Interview with Chris Hunt from GRACE – 12.03.15

Special Advisor on Food and Agriculture

Chris Hunt serves as special advisor on food and agriculture at GRACE, where he provides strategic input on the organization’s efforts to build a sustainable food future. Chris has written extensively about food and agriculture issues; his work has appeared in Civil Eats, Huffington Post, AlterNet and Ecocentric. His areas of interest and expertise include industrial livestock production, food waste, urban agriculture and food systems advocacy. Before GRACE, Chris worked as an Alumni Memorial Scholar research fellow at Colgate University, and has served two terms on the board of directors of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Chris earned a BA in environmental economics from Colgate University. He’s an ardent proponent of bicycling, composting, accepting peculiar travel suggestions and walking up mountains.

 

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Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust ingredients:

1 cups macadamia nuts

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup dates

½ cup dried, unsweetened coconut

1 pinch sea salt

¾ t. ground ginger

Filling:

3 cups cashews, soaked in water for 3 hours

¼ cup lemon juice

3 cup steamed pumpkin

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. ginger powder

¼ t. ground cloves

1/8 t. allspice

1/8 t. nutmeg

¼ t. salt

3/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

½ cup of water

Topping

1 cup pecans- chopped fine

¼ cup maple syrup

Directions

  1. Pulse the macadamia nuts and almonds in the food processor until finely chopped. Add dates and coconut and process until the mixture sticks together. Add salt and ginger powder
  2. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a fluted tart pan with removable bottom, and press up along the sides, creating a nice edge
  3. Blend all of the filling ingredients in the food processor. Make sure to scrape down the sides and continue blending until smooth.
  4. Pour filling mixture into tart pan crust and put into freezer for 1 hour before adding the pecan topping.
  5. Pulse the pecans into small pieces, but do not over pulse into a flour. Add the maple syrup and pulse again until mixed. Sprinkle on top of the cheesecake. Replace the cheesecake into the freezer.

6. Remove the cheesecake from freezer 15 minutes before serving