Now that it’s summer I have a hankering for strawberry lemonade. What goes better with a warm summer afternoon than strawberry lemonade? Well, strawberry lemonade squares – of course! This dessert tastes like summer and with fresh strawberries being abundant this time of year, this is the perfect seasonal dessert to whip up ahead of time for a dinner party or as a treat for yourself and your loved ones. They are also vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free so you can indulge without any guilt and your body won’t feel yucky afterward. Enjoy!

Yield: 1 dozen squares

Prep time: 30 minutes + 1 hr soaking time for cashews + 4 hrs minimum chilling time

Crust Ingredients:

1.5 cups raw walnuts

1.5 cups raw unsalted almonds

1/2 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

Filling Ingredients:

1.5 cups raw cashews (soaked for 1 hour in very hot water)

1 cup full fat coconut cream *See tip below

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

zest of 2 lemons

2 cups fresh strawberries (washed and hulled)

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 6 lemons)

4 Tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch

1 lemon sliced thinly for garnish

Method:

1. Boil a kettle and soak cashews in hot boiling water for 1 hour in a medium sized bowl. After they have soaked, rinse and set aside.
2. Prepare a 8″ x 11″ pan by either greasing it with coconut oil or lining it with parchment paper and set aside. (Tip: The parchment paper method will allow you to easily remove the squares once they are chilled for easier cutting and serving.)
3. In a food processor, pulse walnuts and almonds until finely ground. Add in coconut oil, coconut sugar and sea salt. Pulse a few more times until the mixture starts to just come together. You want it to be sticking together but not a paste. Empty into your prepared pan and press firmly to form a crust on the bottom of the pan. Set in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
4. In a small saucepan, heat the strawberries, lemon juice, vanilla and cornstarch on medium high heat. Whisk together until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. In a high speed blender add drained cashews, coconut cream, lemon zest and strawberry mixture. Puree until very smooth and creamy.
6. Remove crust from fridge and pour filling over the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours minimum or overnight.
7. When you are ready to serve, remove the squares from the refrigerator and garnish with sliced lemon or strawberries and cut into squares.
8. These can be kept in the fridge for up to 4-5 days in a sealed container.

*If you cannot find unsweetened coconut cream you can easily get it from separating the coconut cream from the watery bit in regular full fat coconut milk. Just put the can in the fridge overnight and when you are ready to use it for this recipe just remove the lid and scoop out the hardened portion at the top of the can – this is the coconut cream. Discard the watery bit leftover or reserve to put in a smoothie.