Vegan Essentials: "Cheese"cake:

Vegan Cheesecake:

Never in a million years did I ever think I'd cook, let alone eat, a vegan cheesecake. Today, I have conquered that fear. This cheesecake turned out delicious and tasted almost the same as regular cheesecake. I was super proud of and pleased with my first try. My roommate gave me an A+, and my friend Sara loved it too. ☺

I adapted this from Annette's recipe on VegWeb. I used firm tofu instead of silken tofu because I didn't feel like running to the store to pick it up. I added unsweetened almond milk to achieve the same silky texture. Another idea is to use 1/2  cup plain soy yogurt with firm tofu instead of the almond milk, but only try this if you're brave because I haven't tested it yet!

I didn't feel like reinventing the wheel just yet, so I opted to buy a premade crust instead of having to make the crust as well, but I plan on making my own crust next time.

Ingredients:

1 premade 8-inch pie crust (I used a 9-inch pie crust, and it was a little too big).
1 10 ounce package of firm tofu, drained and crumbled
2/3 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 8 hours
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (you may want to add more to achieve a smoother texture)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
3 tbsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer (or 2 flax eggs)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh fruit

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375℉.

2. Combine cashews, tofu, olive oil, almond milk, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding more almond milk as necessary.

3. Transfer to bowl and whisk in remaining ingredients (minus the pie crust). Whisk until smooth and creamy.

4. Let sit for a few minutes, then transfer the mixture to the pie pan. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes. The mixture should set. Let cool and refrigerate for a few hours. Top with fruit and serve.