Why the asterisks, you ask? Well, most puddings don’t have tofu as the main ingredient. But then again, I very rarely do what most people do!
Speaking of tofu, we have a very tenuous relationship. We want to get along, we really do. In fact, I have tried to make tofu in a few different manners over the past few months, but none of those endeavors have been particularly successful. I drain and I press, but my results are never like our favorite Teriyaki restaurant – crisp and evenly cubed. I usually have slightly mushy and inconsistently cut tofu.
But, I’m not giving up. The beauty of tofu, aside from being cheap and a relatively good source of protein, is that it pretty much takes on the flavor of whatever sauce or spices you’re using.
Which leads us to the pudding. Okay, so it’s not pudding in the traditional sense of the word. But, it does taste like pumpkin pie filling, and has a somewhat pudding-like texture, so that’s what I’m calling it!
Most of my hair-brained ideas come from something that needs to be used up. Necessity truly is the mother of all invention, I guess. The apple lentil muffins were that way, most frittatas and scrambles are that way, and, this completely surprising dessert is that way.
Yesterday I had a block of tofu that needed to be used in the next few days, and rather than cook it up for dinner, I had a crazy idea: What if I blended it up into a smooth texture? I originally thought I’d make banana pudding, but I remembered I had a couple cans of pumpkin hanging out in the pantry and my bananas were not quite ripe. And, so, pumpkin it was. A good choice!
Pumpkin Pie Tofu Pudding
Servings: 4 (about 1/2 cup)
Time Required: 5 minutes prep, not counting passive time to drain and press tofu
Ingredients:
- 1 block of tofu – I used firm, but any will work
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (you could use more here to match your tastes)
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 3 tablespoons honey (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Note: if you have pumpkin pie spice on hand, you could use 1 teaspoon of that instead of the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
Method:
- Press tofu between a clean dishtowel for about 30 minutes, or as long as you wish (I put it in a colander and then stack a jar of something heavy like pasta sauce on it)
- Break the tofu into 4-5 cubes
- Add all ingredients to a professional blender or food processor, pulsing to combine
- Once combined, blend on low for 1-2 minutes, until mixture is smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of blender/food processor if needed
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days
Nutrition:
View Comments (2)
It seems to me that using silken tofu, or even not pressing the tofu might improve the texture a bit and make it less lumpy. Of course, you would also need less milk, but it might be something to play with.
Sounds yummy and great that it has all the added protein.
That is a good idea, thanks, Audrey! I bought another block of it yesterday to try a version with more pumpkin, so I will try not pressing it this go round. My sloppy filling of the glass makes it look lumpier than it really is. ? But I agree silken would be a better choice here!