Tofu Fruit Whip (Or Fruity Pudding)

Try this recipe if you don't like tofu.  Really.  The uproar, grimaces, groans that were heard when I announced the dessert were quickly replaced by..."Um.  I like it.  Can I have some more?"  I lost count, but I think most people had at least 3 servings.

A more common version of tofu "pudding" involves melting a measure of chocolate chips equal in weight to your tofu, mixing together in a blender, and letting set up in the fridge.  I've done that with extra-firm tofu, plus a little peanut butter, to great results.  (It was firm, like cheesecake, although a little grainy.)

This turned out more like a mild yogurt- not too sweet, but addicting and light.  Try it, you'll like it!  We used the last of a raspberry compote from the last of Mom's frozen raspberries, but thought that peach, banana, or strawberry would all be good ones to try next.  I'm not sure if it was the citric acid in the raspberries, or the extra liquids I added, but this never set up into pudding- it was definitely yogurt consistency.  (It was also pretty good with mint-chocolate sauce drizzled on top.  Yum.)

Tofu Fruit Whip
3 14-ounce boxes of silken tofu
3/4 cup mashed raspberries
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy milk (add if this won't blend)

Blend all together in a blender until smooth- decant into a bowl and refrigerate.

Mango Pudding

This was one of my favorite desserts when I lived in Hong Kong, and I love to order it whenever I go for dim sum. This can be made with just about any juicy fruit - peaches, apricots, raspberries, strawberries...whatever you've got.

Mango Pudding (easy way):
Serves 12

Ingedients:
12 oz. Evaporated Milk (skim is fine)
2 Mangoes, diced and divided
1 large box flavored gelatin (8 serving size) (Use mango if you can find it, but I used pineapple flavor, and it was divine with the mangoes!)
2 cups boiling water

In a medium bowl, combine the water and gelatin. Stir well to combine.

In a food processor or blender, puree 3/4 of the diced fruit. Add the evaporated milk and blend to combine.

Stir the milk and the water mixtures together, mixing very well, and pour into an 8x8 glass pan.

Throw in the reserved mango chunks, cover the pan with plastic wrap or a lid, and refrigerate until firm (about 3 hours).

For those that care about this sort of thing, this dessert comes out to about 100 calories per serving - it's very refreshing on a hot day, and won't ruin your diet!

Crunchy Mushy Pudding Treat

So imagine this scenario if you will:

You are sitting at your computer when suddenly it occurs to you: It's dessert time.

You aren't sure how you know, but you are certain beyond any doubt that it is dessert time, that sacred and holy time in which our bodies must be given a sweet and satisfying treat or we will never sleep well, have nightmares and probably be eaten by the boogyman who lives under our bed and in our closet AT THE SAME TIME (his dipresence adds to the holy scary factor)

You go upstairs and your family has eaten the last of the pie. That's ok it was a terrible pie anyways. BUT there is a bigger problem. The only ice cream left is a small dab of strawberry. Not enough to eat a milkshake and not good enough to eat alone. This is a predicament.

Open fridge.
Stare.
Close fridge.
Open freezer.
Stare.
Close freezer.
Wander around aimlessly in a lost and deeply restless manner.
Open fridge.

...well you get the idea.

Suddenly, a light bulb appears! Oh yes folks, grand ideas are appearing... still a little fuzzy.. what is it... OH YES! It's PUDDING!

That is brilliant! A GRAND idea!

Wait... no it's not. It's pudding. Anyone who calls pudding grand has pathetically lowered their standards beyond reasonable bounds.

Ok pudding is a building block. A mushy, passably flavorful building block in the grand idea that must occur lest we be eaten by the dipresent boogyman (hope you didn't forget about him did you? Your life IS on the line you know)

We need more flavor... bananas? Ok sure but that texture! You have two mushy things together it'll never work... you should only be eating something that mushy at the beginning and the end of your life, basically when you don't have teeth.

I have teeth, so it won't work.. we need something more.... something... oh. Yes. I see. I got it. I know the answer. Wouldn't you like to know the answer? Luckily I'm a really nice guy. I'll tell you.

Check it ya'll

Crunchy Mushy Pudding Parfait of Excellence

Ingredients:
Pudding (I used Vanilla, and I think it'll work best)
Banana
Chocolate Chips (Or broken Hershey's, or any crunchy chocolate in small bits)
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (Optional)

In a suitable parfait dish, put a sufficient layer of pudding in the bottom (~half an inch)
On top of pudding, put one layer of sliced banana (Thin slices)
On top of banana put a smattering of chocolate chips, not quite enough to cover the banana layer.
On chocolate chips put a bit of Hershey's syrup, again do NOT make a full layer, just squeeze a bit in for flavor.
New layer of pudding.
etc.

I recommend only using the Hershey's on every OTHER banana/chocolate layer (Which for most parfait dishes will only mean the bottom of the two layers ;-)

On the top do some sort of nice looking finish (It'll taste better, trust me). I did 2-3 slices of banana scattered (not a layer) and 4-5 chocolate chips just thrown on.

It was beautiful (padres can attest) and it was delicious (I can attest).

Best of all, I'll be able to wake up tomorrow morning. Take that boogyman, your days are through!

ho ho ho