Not when you can make one of these to satisfy that hankering for coconut…

That, my friends, is coconut cream pie. Now what I’m going to tell you may shock or disgust you. Are you ready for it?…..

It’s made with tofu!

I love tofu in pretty much anything, so when I saw that a lot of vegan pies included the stuff, I wasn’t afraid it would taste bad, but I was afraid of having to convince others to try it. Tofu seems to be one of those foods that is either deeply loved or truly detested — no in-between. So, I was ready to do the “spoon airplane” maneuver and baby voice to get my mom and boyfriend to try it. No need. The boyfriend began licking spoons with batter well before the pie was complete and my mom gladly devoured a slice of the masterpiece. Kids, this pie is insanely simple to make and insanely delicious.

Allowing the pie adequate time in the fridge to firm up and absorb the coconut flavor is key! Once it has the time to settle, it gains the consistency of cheesecake and loses any “tofu taste.” Amazing.

If you’re afraid of cooking with tofu, have no fear – you can’t mess this recipe up! You don’t cook the tofu AND you don’t really have to worry about draining it as well as you would if you were cooking it as an entree! Have I convinced you yet?

what about now?

Recipe for “Tofu Coconut Cream Pie” from DeliciousTV here, and listed verbatim below, w/ my notes in italics.

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 pkg. vegan graham crackers (12-14 crackers)
• 2 T. sugar
• 6 T. vegan margarine (I’d actually use much less margarine next time (I’d add little by little) — the crust was one big buttery flake, which is fine for most, but not for those of us erhem who are trying to battle the bulge)

For the filling:

• ½ c. plus 2 T. toasted shredded coconut (reserve 2 T.)
• 1 14-oz. package firm tofu, drained and rinsed (I used extra firm)
• ¼ c. light brown sugar (very lightly packed) or pure cane sugar
• 2-3 T. coconut milk* (I used light coconut milk)
• 1/8 t. Vanilla extract (optional)

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350. In a small pan, melt the margarine. In a food processor, process the crackers and sugar. Place the dry mixture in a bowl and drizzle in the melted margarine, mix well, and press into a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, then remove it from the oven, and allow it cool.
• Sprinkle the shredded coconut on a lined baking sheet and toast it in the oven until it’s light brown. Keep an eye on it, because coconut can burn very quickly. Remove the toasted pieces from the oven and place them in a bowl, fluffing the coconut if needed.
• In a food processor, purée the tofu until smooth. Add the sugar, coconut milk, vanilla, and 8 tablespoons of the coconut. Process on high for about 10 seconds, then pour the mixture into the pre-baked shell, and top with the remaining toasted coconut. Chill the pie for two hours, or overnight. This pie keeps for up to a week in the refrigerator – but it usually gets eaten long before that.
• This recipe may also be prepared in a square or rectangular pan and cut into individual squares for a great party treat.
• *Sweetened coconut milk is, of course, sweeter and has a more intense coconut flavor, however unsweetened works just as well. Try it both ways and see which you prefer.

From Sparkpeople recipe calculator for 1/8th pie:

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		277.9
Total Fat		18.3 g
	Saturated Fat	4.9 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	4.8 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	5.1 g
Cholesterol		9.4 mg
Sodium		231.0 mg
Potassium		168.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate		32.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.3 g
	Sugars	18.7 g
Protein		9.8 g

Vitamin A	9.3 %
Vitamin B-12	0.1 %
Vitamin B-6	2.9 %
Vitamin C	0.2 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	5.8 %
Calcium	35.3 %
Copper	12.1 %
Folate	5.6 %
Iron	11.9 %
Magnesium	9.0 %
Manganese	37.4 %
Niacin	4.6 %
Pantothenic Acid	1.7 %
Phosphorus	11.7 %
Riboflavin	6.5 %
Selenium	15.2 %
Thiamin	7.9 %
Zinc	6.2 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Ever made dessert with tofu?

Want more tofu dessert recipes?

• Heavenly Pie from 101 Cookbooks (Vegetarian; not vegan)
• Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake from PPK
• Low-Fat Vegan Cheesecake from Happy Herbivore
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse (Vegan)

Alright — I’m off to run and finish prepping things for my boyfriend’s birthday. I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. In hilarious (and frightening?) news of the day — prepare for a nasal assault! Highway billboard in North Carolina is “steak-scented.” Good lord. Click here for story.

Yep, that damn gingerbread man! Everywhere I go there seems to be some delectable (or adorable) looking treat that I want to devour and crush (Freud would have a field day with those sentiments).

This is the time of year that reminds me that food is not just food.  Food seems to be an integral part of the holiday season — we literally give thanks around it, give it to others as a sign of love and cherish memories of childhood treats snuggled in stockings or smuggled by visiting relatives.  I guess it’s a good time to remind you (as I remind myself) that abstinence is probably not the smartest tactic right now (we’re talking food not sex, though do with the analogy what you will).  I’m a fan of preemptive actions.  I try not to indulge if it was completely unplanned for — but this season is all about chaos, right?  So try to be smarter about your planned and unplanned treats (*points at self with furrowed brow*).

Men Are Equal, Gingerbread Men Are Not

• Calories in gingerbread man from Au Bon Pain:  290
• Calories in gingerbread cake slice from Starbucks: 440
• Calories in largest gingerbread man every baked coming in at 1,435 pounds: More than enough to turn you into an actual gingerbread man or enough to grow an army of gingerbread men on your derriere.
• Moral:  Keep portion size in check, people! 

The “Is it Worth it?” Test

There are some sweets that look nice, smell good and that I wouldn’t mind hijacking to belly-land, but there are others that I’d like to give pet-names to and smooch under mistletoe (wow, I’m crazy).  So, when you get the inkling for an eggnog latte from Starbucks, ask yourself — is it worth the holy shit 450 calories (for a grande with non-fat milk)?  Probably not.  Peppermint bark? Different story.

Smart Holiday Treats

• Candy canes generally come in at 60 calories each.  If you feel yourself reaching for the 400-calorie ever-present slice of dubious fruitcake (what’s with all the red boxes of panettone fruit cake this time of year? Who eats fruit cake?!?) simply for celebratory tendencies or nostalgic sentiments, reach for a candy cane instead — it might just do the trick!
• Treat yourself to something non-edible   Will cute little gingerbread earrings like these satisfy your sweet tooth?  If only it were so easy! (but aren’t they adorable?!)

Holiday Snack Swaps

• You can always make your own holiday treats (and not just treats but entrees, side dishes, snacks, etc.).  Type in your favorite holiday food into a search engine and tag “+ healthy recipe” onto the end.  You will get recipes for healthier version of your favorite foods!
• Sweet tooth still hassling you even after you’ve tried to appease her?  My new love is this tea.  I swear it tastes like a holiday dessert!
• Heat up a VitaTop or Penny’s Low-Fat Muffin and add your favorite holiday decor via sprinkles or even break up some candy cane pieces on top of it and voila! — a holiday treat that’s low in calories and fat!
• Check out Hungry Girl swaps here and here
• Check out Sparkpeople’s healthy holiday survival guide here

May your belly be happy and your sanity intact.  Are there any holiday foods or treats that you just can’t pass up this season?

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. You can still enter my give-away until midnight tonight PST!
p.p.s.  Vegetarian recipe part II to come tomorrow (*fingers crossed*)
p.p.p.s. Want a vegan, wheat-free recipe for gingerbread men? Go here. How about the Cooking Light recipe for gingerbread (56 calories each) here or just vegan recipe from Veg News here

“Hmm you know what would be really effective?  If they set up hibachis right in front of the treadmills!” *Giggles to self*

“yea, yea and I will yell my order out as I’m running, then the chef will calculate the calories for my order and tell me how long I have to run to burn it off.  He’ll start cooking and the sight and smell of the food will propel me to keep running!”

I think I spend too much time at the gym because I’ve been having those sorts of crazy “entrepreneurial” ideas… Do you guys ever find yourselves coming up with some random thoughts while exercising?

On to the treats!

Somersault Snack Co.

This is my “full disclosure face”

I got two free samples of Somersaults all-natural snacks simply by clicking on the company’s website — one snack for me, the other for my twin (and you can get a free sample here, too!).  I’m writing about them because these are so good I would seriously purchase them if they became more widely available (i.e. available at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods). They are described as “crunchy nuggets with sunflower seeds & toasted grains” and there are three flavors available: chez cocoa, s.s. sea salt & salty pepper.  They are about the size of a nickel and taste like little sunflower encrusted crackers.   The texture and taste are amazing.

The above flavor, Chez Cocoa, is sweet in a very SUBTLE way.  It is in no way sweet as in “dessert sweet.”  But it is damn good.  So good that I ate the entire bag and then realized that the serving size on the back was for TWO servings not one.  Yikes! One bag has a total of 300 calories, 12 g fat, 6 g fiber, 12 g protein *le sigh* I had thought I was only eating 150 calories, so, honestly, I would suggest to Somersault that they adjust the nutritional info. to reflect one serving, not two, as the size of the bag resembles a snack-size and one might be compelled to presume it’s one serving.  In other words, please make your nutritional info. idiot-proof for yours truly.

In order to provide a more rounded opinion on these snacks, I had my boyf try the above flavor, s.s. sea salt. He said they were the best “freebie” I’ve gotten so far.  He thought the sunflower seed taste was the most prominent flavor and he really liked them.  One bag has 300 calories, 14 g fat, 6 g fiber, 12 g protein.

You can purchase these snacks via the website for $1.79/2 oz. bag + shipping. Or, you can find them at select stores (Pete’s Coffee where I live…).

Two New Home-Made Sweet (& Wholesome!) Treats

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from the Whole Foods’ Market recipe here

The big cookie was the boyf’s idea

Ingredients

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter –1517 calories, 130 g fat, 15.5 g fiber, 64.7 g protein
• 1 egg — 74 calories, 5 g fat, 0 g fiber, 6.3 g protein
• 2/3 cup honey – 640.20 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 1.1 g protein
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Nutritional information for one cookie (36 total): 61.98 calories, 3.75 g fat, 0.43 g fiber, 2.0 g protein
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Line cookie sheet with foil, spray with Pam
• Stir together all ingredients
• Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet, pressing lightly with the back of a fork. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly set
• Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling
• These cookies are fantastic — so easy to make and they do not taste like a “health food”

Orange Quinoa Burst
Inspired by the Quinoa Pudding recipe here

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa — 636 calories, 9.9 g fat, 10 g fiber, 22.3 g protein
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries – 280 calories, 0 g fat, 4 g fiber, 0 g protein
• 2 cups orange juice — 220 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 4 g protein
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Nutritional information for entire recipe: 1136 calories, 9.9 g fat, 14 g fiber, 26.3 g protein
  
• For one 6th of the recipe: 189.33 calories, 1.65 g fat, 2.33 g fiber, 4.38 g protein
• This is a great way to get the excellent benefits of quinoa, but the orange juice flavor is very prominent, so if O.J. is not your thang, this will not be for you!

Directions

• Place quinoa in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Allow to drain, then place quinoa in a medium saucepan with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pan with lid, lower heat, and allow to simmer until all water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
• Mix in all other ingredients. Cover pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes longer. Serve warm.

Have you guys tried quinoa?  How often do you bake and what’s your favorite thing to bake? Have a wonderful day!

<3, The Cranky One