Mojito Frozen Dessert--Vegan Style

It was a hot and humid day when I came upon a yummy-looking recipe for Mojito Frozen Dessert, which I decided to veganize. I changed the crushed pretzel crust into a granola crust, and I used Tofutti cream cheese and Morinu tofu to make a whipped topping. Everything else was pretty much the same. Just be sure to have at least three limes and a small bunch of fresh mint on hand. This is a simple dessert to make when you are hot and some guests are coming later that night. Make it several hours before you serve it, as it has to freeze up first. 

 

Ingredients

 

Crust
1 — spring-form pan
1 cup — granola
1/8 cup — sunflower oil
1 Tablespoon — maple or other syrup

OR

1 — cake pan and some plastic wrap
1 cup — crushed graham crackers or pretzels
2 Tablespoons — Smart Balance or oil
1 Tablespoon — syrup

Filling

1 — 8-ounce container Tofutti cream cheese
1 — 12-ounce aseptic Morinu tofu
3/4 cup — organic sugar
large handful — fresh mint leaves
2 — organic limes
1/4 cup — sunflower oil
1 teaspoon — vanilla
water as needed to move mixture in the blender

Method

If you have a spring-form pan, use it. Otherwise, lay some plastic wrap in a cake pan so you can lift the dessert out after it is frozen — in which case, you will have to make an uncooked crust, such as crushed pretzels or graham crackers mixed with Smart Balance (pretzels) or with a couple tablespoons oil and a tablespoon of syrup (grahams). Press it in the bottom of the pan over the plastic wrap and freeze it an hour while you blend the rest of the dessert.

If you have a spring-form pan, then mix a little granola together with an eighth cup of sunflower oil and a tablespoon of maple syrup (or whatever syrup you have), pressing it all down flat on the bottom of the pan and baking it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend one 8-ounce container of Tofutti cream cheese, one package of aseptically boxed Morinu tofu (about 12 ounces), three quarters of a cup of sugar (I was going to use less, but then remembered frozen desserts need more flavor since the freezing numbs your tongue), a large handful of fresh mint leaves, the zest of one lime and the juice of two limes, a teaspoon of vanilla, a quarter cup of sunflower oil, and enough water to make the blender move — about half a cup or so. 

Blend it on high until it is all smooth, carefully using a scraper to help it churn. Don't poke the scraper down into the whirring blade! Said the woman of multiple scraping gadgets with jagged edges.

This creamy mixture with the mildly palest hint of green is then spread on the crust and frozen for at least four hours. After that you can remove it from the pan and decorate it with a sprinkle of crushed pretzels, grahams, or granola and a few decorative slices of lime. Thinly slice the lime, cut a radius line into the center of each round, curl in two directions, and situate on top of the dessert.

This Mojito Frozen Dessert is best served on a hot day a short time after it comes out of the freezer. Just give it a little while to start to soften a bit, but don't leave it out so long it begins to collapse.