Raw Moringa Leaf Lemon Cheesecake with Passion Fruit

The moringa leaf and lemon cheese tarts with passion fruit, kiwi and almonds require no baking and impress with their fruity freshness.

Yield: The amount of ingredients we specify for 6 people makes 6 tarts!

Horseradish tree: The leaves of the horseradish tree ( Moringa oleifera) are also called moringa leaves. In India in particular, both moringa leaves and the fruits known as drumsticks are used in various dishes. Compared to other plants, the leaves contain a lot of calcium, beta-carotene, potassium and iron, which is why moringa trees are among the most nutrient-rich plants on earth and are used in many developing countries to combat widespread malnutrition.

Passion fruit: Passion fruit, also known as maracuja, comes in many different types, the most common being the brown-violet fruits - which wrinkle slightly when ripe - and the yellow-green, larger fruits. In addition to a high vitamin content, especially vitamin C and B vitamins, the fruits are rich in magnesium and calcium and, thanks to their seeds, also in important unsaturated fatty acids.

Kiwi: The furry, round kiwi is not only popular thanks to its characteristic taste and green fruit color. It is also characterized by a high vitamin C content and at the same time contains only a few calories. The kiwi fruits taste sweet and mild with a typical sour note.

Almonds: Almonds have a good ratio of high fat content of 49%: only 7.4% of which is saturated fat and no trans fats and are a good source of iron. However, they have a very poor ratio of linoleic acid (LA) to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

The following ingredients are rarely or not available raw:

Cashew nuts: Hardly any other food contains as high a proportion of the essential amino acid tryptophan as cashew nuts. Tryptophan is an essential nutrient in the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Cashew nuts, also called cashew nuts or simply cashews, are a good source of minerals such as magnesium and iron. Cashew nuts are inedible raw because they contain the toxic oil cardol. Cashew nuts sold in stores are therefore either pre-treated with steam or roasted to deactivate the cardol. They are therefore not raw in the true sense of the word. If it says "raw cashew nuts" on the packaging, this usually only indicates that the deactivation of the toxic cardol was done using steam rather than a roasting process. We can only assume that the food is raw if the process is explained in detail and checked.

Maple syrup: The thickened sap from maple trees, which is particularly popular in North America, is a vegan sweetener that does not currently meet the raw food criteria due to the way it is produced. The process, originally used by Native American tribes, involves drilling into the trunks of suitable maple trees and collecting the sap that comes out. This is thickened through a cooking process, which creates the typical aroma (caramelization of the sugar components).

Raw food preparation: If you want to prepare this recipe as a strict raw food diet, you can use the instructions we have given. You can find an alternative to maple syrup under alternative preparations and with the cashew nuts you have to pay close attention to the production process. Preparation in a dehydrator at a maximum of 42 °C is also unavoidable. The recipe takes around 6 hours longer than the quicker version with the oven, but in return it rewards you with raw food quality.

Faster preparation: Instead of drying the dish for a long time in a dehydrator, you can choose the faster, but not raw, version. Here, you dry the coconut meat and almonds in the oven for about 2 hours at 50 °C. However, this means that the dish no longer meets the raw food criteria.

Raw food sweetener: Instead of maple syrup, which is not strictly speaking raw food, you can use any other sweetener. To avoid added sugars altogether, you can also use dates instead of a sweetener.