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Tofu Pumpkin Pie

Tofu Pumpkin Pie

This is a recipe that I first tried out a really long time ago for a friend in high school who had decided to become a vegan. A pie with tofu may sound odd, but silken tofu is very smooth when you blend it, and helps make vegan desserts rich and satisfying without dairy products. Although the texture is a little different than traditional pumpkin pie, the taste is almost exactly the same. The only way to make this better is to find vegan whipped cream to put on top. –M

Serves 6

1 prepared piecrust

16 ounces silken tofu

1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin purée

1½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Press the piecrust into an ungreased 8-inch pie pan.

Place the tofu, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a blender and pulse until smooth. (You may have to stop the blender and push down the ingredients a couple of times.) Pour the mixture into the piecrust and bake for 15 minutes. Turn down the oven to 350°F and continue to bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pie filling is set in the center. Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.

Food Trivia:

Pumpkin pie’s primitive cousin, pumpkin pudding, originated with the early American colonists in New England. They sliced off the top of a pumpkin and removed the seeds. They then filled the inside with milk, spices, and honey and baked it in hot ashes.

Vegan Raspberry-Almond Bread Pudding

I love bread pudding, but making it without any dairy was a bit of a challenge. After quite a few attempts, we finally got it. This version is not too sweet, and the combination of almond milk and raspberries gives it an excellent flavor. –M

Serves 4

Oil or cooking spray

10 slices day-old bread

2 cups almond milk

⅓ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch baking pan with oil or cooking spray.

Cut the bread into ½- to ¾-inch cubes and place in the prepared pan. Combine the almond milk, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl and pour over the bread. Add the raspberries to the pan and stir until just combined. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the center is set.

Food Trivia:

Almond milk is made from grinding almonds and water. It’s easier to buy it, but if you wanted, you could actually make it at home. Unlike cow’s or goat’s milk, it doesn’t have any cholesterol, and it’s also free of lactose. It was widely used in Europe, the Middle East, and into Asia in the Middle Ages, for a number of reasons, not least because animal milk wouldn’t keep for long without spoiling, so it was usually immediately made into butter or cheese.

Peach Pie with Crumble Topping

Peach Pie with Crumble Topping

We can’t write a cookbook without including something with a crumble topping; they’re just too good. That’s why we came up with this vegan version of crumble, which wasn’t even really that hard (all we had to do was change the butter to margarine—so if you want to make a dairy version, switch back to butter). Serve a nice warm slice with a scoop of ice cream (vegan if you like) and you’ll be in heaven! –M

Serves 6

1 prepared piecrust

2 (29-ounce) cans sliced peaches

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup margarine or butter

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Press the piecrust into an ungreased 9-inch pie pan.

Drain the peaches and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice and stir until fairly well combined. Pour the peaches into the pie pan and spread them out evenly.

Place the margarine, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix with a fork, mashing together until crumbly. Spoon the mixture evenly over the peaches and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Food Trivia:

One