A Peek at Christine Bailey's New Book!

With the nights drawing in and the air growing crisp, a slice of comfort food has never felt more, well...comforting! And what's better than a dessert that's super easy to make, suitable for the kids and full of gut-healthy goodness plus vitamin C for added immune support? Yep, this raw, zesty cheesecake from nutritionist Christine Bailey's new book is the ideal healthy autumn treat.

Christine's latest book, 'My Kids Can't Eat That: How to Deal with Allergies & Intolerances in Children' centres around many years of experience not only as an award-winning nutritional therapist, but as mum to her three kids, all of which have various food reactions. Therefore, she's pretty much a pro at creating nourishing, allergy-free recipes! In her latest book launching on Saturday 29 September, Christine discusses why food allergies develop and the underlying imbalances linked to gut and immune health. She also runs through over 60 self-created, delicious recipes for the whole family - this cheesecake included! Lucky for you though, we have a sneak peek of the recipe so you don't have to wait until you get your hands on a hard copy to test this Prue and Paul-worthy dish...

Passionfruit And Orange Cheesecake

A tropical flavoured base topped with a creamy citrus and passion fruit filling creates this delicious fuss-free dessert. Low in sugar yet packed with nutrients, including protein, this will keep energy levels high through the day. By including coconut yoghurt, not only is it a dairy-free option but it's also great for a gut health boost!

Freezing time: 2 hours

storage: Will keep in the fridge for 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month

Serves: 6-8 people

Base:

• 125g cashew nuts
• 75g desiccated coconut
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2tbsp maple syrup
• 3tbsp lemon juice
• 1tbsp coconut oil, softened

Filling:

• 200g cashew nuts
• 150g coconut yoghurt
• 150g cacao butter, melted and cooled
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• Zest of 2 oranges
• Juice of 4 oranges (about 300ml)
• Pinch of sea salt
• 3tbsp xylitol
• 8 passionfruits

How to make:

1. Make the base by grinding the nuts and coconut in a blender until fine. Add the remaining ingredients and blend, adding a little water if needed to bind the dough. Press firmly into the base of a 20cm (8inch) spring form cake tin. Chill while you make the filling.

2. Place the nuts, yoghurt and melted cacao butter in a high speed blender and process briefly to break down. Add the remaining ingredients except the passionfruit and process until smooth. Scoop the pulp from the passionfruit and swirl half of it into the filling. Pour the mixture over the base and freeze for 2 hours until set.

3. Remove the cheesecake from the tin and transfer to the fridge. Allow to defrost for 1 hour before serving.

4. Top with the remaining passion fruit pulp to serve.

Et voila - a crowd-pleaser for any child, or adult for that matter! If you recreate this tasty recipe, share it with us on social media using the handle @optibac across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and a big thank you to our golden girl Christine for her fourth fabulous book!

About Christine Bailey

Christine Bailey is an award-winning, degree-qualified nutritional therapist, chef, author and broadcaster with over 18 years of experience. Known for her engaging style and enthusiasm, Christine’s writing on nutrition has been featured in the national press and she appears regularly on TV. She’s a nutrition expert on Sky News and has appeared on BBC’s The Truth About Stress & The Truth About Sugar. Christine is also the author of the Gut Health Diet and The Brain Boost Diet. Trained with the Institute of Functional Medicine, Christine has the unique ability to translate nutritional research into everyday practical recipes and diet programmes.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like this festive sauerkraut recipe by Samantha Hadadi.