A fast and vegan-friendly dessert that’s good for you

Some people have no problem adopting a vegetarian diet, but going vegan seems too tough. Carol Turtle has found a number of recipes she loves, and in some cases has adapted them to have less sugar than originally suggested.

“This one is good for you,” she writes. “I still love it almost every night on top of fresh fruit or frozen cherries. This dessert literally takes minutes to make.”

Here is her recipe and notes:

Vanilla bean whip

modified from “Chef Del’s Better Than Vegan” Cookbook” by Del Sroufe with Glen Merzer

One 12 ounce package of

extra firm silken tofu, drained*

1/2 cup cashews, soaked

overnight and drained**

3/16 cup (slightly less than

1/4 cup) honey

1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh

lemon juice (or a handy

fresh frozen lemon cube)***

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender to incorporate all ingredients.

2. Chill for several hours in the refrigerator, or until firm.

For chocolate whip, add slightly more than 2 tablespoons of pure cacao powder before blending. I use “Dagoba” from Natural Grocers.

*This is not the tofu that comes in the watery tubs. It’s unrefrigerated on the shelf. I buy it by the case at Natural Grocers (and get 10 percent off). The brand is Mori-Nu.

** If you have a Vitamix or super high-speed blender, no need to soak the cashews. I put them in frozen right from the freezer.

*** Process (squeeze) fresh lemons ahead of time and freeze the juice in ice cube trays. Then transfer the frozen cubes to a bag to always have fresh lemon juice on hand.

Want to share your favorite recipes? Email cj@postindependent.com.