Month: October 2011

In case you couldn’t tell from my “Come on Irene Banana Cream”, I have a soft spot for bananas. They are by far my favorite fruit and I try to incorporate them in as many desserts and muffins as possible! So when your in the mood for a nice banana cream pie, and you have enough time to do it right,  try my banana dream pie and enjoy!
Banana Dream Pie

1  vegan pie crust (see Tofu Mud Pie for our quick and easy one)

1/2 cup sweetener of your choice (I’d go with Agave though)
5 tblsp of cornstarch
2 cups of rice or soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas ( add 3 more if you love bananas as much as I do and throw them in the food processor with your tofu)
3 tblsp ground almonds

1/2 lb. firm tofu
Prepare  your pie crust and let cool while mixing the filling. First, mix the sweetener and cornstarch in a saucepan on the stove, stir in milk and salt. Cook over medium heat till very thick,continuously stirring . Remove from heat and add your vanilla. Next, drain tofu  and blend it in food processor till smooth with your optional added bananas, then add the vanilla/sugar/milk mix and blend till very smooth. Slice the bananas thinly ,and place over crust. Spread
mixture on top add almonds on top and chill for 4 hours.

One of my favorite after school snacks growing up was chocolate pudding pie with a graham cracker crust, I even would improvise and dunk some crumbled graham crackers into a chocolate pudding cup when they weren’t on the menu. Naturally, it was important to find a low fat, vegan alternative to this yummy treat. The Chocolate Tofu Mud Pie is just as delicious as those pudding pies growing up and even more protein packed thanks to all the Tofu. This recipe makes one large pie but as a kid I always liked the personal sized portions, so it can be easily modified into six smaller portions by putting the graham cracker crust into a cupcake pan and filling each cup accordingly. Of course, feel free to get fancy on me and top it off with a little whipped topping and maybe some raspberries. It’s delicious and easy as pie!

Chocolate Tofu Mud Pie

Crust:
2 oz. about 1/4 cup margarine or Earth Balance/Soy Butter, melted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Filling:
1 1/4 lb. tofu,cubed
1 cup rice syrup
2/3 stick margarine or Earth Balance/Soy Butter
1 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla
2/3 cup cocoa powder

Combine margarine(or soy butter) and crumbs in bottom of a pie plate. Bake 8 minutes in
350 degree oven. Mix filling ingredients on food processor till smooth, pour in pie
plate and chill for approx. 4 hours.

These muffins are a great light treat in the morning, loaded with lots of fresh fruit. Feel free to substitute blueberries for your favorite berry – cranberries strawberries or raspberries all work just as well. Enjoy!

Low Fat, Fresh Blueberry Muffins

1 cup fresh blueberries chopped

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups reduced fat bisquit baking mix (can also use whole wheat or gluten free)

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup egg substitute

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine blueberries and powdered sugar. Let stand for five minutes. Combine bisquit mix with remainging ingredients and stir till batter is moistened. (Batter will be a bit lumpy) Gently fold in your sweet blueberries and pour into a lightly sprayed muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 mins or till the tops start getting golden brown.

* powdered sugar can be substituted for Agave for a healthier alternative.