Romesco Sauce.
…A closer look
This is honestly the most realistic vegan cheesecake that I’ve ever eaten. Look at the cheesecake in relation to the size of the fork in front of it! I quartered the recipe and made it baby sized for portion control (4 inch springform!)
Topped with raspberry sauce for color contrast.
I’ve also made (but not photographed) the following:
Orange Decadence Chocolate-Almond Truffles pg. 126 (like a Christmas Present melting in your mouth). Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce pg, 42, I’ve made a lot of Peanut Noodle salads, but this one had the perfect balance of flavors and textures. I used rice noodles and made it gluten-free, most if not all recipes in the book can be made gluten-free! Peanut Butter Cups pg. 127 Even better than the real thing…and last but not least, the Crunchy Coleslaw with Creamy Cashew Dressing pg. 46. Yes, it’s simple and amazing.
Now, for that Cheesecake recipe you’ve been waiting for…
Summer Berry Cheesecake
This light and luscious cheesecake features your favorite berries of summer. The creamy goodness comes from cashews blended into a rich butter and combined with vegan cream cheese. Be sure your berries are well-drained and blotted dry to remove any liquid.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup almonds, soaked overnight, then drained and blotted dry
- 3/4 cup soft pitted dates
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, then drained and blotted dry
- 1/2 cup natural sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 (8-ounce) containers vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries, well drained and blotted dry
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Fresh berries and mint leaves, for garnish
Preparation:
- Grease an 8-inch springform pan and set aside. In a food processor, combine the drained soaked almonds and the dates and process until finely ground. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine the soaked and drained cashews, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla, and process to a paste. Add the cream cheese, berries, and cornstarch, and blend until smooth and very creamy.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool at room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Carefully remove the sides of the springform pan before slicing. (You may need to run a knife around the edge of the cake to separate it from the pan.) Serve garnished with fresh berries and mint. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
From Nut Butter Universe by Robin Robertson. ©2013 Robin Robertson. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.
For a chance to win a copy of this amazing cookbook from Vegan Heritage Press, Click on the link below to enter the Giveaway! This contest is open to entrants in the USA only. You must also follow this blog by email or RSS feed to qualify. You have until Friday the 24th of May to enter! I will notify the winner by email on Monday the 27th. GO!
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Vedged Out 
Holy buffet pants! (I’ll be in my yoga pants when I get my copy!!) That cheesecake is ummm…I need to be in a room with it. Alone.
Which is why I made the baby version of the other one, in a 4 inch springform pan, so if I *accidentally* ate the whole thing it would still only be two servings worth. Dying girl. You crack me up!
lol Sarah!!!!
what a pretty and healthy cake! you make such awesome food, can I come live with you;)
I have a very lovely guest room…. 😉 but all credit for the cake goes to Robin Robertson. I’m amazed by her recipes. I want to move in with her 😉
Reblogged this on The ObamaCrat.Com™ and commented:
You just made me so hungry….thank you a ton Ms. Somer.
I guess I will just have to buy this as I cannot enter… I mean LOOK at that cheesecake…I can not live without this book!
I’m making this cheesecake this weekend! Yum! My favorite nut butter right now is almond butter. I have been making a stroganoff dish with seitan (from the MILF Diet) and there is almond butter in the gravy. Even my omni husband enjoyed it. I often just make the gravy by itself to serve with other things, like smashed potatoes or baked tofu.
Almond butter is my fav, especially straight up on toast!
Oh my gosh! These recipes look amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this review with us! I’m always looking for new vegan recipes to wow my husband and teenage sons! Looks like this is going to be a winner!
One: All this stuff looks incredible. And Two: Girl, you are a cookin’ fool. I get a cookbook and have the best of intentions of making lots of goodies, only to make one thing. YOU have made an entire chapter, whilst raising children and running and still managing to keep up to date on others’ blog posts. You must have a time machine filled with cheesecake. I want in.
Okay, I’m holding out on buying this book until the giveaway is over — totally sounds like my kind of recipes!
Oh, and I’m still pretty much all about peanut butter, though almond butter is a very, very close second.
My favorite nut butter is cashew, but I probably use almond butter the most. I like to make power bars with almonds and almond butter, mmmmmmmmm!
Thanks for the chance to win this book, Somer. It looks wonderful!
Wow, you’ve been a busy girl! The cheesecakes look incredible! Sounds like an amazing cookbook, I hope it’s available in the UK!! 🙂
Wow, everything looks AMAZING! This one is definitely on my wishlist! 🙂
This cookbook looks amazing!! My favorite nut butter is macadamia (the one I use least) but makes heavenly cookies, and everything it goes in is DIVINE! =)
I absolutely love peanut butter and I typically just eat it plain or with an apple
Thanks for this si yummy giveaway !
My favorite nut butter is Peanut Butter & Co’s Dark Chocolate Dreams! I love to spread some on a banana, freeze the banana, and then make chocolate-covered banana “ice cream” out of it :).
I’m a peanut butter girl! I love to make the African Peanut Soup in the cookbook, Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes. It is so yummy!
It’s boring but I love peanut butter. (I love almond butter too, but it’s expensive!) I like to use it to make Thai peanut sauce or add to other noodle sauces, like in pad thai.
Oh my, yum, I want to dig in to that cheesecake so bad. Not to mention everything else. This recipe book looks like my heaven!
My first love will always be pb, but lately it has been all almond. Love putting it in smoothies. Thanks for hosting this great giveaway!
Really amazing looking food, Somer! I love a good cheesecake… never tried a vegan one. I would though 😀
I’ve actually never had any nut butter except peanut butter. In my defense, I’ve only been a vegan for like 7 weeks. This sounds like a great cookbook to help me try new things, though! 🙂
Wow…how do you have time to make all that?!!! Everything looks amazing…especially the burgers! Those are my favorite on here! What a wonderful recipe book it looks like!
Loving the look of your nut burgers – yummy! Yes, I agree with Brandy above…not sure where in the world you could find the time, amazing!
Oh my! Yum yum yum. What a delicious post.
That is one beautiful cheesecake! I’d love to sink a fork into that!
Homemade cashew butter is my fave and I love it in a sauce on cold Asian noodles…yumza!
This cookbook sounds so awesome! Really want to try that romesco sauce with grilled veggies. And the cheesecake of course 🙂
Reblogged this on Glenn62’s Blog.
Yum! I used to really not like nut butters, but I am currently obsessed with peanut butter. I can’t get enough!
Courtney
peanut butter with carrots or apples or to make delicious oil free cookies!
Cashew Butter. In anything. 🙂
I really don’t have a favorite nut butter. I love them all!! But I do love using Peanut Butter to make smoothies, cookies and fudge! Yumm!
That cheesecake looks like a real winner & so do the other tasty recipes!
I love those nutty burgers,..;they look so georgous & that pinapple coconut cheesecke, in mini form looks so appetizing too!
Thanks for sharing with us 🙂
I really need to buy this book – I have a fridge full of nut butters. (And my dogs would love the peanut butter doggy treats!)
tht is a lot of stuff you have tried! i have to try those burgers and that romesco sauce!
You have been a cooking/baking fool Somer- everything looks amazing, I LOVE how bright and fresh the romensco veggies look and that cheesecake does look freakin’ incredible!
my favorite nut butter recipe is my everyday, go-to smoothie… spinach and/or kale, almond milk, 1/2 a frozen banana, vanilla protein powder, and 1 T. of almond or peanut butter. DEELISH!
This looks amazing! I made a similar cashew cheescake, so yummy!
Almond butter. I like to eat it by the spoonful! If I had to make something with it, I’d spread it on thinly sliced homemade bread! (Open faced, of course)
I’m still a peanut butter girl. But I don’t pass up a nut or seed butter. Cashew butter is amazing. Coconut butter is sinful. Almond butter is a great staple. Sunflower seed butter. Hemp seed butter. Pumpkin seed butter. I could eat them all – right now – with a spoon!
I just ordered my first nutter butter from Justin’s and am waiting on arrival. I tried a almond butter cookie once and just fell in love. The fudge brownie you have posted looks sinfully yummy.
It should totally be called Somer Berry Cheesecake, and it looks delicious!
I love your story and recipes (my kids go wild for the foxy moxy cheese!Divine!) My favorite nut butter would be the timeless almond butter but I LOVE any kind of nut for that matter. Winning that book would make my family’s conversion to vegan so much easier!!
I love almond butter and make a mean oats and fruit balls using almond butter
Thanks once again for a cool giveaway ,Somer!!