Ah, Thanksgiving. The traditional American holiday when your family deep sighs and moans “Well, what should we make for you?” As if it were some crazy difficult task to not put turkey or heavy cream in every single dish on the table.
Instead of sulking behind your sad plate of green beans and heap of iceberg salad with no dressing, get involved! My advice is to focus on the real main event: dessert!
I present to you, dairy-free cheesecake! It's sweet and simple, and after a decadent feast with heaps of God knows what, it's nice to finish off the eating marathon with something light. This is the perfect dessert to bring along to your (in their minds) long-suffering brood. . Plop it on the table and watch your family’s vegan doubts turn into vegan envy.
Yeah, Uncle Phillip, this is what we vegans eat. Jealous?
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups granola
3 tablespoons melted non-dairy butter, I use Earth Balance
4 tablespoons jam, you pick the flavor!
Filling
1 cup soy sour cream, I use Tofutti
16 ounces soy cream cheese, I use Tofutti
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup fresh berries, sliced peaches or pears, or any other fruit you like
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Lightly grease nine-inch, round spring form pan.
In food processor or blender, grind granola to create coarse crumbs. Combine crumbs and melted butter in prepared pan, and press down with your palms to form crust.
Spread an even layer of jam on top of the crust, leaving a two inch ring jam-free around the edge.
Pour all the remaining ingredients except the fresh fruit into your food processor or blender and blend until very smooth.
Pour on top of your crust., smooth out and bake for 35 minutes. For beauty’s sake, don’t overbake! If you do your cake will crack and look ugly. It may look pale and undercooked at 35 minutes but it’s not. Remember, it’s vegan! No eggs to give you food poisoning!
The jam may have bubbled up a bit around the edges, which is normal. And pretty! Let it cool completely and top with fresh fruit. Feel free to get fancy with your fruit arranging. Store in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
Make sure to cut yourself a second piece while Uncle Phillip’s mouth hangs open in amazement.