Zucchini Cheesecake Recipe, Savoury, Vegan and Gluten free

This Zucchini (courgette) Cheesecake Recipe is savoury, vegan and gluten-free!

It is the perfect alternative to a quiche and is a great dish to take to share at a party or picnic. I have adapted my original vegetarian cheesecake recipe to include a gluten free and vegan option as I am alway striving to cater for all the dietary requirements and I am super stoked with this new version,

it's on point!

The versatile zucchini is a prolific grower in Northland. Throughout the spring and summer it is cheap and easy to buy. It is nice to have a few different recipes under your belt. In my case my early memories of this vegetable are not great. So I have taken on a challenge to make super tasty zucchini dishes that are often disguised as my kids tend to pick them out, so in this recipe they are grated into the mix and also chargrilled and used as a topping. Chargrilling is one of my absolute favourite ways to prepare them, in my cookbook and classes I go through step by step to how to perfect this technique, but essentially you need to let them get really good chargrill lines before you flip them.

You will need a stand alone mixer or hand held electric whisk for the vegetarian version and a food processor for the vegan version. The food processor is also utilised for the base but the seeds could be chopped by hand then mixed together in a mixing bowl before pushing into the tin. I do find the mini food processors great for chopping seeds and nuts to a good consistency, far superior to larger ones.

Squeezing out the excess liquid from the zucchini's is an essential part of the recipe and I like to place the grater on top of a clean tea towel and grate them straight onto it, then gather the edges together and squeeze the life out of it. After you have squeezed till you can't squeeze any more, leave it sitting in the tea towel until you are ready to use it.

Zucchini Cheesecake

~New Additions~

Original Recipe from The Veggie Tree Spring and Summer Cookbook

I’ve popped the vegan and gluten-free options underneath the or, and separated the fillings into their own sections and the ingredients in bold.

Vegan | Gluten-free

Make 1x25cm cheesecake

Serves 12

Line a 25cm spring form tin with baking paper. For the base measure the following into a food processor:

1/2 c raw walnuts or pumpkin seeds 3/4 c sunflower seeds

Whizz until finely chopped, then add:

1 c wholemeal or oat flour

or

1 c buckwheat and brown rice flour

2 T psyllium husk

1 T ground flaxseed with ¼ c water, leave to absorb for 10 minutes before adding

½ tsp salt

100g butter, cubed and chilled

or

100ml extra virgin olive oil

Pulse together until it becomes one mass. Push the dough evenly into the lined tin and refrigerate while you get the filling prepared.

Preheat oven to 150°C. Next prepare:

4 zucchini, grated and well squeezed to remove excess water

Slice and marinate an extra 2 zucchini in:

1 T fresh thyme roughly chopped

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Chargrill on both sides on a smoking hot grill or grill pan and set aside.

FILLING

With egg and cheeses.

Measure into a large bowl or mixing bowl with a whisk attachment:

250g ricotta or Easy Cheese

250g cream cheese

Beat until smooth then add:

6 eggs

Continue beating until light and fluffy. Mix together in a separate small bowl:

4 tsp cornflour (starch)

1 T mustard powder

1/2 c cream

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

Reduce the beater speed, then pour the mixture from the small bowl into the main bowl and beat for another 30 seconds.

FILLING

With tofu and cashews.

Measure the following into a food processor:

2x300g blocks of tofu

1 c pre-soaked cashews

¾ c nutritional yeast

1 T mustard powder

1 clove garlic, peeled

4 tsp corn or tapioca flour (starch)

½ c water

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp cracked black pepper

Then fold into the mix the reserved grated zucchini and:

2 T chopped chives, onion flower stems or coriander

1 T chopped mint or basil

Add the filling to the chilled base, then bake for one hour or so; the filling should be set but retain a little wobble. There may be cracks in it but don’t worry. Cool in the tin, then remove the outside ring and chill further in the fridge before sliding it out of the base.

Top with the chargrilled zucchini and fresh thyme flowers and serve with your favourite relish or chutney, a leafy salad and a chilled glass of pinot gris, enjoy!

Anna x

Here is a picture of my daughter with the epic enormous zucchini marrows my amazing friend grew last year! I just couldn't resist sharing the epicness of their garden prowess!!!

And luckily for us we got to enjoy the abundance too.