CHAI CHEESECAKES with CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

Ey, babes! This recipe is bomb. It's creamy, decadent, sweet and full of wholesome stuff your body wants (like nuts, chocolate and chai spices). I know I flip flop a lot on what to call vegan cheesecakes: I've gone through phases of not caring, to preferring to call them cheeZecakes, to labelling them as cream cakes, and now I've gone full circle and am back to calling them cheesecakes because while no, they don't contain any DAIRY cheese, they ARE vegan cheesecake! I've stopped calling plant-based meats and cheeses "fake", and now I simply refer to them as vegan meats and cheeses, because that is what they are. This recipe is everything you want a cheesecake to be, it's just not made with dairy. I'm not a baby cow. I'm a grown ass human being who has access to non-dairy milk, nuts, rice, oats, fruits, veggies and more - so I make the choice to eat vegan foods because it's less damaging to the planet, and more compassionate to our animal pals. Going vegan isn't gonna save the world, but it's a small step towards a more conscientious lifestyle for those of us who can make it. Please eat as many of these cheesecakes as you want.

I have some new podcast recommendations! Y'all know how much I love podcasts and this week I've only gone further down the wonderful, educational rabbit hole that they are. Pretty much all music reminds me of Jack (the love of my life who dumped me a month ago) so I've deleted the tunes from my iPod - for now, until I heal - and have replaced that space with... you guessed it: more podcasts. First up: Bad Fat Broads! A radical fat acceptance podcast hosted by Ariel and KC, it's super informative and makes me feel empowered. They are ADORABLE and very smart, allowing their listeners to tune into critical conversations around fatness, sizeism, fatshion and more. I love it. Along the same vein, I encourage you to check out The Bodcast, Bustle's body positive podcast: the quality is great and the discussions are important. Next I wanna give a shout out to Reveal: a terrific, in-depth investigative journalism podcast that gets into unexpected subjects and does a good job of addressing systemic injustices and including the voices and experiences of ladies and people of colour. Finally, on a lighter note: 2 Dope Queens! Hosted by two hilarious black goddesses (Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson), this podcast is mainly funny folks doing comedy and it reminds me that I CAN take everything less seriously and laugh at life. Cuz life IS kind of a weird joke after all... right?

CHAI CHEESECAKES with CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
Makes three mini cheesecakes

Cheesecakes:
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup dates
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3-4 tablespoons water or lemon juice
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder
3-5 seeds from a cardamom pod

Crust:
1/6 cup coconut flour
1/6 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon cacao powder
2 tablespoons water
Pinch Himalayan salt

Chocolate drizzle:
1 tablespoon melted cacao butter
1 tablespoon cacao powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup

To make the cheesecake: blend all ingredients together until smooth, thick and delicious. Set aside.

To make the crust: stir together all the ingredients until you get a semi-crumbly mixture that holds its shape when pressed between two fingers. If it's still too crumbly, add some more water. Press the crust into lined cupcake molds and then fill with the cheesecake mix. Leave in the freezer or fridge overnight. Gently remove the cheesecakes from the molds.

To make the drizzle: stir together the ingredients - ya just made chocolate sauce! Drizzle over your cheesecakes and enjoooy.

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