Say "No Cheese" Chocolate Mocha Pie

Who doesn't love cheesecake? I admit that I miss it, and I dream of cheesecake some days, but not today. This completely delicious "nocheesecake" recipe was a definite success. Topped with fresh berries, what could be better?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crust:
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp agave nectar

Place the dry ingredients ( nuts, oats, flour, salt) in a food processor and blend until crumbly. Add the oil and agave and pulse until incorporated.  Pour into an 8 inch lightly greased springform cheesecake pan and press to the bottom of the pan and just a little up the edge. The mixture will still be slightly crumbly, and this is a good thing.

Filling:
1- 14 ounce container of extra firm organic tofu, drained (I like Nasoya)
1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3 or 4 Tbsp instant espresso powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp cornstarch mixed in 1/4 cup cold water
1/2 to 3/4 cups of vanilla coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk, but coconut is soooo good!)

Place all ingredients in a blender beginning with just 1/2 cup of milk, and blend until creamy.  Add the rest of the milk if necessary and blend for another minute. You want the consistency of pudding, so you be the judge.The amount of milk will depend on how well drained the tofu is. Pour on top of the crumb crust in the spring-form cake pan. Smooth the top. Place in 350 degree preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. The edges will darken and the center of the pie will be set when it's ready. Remove from oven and cool on counter for 1 hour. Place in refrigerator for several hours or over night to chill thoroughly.

Slice and serve with fresh raspberries or strawberries.  See if you can save any leftovers. 

What is a vegan?

So what exactly is vegan anyway?

Some kind of hippy new wave crowd?

Crusaders of a brave new world?

A highly contagious disease?

Someone who thinks they are really super hot?

Members of a secret society?

Enough guessing. A vegan is simply a person who does not consume animals or their by-products. So, am I vegan? Well, honestly I am not a completely 100% vegan, but I aspire to be. It is a completely new way of living for my family and I, but we continue to stay the course and learn more and more each day.  Along the way I've have many culinary failures, but more often than not, I've created fantastic new dishes that my family loves and devours almost as quickly as they hit the table.

My family has been vegetarian for almost 4 years, and we decided to abandon dairy and eggs in January of 2010. Why, you ask? For health and vitality, for economics, and for compassion in the end.

For health and vitality because I love my husband and sons more than life itself. With a family history of heart disease which has taken many of the men in my husband's family far too early and then the signs of high blood pressure and cholesterol showing early in their own lives even thought they have always been active, healthy, and slim individuals, I see no choice but to at least provide an optimally healthy diet for them. Yes, it takes time and effort to learn how to cook foods that are far different than what we grew up on, and the time saving option of stopping for fast food on the way home from work is thing of the past. After all, fast food may save time in the present day, but will steal precious days in the end. The complaints of not having time for cooking homemade planned vegetarian meals do not fall on deaf ears on this blog. I feel your fatigue, as I am a full time working wife and mother. I'm also a college student, though part-time right now. It's about priorities and identifying what is most precious in your life, then living each day with the joy of knowing you are doing the best you can for yourself and those you love. It will be so worth it in the end.

Economically, if you plan and cook your own food at home, you will save a great deal on your food bill, not to mention your medical bills. Eating diets rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables will give you exuberant health and a  strong immune system.

For compassion because if you open your eyes and face the truth of how our animal food supply is actually raised and treated in the process before it reaches your plate, you will be heart broken. No, that's not just the way it has always been, it's far different now than it was 100 years ago. Today it is about the industry and profits. Profits which ultimately rely on using our bodies as the final resting place for those poor mistreated animals. I believe my pets have feelings, and that if kept in torturous conditions they would feel horribly sick and sad. I finally faced the fact that a cow or pig or chicken or turkey probably had just as much if not more consciousness about their conditions as any house cat or dog did. So why should they suffer when there are so many other and more healthful options out there?

Finally, here is the proof in the pudding (dairy free of course). Though going vegetarian made some difference in my husbands cholesterol results, he was still in dangerous territory after 3 years of eating no meat, while still consuming dairy and eggs.  Now, after 8 months of a vegan diet he is finally CURED! He never took medication, only diet.  Check out these numbers.

                          Vegetarian                   Vegan
Total Cholesterol: 244                             174
HDL                     41                                44
LDL                    128                              103
Triglycerides        376                              137 (How awesome is this?!!)

I invite you all to try some of these recipes to follow. See if you like it or not. See if you can live with it or not. You don't have to be 100% vegan, every step counts toward health and a better life for you an your family. These dishes will not taste just like what you are used to, they will be different, but oh so good!!! Give it a try, what do you have to loose?