Need a vegan sub for a fruit, yogurt tart recipe FAST!!!

[Vortexing]

So I like to make these little tart-like things for us when we want a quick dessert but don't want to have something totally nutritionally useless. I do a graham cracker (and nut) crust, then whip together some cream cheese and greek yogurt, vanilla, with a little sweet something (honey or agave), and then put mixed berries on top.

I need to do a vegan (or at least dairy-free) version very soon. I was planning on smart balance/graham crackers for the crust, then obviously berries on top, but I can't figure out a good (somewhat healthy) thing to put in the middle to hold the berries on as a sub for my dairy/non-vegan heavy middle part. And a toddler will be eating this as well - about 18 mths.

Can I make like something with coconut that isn't so overpoweringly coconutty? Or smash up bananas and mix with something to make it more smooth and then put strawberries on top?

Any ideas?

[Lily's_Mom]

Originally Posted by Vortexing

whip together some cream cheese and greek yogurt, vanilla, with a little sweet something (honey or agave

You could try some soy yogurt for the dairy yogurt. There are vegan 'cream cheese' products, but they are very processed. How about cashew nuts? I have recipe for raw hummus where cashews are soaked in water and then pureed in the food processor. Maybe you could soak cashew nuts in coconut milk, then process the nuts adding your soy yogurt, vanilla and agave.

[mommabear207]

i also think some soy/rice yogurt & vegan cream cheese and maybe puree some banana and coconut flakes in.
i also think pp idea of processing some nuts is a great idea. if you put some raw nuts in a processor with water and blend then strain you'll get some nut water thats creamy & smooth and nutritious!

[lil_earthmomma]

You can also make cream cheese by straining the vegan yogurt through cheese cloth!

[artemis33]

coconut milk custard would be a yummy dairy free veg option, though not vegan (eggs)

[Vortexing]

I'm a little shy of processed foods though, I know that makes things more complicated. But what IS vegan cream cheese exactly?

The cashews and coconut sounds interesting as well. Think other nuts might work too?

[mamatoablessing]

What about mixing Tofutti Sour Supreme (like sour cream), a little Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese with lemon curd? It's delicious!

[simplehome]

Amy--I just made a vegan pudding using tofu. You just take some silken tofu, put it in the blender with enough water to make it mix. Once it is smooth, you can add in vanilla, sweetener, and maybe a thickener, if you want, like tapioca starch or arrowroot or something. You might not need it. It was really yummy, especially with fruit! We made parfaits with various kinds of fruit, this "pudding", and crumbled graham crackers. I was thinking the same thing when I made it---healthy treat.

[Vortexing]

You know Sara, I've never had enough nerve to try silken tofu and sweet recipes... perhaps now is my time to try it. If it worked with your parfait recipe, it should work for this too, it's basically the same thing just in a different form. Thanks!

[Carley]

Originally Posted by Vortexing

I'm a little shy of processed foods though, I know that makes things more complicated. But what IS vegan cream cheese exactly?

The cashews and coconut sounds interesting as well. Think other nuts might work too?

I tooootally feel you on that. Strange chemicals... processed soy/cargeenan "yogurts".. it's all funky. It's weird some people think it's actually healthier to eat that stuff in lieu of the real thing.

Is the boy actually vegan? Or just allergic to dairy? If it's the latter he might not even be used to weird "vegan" products.

I think you had an excellent idea. I'd definitely sub mashed bananas for the filling. I mean... it's a toddler, you know? If you do something fancy and complicated he's not even going to notice. The cost of a box of silken tofu (processed soy product) could buy you a whole lot of good ol' natural (& versitial!) bananas.

Graham cracker, mash banana, top with berries = toddler awesomeness. You could probably even use a whole graham cracker & top it with mashed banana & berries, or serve a whole graham cracker with mashed banana "dip" & nuts & berries on the side (a la carte seems to be a universal toddler favourite). It would probably be easier for him to eat himself than a tart.

Good luck! I'm sooo dreaming of cream cheesey graham goodness right now... mmmmm... :

[Carley]

Originally Posted by Vortexing

You know Sara, I've never had enough nerve to try silken tofu and sweet recipes... perhaps now is my time to try it. If it worked with your parfait recipe, it should work for this too, it's basically the same thing just in a different form. Thanks!

The texture of silken tofu is more like a custard, not a yogurt. It's not going to be solid at all. It's like pudding! On that note, you can blend it with sweetener & extracts/cocoa powder & make a pudding. It's not going to be thick & delicious like the creamcheese/yogurt mixture, though. Mmmm... creamcheeeeese.... :::

[kjbrown92]

What about coconut milk yogurt mixed with mashed banana? That would be really healthy, and if it is dairy intolerance, s/he probably shouldn't be having a lot of soy either.

[rainbowmoon]

here's a recipe for vegan cream cheese.
http://www.theveggietable.com/recipe...eamcheese.html