Suburban Vegan Stories of Survival in the Land of Meat & Dairy

H and I went to a matinee showing of X-Men First Class and we both thought it was great. X-Men is probably the only comic book turned movie series that I really enjoy and I could listen (okay, and watch) James McAvoy all day long (right, Margaret?). It was at least as good as the original, if not better.

It was almost four when we got out of the movie, so we had a late lunch/early dinner at Krystal Thai, one of the two Thai restaurants in Crystal Lake.  This is our second time here and I think I like it a little more than Wild Orchid, even though they misspelled “Crystal.” They will make almost any dish vegetarian, which they clearly state on the menu and their tofu is better than Wild Orchid, in my opinion.  I ordered the vegetarian spicy Krystal Eggplant with tofu and it was very good. Unfortunately, they use an American spiciness scale. I asked for a four on a scale of 1 to 5 and it was more like a 2. A little kick, but not spicy.

After lunch/dinner, we stopped at Jewel to pick up a few things for the week. H saw a display of Edwards Hersey Chocolate Creme Pie. He thought it looked so good that he picked one up and brought it over to me. The picture on the box does look delicious, but I’ve had it before and it tastes disgusting. “I can recreate that,” I said, and so we added Tofutti cream cheese, silken tofu, and Newman O’s chocolate cream cookies to our basket.

This is the inspiration:

This is the finished product:

Serving it was very difficult. It’s not very pretty on the plate. Maybe if it sets a little longer it will be easier to slice. However, it tastes great (much better than the store pie). It earned an “H’s favorite” tag.

Chocolate Creme Pie

• 1 package Newman O’s Chocolate Creme cookies (minus one, because you have to eat one while you are making the pie- it’s too hard to resist!), ground to crumbs in food processor or blender
• 4 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 1 pound silken tofu
• 8 ounces tofutti better than cream cheese
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips + more for sprinkling on top
• Rad Whip
• Chocolate syrup (I used Santa Cruz’s organic chocolate syrup)

1. To make the crust, spray or butter a springform pan. In a large bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and the melted butter.  Using your fingertips, firmly and evenly press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan.
2. In a food processor, combine tofu and Tofutti cream cheese. Add sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour about half (no more than half) into the crust and spread evenly.
3. Melt one cup of chocolate chips and add to the food processor with remaining tofu/cream cheese mixture. Pour the chocolate on top of the plain layer.
4. Refrigerate for at least one hour and remove side of springform pan.
5. Decorate the top with rad whip, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips.

Quick rad whip:

(To do it properly, click here.)

• 2 tablespoons cashew butter
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3/4 cup soy milk, divided
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons agar agar flakes
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Let agar agar flakes soak in 1/2 cup of soy milk for about 10 minutes. In a pan, bring soy milk and agar agar flakes to a boil, stirring constantly. Let it boil for about one minute and then remove from heat.
2. In a food processor, combine cashew butter, coconut oil and 1/4 cup of soy milk until smooth. Pour into a large bowl, add sugar and whip with electric beaters on high.
3. When soy milk/agar agar is cool, pour into bowl with the rest of ingredients and whip with electric beaters on high again. Add vanilla and whip some more.
4. Chill in freezer or refrigerator until cold and firm.