Almost Guiltless No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie (Vegan)

You’d figure with all the options for food at Easter, I could skip out on making a dessert, right?

Sometimes I’d rather have more veggies than dessert, but when I asked if I could skip serving dessert, my Mom was adamant: This is EASTER, bring on the dessert!

I obliged. I ruffled through my bookmarks for an easy, healthy dessert… with ingredients from my pantry. I bet you didn’t think it was possible, but this is an incredibly delicious dessert. Almost guiltless, as my Mom called it. No refined flours or sugars, with minimal agave at that. Decadent and delicious. Why is this almost guiltless? Well, it is still 256 calories (skip the crust and it is 156 calories, when serving 10!).

The secret? Tofu! But not just any tofu: the silken tofu you find in aseptic containers (not refrigerated). I used the firm silken tofu from Mori-Nu which had been languishing in my pantry for a while.

I have been meaning to make a tofu cheesecake but haven’t located a recipe worth trying yet (have any suggestions?) but I was positively smitten by this wickedly easy recipe from Chocolate-Covered Katie.  So was my entire family. We ate half the pie for dessert for lunch and then the leftovers were nearly polished off by the end of the day, after dinner. I kept the tofu a secret until I was pinned and explained that the delicious creaminess came from the tofu. The richness from the good quality chocolate. Trust me, you couldn’t taste any tofu.

I am loving these quick-and-easy no-bake desserts. Here, you make a quick almond-date crust (I used the same one from my Raw Raspberry Cashew Dreamcake) – or skip it altogether if you want to serve it in cute little tumblers. Melt your chocolate and throw everything until a food processor. Spread overtop and chill. Easy, peasy!

Decadent and delicious, yet still low calorie for the huge amount of flavour.

This is my submission to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Graziana, to this month’s Cook-Eat-Delicious- Desserts for dates, to We Should Cocoa for almonds, to this week’s Mother Day Healthy Recipes, and to this week’s Weekend Wellness.

No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie
Filling adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie; crust from Raw Cashew Dreamcake

Crust
1 cup raw almonds (pecan or walnuts will also work)
1 cup dates, pits removed
1/2 tsp sea salt

Filling
8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
12.3 oz firm silken tofu (you want the aseptic kind like Mori-Nu)
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons nondairy milk (I used sweetened original almond milk)
scant 1/8 tsp salt
1 tablespoon agave or other sweetener, to taste

1. Place nuts in a food processor with sea salt and pulse to chop until they are to your desired fineness (process a finer crust longer than a chunky one). Add the dates and process until well combined. Test the crust by spooning out a small amount of mixture and rolling it in your hands. If the ingredients hold together, your crust is ready to go. Scoop out crust mixture in a 9” spring-form pan (if you don’t have a spring-form pan, use a pie plate lined with saran wrap), and press firmly (fingers work well), making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. Rinse food processor well.

2. Melt your chocolate on low heat on the stovetop (or in the microwave).

3. Meanwhile, place tofu in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, nondairy milk, salt and melted chocolate and blend until smooth. Taste, add agave and adjust to taste.

4. Spoon chocolate mixture on top of pie crust and smooth the top.

5. Place in refrigerator until chilled. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Serves 10.