With Valentine’s day just around the corner, I thought it would be a good idea to bring you these irresistible red velvet slices with vanilla cashew cream cheese frosting. They are raw, so no cooking or baking is involved, which means they are quite easy to prepare and rather hard to mess up! Great way to impress your loved one(s) without spending hours in the kitchen 😉 The stunning red hue is all natural, coming from beetroot, one of the winter’s most nourishing vegetables.
Beets are an excellent source of folate, a B vitamin that helps reduce the risk of birth defects, and a very good source of manganese, potassium, and copper that are essential for healthy muscles, bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas to name a few. They are also high in dietary fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, immune-boosting vitamin C, iron, and vitamin B6. But, that’s not all! Beets are furthermore valued for supporting the body’s natural detoxification process and helping to purify your blood and your liver (1,2).
So what are you waiting for? All you need is a handful of simple ingredients you might already have in the fridge and a food processor or blender to get started. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please share them with me in the comments below or better yet tag me @Nutriholist in your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Enjoy!
Raw Red Velvet Slices w/ Vanilla “Cream Cheese” Frosting
Yields 8-10 slices
Ingredients
Red Velvet Slices
- 1/2 medium raw beetroot, shredded (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 cup cashews (could sub with other nuts or seeds)
- 7 small dates, pitted
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- Pinch of unrefined sea salt
Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 2+ hours {see Note}
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut yogurt
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- FOR THE RED VELVET SLICES: Shred the beet using your food processor or mandolin. Add the rest of slice ingredients to the food processor and process until you get a fine sticky crumble
- Line a 5×7 inch dish with parchment paper and press the crumble into the dish. Transfer to the freezer and let it harden for around 30 minutes
- FOR THE CASHEW CREAM CHEESE: Rinse and drain the soaked cashews, throw them in the blender or food processor with the rest of ingredients, and blend until smooth. Take the dish out of the freezer, pour frosting on top, and return to the freezer for the frosting to set (around 1 hour)
- Take out, cut into slices and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer
NOTE: You can skip soaking the cashews if you are using a high-speed blender like Vitamix. If not and you’re short on time, cover them with hot water for around 15 minutes for cashews to soften.
Can you substitute the cacao for brown rice and cacao protein powder? Or the sweet freedom liquid chocolate? Thanks!
Hi Anya, yes you can substitute the raw cacao powder with cacao protein powder or liquid chocolate. However, the slices would turn out sweeter than usual when you use liquid chocolate or if your protein powder is sweetened. My recipes are generally not too sweet, so it might not be an issue. You can start with 5 or 6 dates if you want and add more later if necessary. If the mixture is too crumbly when you reduce dates, you can add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Hope this helps!
Mitra, love these slices. The raw beetroot is an awesome healthy addition, shredding is a great tip to handle it. Thanks for sharing! Dee xx.
Thanks so much Dee! I’m very glad you liked it 🙂 XO