February Recipe Redux: Dairy-Free Cheesecake

Hi everyone

How are you doing?

How was your valentine? Hope you had a wonderful one

This month’s theme of Recipe Redux is-

Oscars in the Kitchen – About 39 million of us watched the Oscars last year…that’s a lot of movie fans…and a lot of Oscar parties! This year, the show will broadcast on February 24, just three days after The Recipe ReDux reveal day. So in honor of the Oscars, create a healthy recipe inspired by your favorite food scene or featured dish from any movie. (It doesn’t have to be a movie up for an Oscars)

I love it! Such an exciting theme- and I can’t wait to see what others cooking/baking!

I had so many movies in mind. I love watching movies- you see. Also TV series. That’s my daily ‘switch-off’ routine almost every night. An hour of serious laughing! or crying (very rarely though)

And in the spirit of Valentine’s day,  the other night I watched Two Weeks Notice, my all time favorite! It’s a romantic comedy film (2002), starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. It wasn’t an Oscar but it received a successful box office run both in the US and globally.

I love this movie so much. I think it’s really romantic in its unique way.

In this movie, Lucy’s (Sandra Bullock) parents always have tofu cheesecake. Her dad loves cheesecake but he had high cholesterol and hence tofu cheesecake.

If you think about it- that’s the way it is. Yes, one might have high cholesterol or heart disease but it doesn’t mean one can’t have cheesecake any more. we just have to substitute with healthier version- or lower saturated fat version

it’s what we do as dietitians. people often think we are food police. people often think we always eat perfectly healthy food. the reality is we love food too  i found most dietitians enjoy their foods.

back to my point- that as a dietitian we rarely ask someone to stop eating. almost never. in fact, we often encourage people to eat more. it’s about the food choices- healthier choices.

living a healthier life is NOT starving yourself. being healthy does NOT equal to stop eating. but it’s about making a wise decision to choose the right food into your mouth.

since i saw this movie, i’ve always been curious of tofu cheesecake. so i decided to make tofu cheesecake- which is dairy free, and therefore suitable for people with dairy allergy or intolerances and vegetarians/vegans.

dairy free lemon cheesecake

slightly adapted from Vegetarian Times website

• 2 cups cracker crumbs (i use Salada crackers- dairy free)
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ tsp. vanilla essence
• 2x250g Japanese-style silken tofu
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 Tbs. tahini
• ½ tsp. salt
• grated zest from 1 lemon
• ½ tsp. vanilla essence
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbs. soy milk

To make the base:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, syrup and extract until crumbs are moistened.
3. Pour into oiled pie plate/cake tin; press mixture firmly to form crust.
4. Bake 10 minutes; let cool while preparing the filling.

To make the filing:

1. In food processor or blender, combine remaining ingredients and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
2. Pour mixture into crust.
3. Bake until top is slightly browned, about 30 minutes.
4. Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and firm, about 2 hours.

what do you think? will you be brave enough to make a cheesecake out of tofu?

honestly i love it- i have a piece of this cheesecake everyday until it’s finished.

i also shared them with few friends- and got mixed feedbacks. not that it doesn’t taste good, it tastes delicious but since it’s made from soy, they just raise their eyebrows. lol

i hope you enjoy it!

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