Silky, smooth and sensible: a low-fat, vegan cheesecake that won't weigh you down - includes recipes - Recipe Redux

Vegetarian Times, June, 1997 by Carol Wiley Lorente

I knew nothing about vegan cooking before my daughter was born with a serious allergy to dairy products. A few years later, my son came along; he was just as allergic to eggs as his sister was to milk. (Why they couldn't be allergic to the same foods, I defer to a higher power.)

I soon realized that soy products were going to be my culinary friends. Tofu became the standard substitution in many of the dishes that previously had been on my children's verboten list. Desserts were certainly no exception.

Tofu is creamy enough for puddings, in which it takes on the flavor of almost any fruit or spice. It's a natural for vegan cheesecake, a treat that eventually became a favorite dessert in my family, and one for which Vegetarian Times receives many requests.

The following recipe is for a simple vegan cheesecake. It's adapted from a recipe by noted cookbook author Bryanna Clark Grogan, who specializes in vegan cooking.

Most cheesecake recipes call for more than six eggs, and many use cups and cups of high-fat sour cream, whole milk and whipping cream. The "before" recipe we chose clocks in at more than 300 calories and 15 grams of fat per slice. Our version has around 200 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving.

The recipe presented here is flavored with lemon juice and lemon zest, the grated, outermost rind of the lemon. The surprising addition of tahini gives the cheesecake a unique, rich flavor without compromising the lemony tang.

Feel free to experiment. Add vanilla-flavored liqueur instead of lemon juice and zest for a vanilla cheesecake. Or reduce the sweetener, eliminate the lemon juice and zest and add pureed strawberries or raspberries to taste. If the fat content doesn't concern you too much, add 12 ounces of melted semi-sweet chocolate instead of fruit. Or forget the crust and pour the filling into custard cups, chill and serve vegan pudding.

Lemon Tofu "Cheesecake"

If you make this "cheesecake" the day before serving, its flavor will be more developed.

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. almond extract