Give Thanks!
Thanksgiving arrived and I didn't even know it was here! The time has been flying by this year. I probably didn't realize Thanksgiving was on my doorstep because I'm not cooking this year. Well, I'm not cooking much! I was graciously invited to a Thanksgiving dinner. I asked what I could bring and I was told, "Dessert!" Oh...well, you know I grinned from ear to ear...dessert is my specialty and I avoid making it, except for special occasions. ;)
I knew it had to contain pumpkin, and I wanted it to be a relatively healthy dessert without screaming "I'm VEGAN!!!" I decided to make the Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake from the blog FatFreeVegan.com. (p.s. This is a GREAT blog to check out for healthy, low to no fat, recipes! Everything I make from her blog is amazingly delicious!) Now, don't be fooled, this recipe is NOT fat free. But compared to it's fat-laden counterpart thischeesecake won't send you to the gym tomorrow night to burn off the 3,000 calories you would have consumed from 2 bites! Go ahead, enjoy a slice!
I made my own crust from a recipe on a graham cracker box. I used the Mi-Del Honey Grahams I found at Whole Foods. Below is the recipe for the crust:
Here is what you will need:
Mi-Del Traditional Graham Cracker Crust
1 sleeve Mi-Del Graham crackers
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar (I used agave)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
2. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and salt until finely ground. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the butter, syrup, and vanilla. The mixture should resemble wet sand.
3. Press the crust evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust until lightly colored and dry to the touch, about 15 minutes. Cool completely before filling.
What you'll need:
Vegan Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake (From: FatFreeVegan.com)
Ingredients
8 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
12 ounces firm silken tofu
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 teaspoons rum (optional)
3 tablespoons brown sugar or natural sugar (I don't use sugar so I was not willing to buy a bag of sugar I would literally never use, so I used 6 packets of Stevia in the Raw -- stevia is an all natural, no calorie sweetener, also safe for diabetics!)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg (This made a HUGE difference and the smell of fresh nutmeg is intoxicating!)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Put the first set of ingredients (toffuti through vanilla) in a food processor and puree until completely smooth. It should be silky smooth–not chalky or lumpy. (I used my blender, it worked well since there is a high quantity of liquid)
Remove a heaping cup of this mixture from the processor and spread it in the bottom of the crust.
Add the next set of ingredients (pumpkin through nutmeg) to the ingredients remaining in the food processor and process until well blended. Smooth it carefully over the white layer in the crust, heaping it slightly in the middle. Bake until the center is almost set, about 50-60 minutes. (Insert a toothpick. If it comes out liquidy and cold, give it more time, until the center is firm.) Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 3 hours.
I had some extra pumpkin filling left over so I baked it in a small bread pan so we could have a little dessert tonight...it was delicious! I can't wait for tomorrow!
Thanks to my old-fashioned Manhattan tenement-building oven my cheesecake got a little burnt on one side. Oops! Now I know to rotate items when I'm baking. I guess it makes it look a little more "rustic". Hopefully it still tastes amazing!
Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know this post is a little late to make this recipe for Thanksgiving, but it will be a great recipe for any upcoming holiday parties! I HIGHLY recommend it! Enjoy! =)
Warmly yours,
Elizabeth