Ube is a deep purple yam that originates from the Philippines and grows well in Hawaii. Ube brings a vibrant purple hue to this tangy, lemon cheesecake. An oatmeal cookie crust increases the goodness and flavor of this mouth-watering dessert.

Oatmeal Cookie Crust

1 ½ cups oat flour

½ cup rolled oats

½ cup finely chopped pecans

⅓ cup cane sugar

⅓ cup coconut oil, melted

Pinch of sea salt

Filling

1 1/2 cups mashed ube yam* (peeled and steamed until soft)

1 cup frozen (or canned) coconut milk

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked**

Juice of 2 lemons

½ cup maple syrup

⅓ cup coconut oil, melted

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon zest

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl, combine oat flour, rolled oats, pecans, sugar, coconut oil and salt, stirring until it begins to stick together. Place the mixture into a parchment paper lined 9-inch pie plate. Press the mixture firmly into the place and up to the top of the edges. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before adding the filling.

For the filling, add the peeled, steamed and mashed ube to a blender with the coconut milk, soaked cashews, lemon juice, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, lemon zest and sea salt. Blend until silky smooth (about a minute). Pour into the prepared crust and place the cheesecake in the freezer for 4 hours or until solid.

Keep the cheesecake frozen until ready to enjoy. Allow the cheesecake to thaw for about 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 8-10

*If fresh ube yams are not available, you can substitute with purple sweet potatoes or with 1¼ cups ube jam (Ube Halaya) and 2 teaspoons of ube extract which can often be found in the international section of your supermarket. Ube Halaya contains sugar so if you use this substitute you may want to reduce the maple syrup in the recipe to ⅓ cup.

**Soak the raw cashews in a medium-sized bowl covered with boiling water and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Drain and use in the filling.