HERE WE GO!

Organic & Vegan

Fig Strawberry Drizzle Tofu Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Crust

Adapted from Strawberry Mountain Pie Recipe from Laura Theodore www.jazzyvegetarian.com

My effort here was to make this vegan recipe also organic. It’s not quite strawberry season and I just couldn’t bring myself to settle for ones that were not quite right in the store, so I used what I had on hand: organic dried figs!

(MY ADAPTATIONS are noted in parentheses! And choose ORGANIC INGREDIENTS!)

CRUST

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegan cookie crumbs or organic graham cracker crumbs
3 to 5 heaping tablespoons organic sesame tahini
1½ tablespoons non-dairy milk (like organic almond milk)

WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST?

Click the title to jump to the recipe below. It was a bit time consuming, but it worked out well in the end and was enough for 2 cheesecakes. Several friends commented on how good the crust was!

FILLING

16 ounces extra-firm regular organic tofu
8 ounces soft silken organic tofu
1⁄3 cup organic raw cashews
1⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegan white sugar or your preferred organic dry sweetener (I used organic cane sugar.)

TOPPING

16 ounces organic strawberries (Again, it wasn’t quite the season for strawberries, so I used what was on hand – organic dried figs – softened in hot water.)
2 tablespoons organic strawberry preserves (I used Trader Joe’s organic strawberry preserves.)
2½ teaspoons filtered or spring water (Save the fig water for making the strawberry drizzle!)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 ° F.

To make the crust, put the crumbs, 3 heaping tablespoons tahini and 11⁄2 tablespoons non-dairy milk in a medium-sized bowl and combine using a large fork or dough blender. Add more tahini until the crumbs are moistened, but still crumbly in texture (up to 5 heaping tablespoons of tahini in all, which is how much I used).

Press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake for 5 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

While the crust cools, put the extra-firm regular tofu, silken tofu, cashews and sugar in a blender and process until smooth. Pour the tofu mixture over the cooled crust.

Spread in an even layer and smooth the top.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the pie is slightly firm to the touch (center of the filling will still be very soft – no need to insert any testers – the finger touch test is all you need to do).

Cool on a rack and let cool 5 minutes.

While the pie bakes, trim 1⁄8- to 1⁄4-inch off the wide end of each strawberry. (I snipped the ends off my figs – just a little snip.) Then, when the pie is out of the oven, but still warm, arrange the strawberries (or figs), flat end down, in a pleasing pattern on top of the pie, gently pressing the end of each strawberry into the filling so it stands upright.

Arrange Figs on Top While Cheesecake is Still Warm

Put the preserves and water in a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Spread the preserves evenly over the top of the strawberries using a pastry brush or small spoon.

(I also tasted the pie while it was still warm. It was pretty darn good – after all the effort.)

Refrigerate 4 to 8 hours before serving. Carefully cut the pie into slices (the filling will be soft). Stored tightly covered in the refrigerator, leftover pie will keep for about 2 days.

Fig Strawberry Drizzle Tofu Cheesecake Minus a Few Slices

MAKE YOUR OWN GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

Adapted from Healthy Graham Crackers recipe by Aylin Erman, Organic Authority www.organicauthority.com

This was a tricky adaptation. You’ve got to go with your gut on the consistency when adding coconut oil and water. You want it to eventually hold form.

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour (I substituted 1 c. organic coconut flour and ¼ c. organic rice flour)
1/2 teaspoon organic cinnamon
¼ teaspoon organic ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4-5 tablespoons coconut palm sugar (I used organic cane sugar.)
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
2 tablespoons organic maple syrup
1/4 cup organic coconut oil (1 used a full ¼ c + 1-2 Tablespoons)
Up to 4 tablespoons spring or filtered water (I doubled the water and added 2 teaspoons coconut oil and the mix would not keep a ball shape. I spread it on the baking sheet flat to cook – after all, it’s going to be crumbled anyway right? I also baked it for an additional 10 minutes.)

Good News!  This adaptation doesn't have to be pretty! — Good News! This adaptation doesn't have to be pretty!

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until the mixture begins to clump together.

Fold the dough with clean hands until it's evenly combined and forms a ball. Sprinkle some flour on a flat surface and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to the thickness of a typical graham cracker. (I spread the mixture directly on the baking sheet, because it was too fragile to move. Again, the end product will be crumbled to make our crust, so it doesn't have to look pretty!)

Cut into rectangles and place on a baking sheet. Use a fork to prick the surface of each cracker for decoration. (I pricked the dough, but I didn't bother cutting any shapes.)

Bake for 15 minutes, or until crispy, but watch carefully during the last few minutes, so the dough doesn't become too brown. (And as in our case with substitutions, be sure it doesn't dry out and become too hard on the edges.)