Eggs once again

Since we are on an egg theme (hey, it's springtime). Here we go with another egg story.

As I have mentioned earlier Cub has been intrigued by the idea of Sunny-Side up eggs.
He tried some at the Waffle House, but he wasn't too excited about it.

I spoke with the guys at work about their cooking theories on eggs. I read a bit online about cooking eggs and Saturday night decided to try cooking my first Sunny-Side Up egg.

I put my 'egg pan' on the burner, on about a 4. Just let it heat up while I got the rest of dinner ready. I put some grits in the microwave, pulled out the toaster. Pulled a few eggs out of the refrigerator.

Then it was time for the eggs. I put a small pat of butter in the bottom of the pan, Just for flavoring not for lubrication.

When the eggs started foaming I broke the first egg into a glass and then carefully poured it into a pan. Tilted the pan about a bit until the egg started to set. Then did the same with another egg. Once they looked a bit set I took 1/2 a shot glass of water, poured it in, and lidded the pan. I left it like that for a few minutes and then (with much trepidation) I pulled the cover.

There the eggs were, staring back at me, we eyed each other for a few seconds and then I announced "It's time to eat boy!"

Cub was ready, he had buttered toast, a pile of cheese grits, and an empty space for an egg.

I slid the egg out of the pan and onto his plate.

He took a bite, I took a bite, we both chewed slowly. I glanced over at the boy and he gave me a thumbs up.

Woo! Victory!

Dave ...

speaking of Eggs

I learned how to make quiche this weekend, its mighty good, and mighty easy. 

We had some steamed broccoli left over in the fridge and guests due to arrive soon. So I perused 'The Internets' compared recipes, and came to the conclusion that I will NEVER buy pre-made quiche again. 

All you need is a standard pie crust (NOT Graham Cracker), some eggs, milk, salt, nutmeg, and your filling of choice. Throw it together and cook in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. VOILA 

Tonight I took the last of the steamed broccoli (it was a BIG head of broccoli) ran it through the food processor. Pulled two eggs and a cup of milk out of the fridge. Grabbed the last few slices of sliced ham lunch meat and diced it. 

Put the chopped broccoli in the bottom of the crust, sprinkled a bit of kosher salt, nutmeg,garlic powder and my favorite addition to eggs Garam Masala. Put the ham next and a handful of shredded cheddar then poured the egg/milk mixture over the top. 

This all went into the oven and baked for about 45 minutes, when it came out it was still a bit jiggly in the middle, but the carryover heat quickly took care of that. 

Thumper was sound asleep, but Cub ate a huge piece and stole my crust. I believe Quiche is a new dinner standard in this house. 


Dave ... 

Sunny-Side Up

There is something about eggs. Most people have very specific ideas on what and how they like their eggs. 

Cub is still trying to figure this out. Because of this he is also very willing to try pretty much any egg you set in front of him. 

This morning Pamela had some errands to run, and for a bribe to get the boys in gear, she promised "Waffle House" for breakfast.  

Of course this is after I am off to work, so I don't get to partake in the experience. Pamela is NOT the person to go to the Waffle House with and decide you want to have an egg Sunny-Side up.  She's one of those people that cook eggs until they weep. She also won't touch grits, she's from the south, and she won't touch grits. I just don't understand. 

So, at lunch when I came home, Cub said he wasn't too impressed with a Sunny-Side up egg. I asked if he had mixed it with the grits, or dipped his toast in the yolk, no to the first, yes to the second. Apparantly instead of grits, his mother ordered Hash-Browns for him. *sigh* 

But he did agree that he would be willing to try them again one day. So i guess for breakfast on Saturday we'll have eggs and grits. With homemade biscuits and some bacon. Woo! I feel the arteries hardening now! hmm, maybe turkey bacon. And only a light bit of butter on the bread. 


Dave ... 

Dinner troubles

Thumper is on his two-year fast. You know the one I am talking about, from 2-4? Where you think all they subside on is air? 

As I was making dinner tonight, he came in the kitchen to investigate. He asked what I was makng and I told him 

"Beans and Rice and Sausage" 
"oh Beans and Rice? My favorite!"
"your favorite?" I asked. 
"My Favorite!" He exclaimed. 

So, I put some in his penguin bowl, put some grapes on the table and some veggies and dip. He took his bowl and proudly went to the table, climbed up in his chair ... and proceded to NOT eat the bean and rice. 

"But Thumper! you said you loved Beans and rice!" 
"uhhhh no, Grapes instead" 

And then he proceeded to eat his fill of grapes. 

*sigh  

If You Are, in fact, the Laziest Parent Evah,

this is the soup recipe for you. I'm ashamed to post it. However, the kids inhale it and there is Actual Food in it and I can make it using only 2% of my brain. How could I not share?

Cook a couple-three chicken breasts however you like to cook them. Me, I dust them with some salt-pepper-garlic-onion-paprika, sear them on each side, and cover them until I no longer fear food poisoning. Cool til you can touch them, and chop 'em up. If you're HORRIBLY lazy, you could sub a bag of pre-cooked pre-chopped chicken bits, but even I have more self respect than that.

Add to: two boxes of chicken broth and a bag of frozen mixed veg. I use the basic carrot-corn-peas combo, but whatever suits you.

Bring to boil. Add somewhere between a half and a whole pound of egg noodles, depending on how noodley your family is and how many uninvited guests have shown up for dinner. Top off with hot tap water until the noodles are well and truly covered, set the timer for whatever the noodle package says (7 minutes, I think).

That's the basic Idiot's Version. But how to make it with More Food in it?
Make your own broth.
Pay more attention to the types of veg.
Add miso.
Use different noodles: spelt, whole wheat, or the new Barilla Plus.
Try seitan or baked tofu diced up instead of the chicken.
Add a handful of kelp flakes, or spinach or kale to wilt in at the end.

Happy Souping!

Blackberry Cobbler

The back fridge apparently is going a bit wonky, so we emptied it out last night. To my surprise I found two bags of blackberries thawed and in the sink when I awoke. So I said to myself.

Hmm... I was going to make Pancakes for breakfast. But instead it shall be Cobbler!

There was much rejoicing and dancing around the kitchen at this point in the game.

So I spent a few minutes perusing the web and realized, cobbler is too darned easy.

I took the blackberries (2 12 oz bags) drained the juice from one, and put them both in a big bowl. I poured 1/2 cup of sugar over the top, 1 tblsp Vanilla and 2 tsp cinnamon. And then gently mixed.

In another bowl, I made a basic dough recipe with 1 1/2 cups AP flour, 1 tblsp baking powder, 1 stick butter and 1 tsp salt. Added 1/2 cup milk, stirred until it was all together in a ball.

Poured the blackberry mix in a round baking dish, and dropped dollops of the dough on top. Maybe in mushed up 1/2 a ping pong ball size. I took 2 tblsp butter, melted it and poured it over the top.

Put it in a 350 degreee oven for 40 minutes and voila!

Things to do different (add more food?) make the dough with some whole wheat flour, add some oatmeal, substitute the sugar for honey, omit the melted butter (gasp! heavens no!)


Dave ...

3 Bowls Oatmeal

One of the presents I got for Christmas (ok, a gift to myself) was 3 Bowls : Vegetarian Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery.

It's full of great recipes and an insightful look at the daily workings of an American Zen Buddhist Monastery. The rituals and practices are thoughtfully written out and explained by the author. The recipes come from the head chef there and are very intimate give great insight. They both weave together a fine tapestry of tastes and flavors that do not leave the tongue or mind empty.

One of our favorite recipes in the book is one of the first ones in the Breakfast section. Oatmeal has been one of my favorite breakfast foods as long as I can remember. It's very versatile and can be a different meal every time depending on your condiments.

Some variations that we use to make it even more food are easy enough to incorporate and add to the meal without changing the structure too much. Substituting the dried fruit with others types is a plus, we always have dates and raisins in our cupboard. And lately I've had bags of dried cherries/cranberries/blueberries in the cupboard (I use those in the Power bars and Rice Krispy treats).

We also substitute Multi-grain Cereal for some (not all) of the Rolled Oats. Interesting about the multi-grain when you look at it up close, you see its mostly Steel Cut Oats with corn meal, wheat germ and something else unidentifiable mixed in.

For toppings we use, of course, milk or cream. We have also added toasted nuts, honey, more dried fruit (so you get two consistency's, one plumped and the other dried). Cinnamon, Fresh Nutmeg and for a really neat taste, add a Cardamom Pod or two during the cooking (make sure to fish them out before serving, OR break them open and just put the seeds in).

This morning we made the recipe with Dried Cranberries and Multi-Grain Substitutions. The boys got heavy cream and brown sugar on top. I just topped it with Milk and a bit of honey.



Here is the recipe from the book.

Oatmeal with Sweet Potato and Apricots

• 2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats


• 1 Medium Sweet Potato, Peeled and Grated (about 3 cups)


• 4 Dried Apricots, Chopped


• ¾ teaspoon Sea Salt


• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

Bring 5 ½ Cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in the oats, Sweet Potato, Apricots and salt and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the oats are tender and the sweet potato is cooked, about 20 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.

Mayan Chocolate Cookies

I got this recipe over at StephenCooks.com , its mighty mighty tasty.

I really love the whole Spicy Chocolate idea. I got some Hot Chocolate mix from my sister-in-law in Mexico it was so spicy it brought tears to my eyes. When it was hot it was overpowering, and then as it cooled it went from outright spicy to subtle spicy. Now I usually make a cup of regular hot cocoa and stir in a tablespoon of it. Gives a little kick!

Pamela made these cookies last night, and then again last night (yes, two batches) because they were so good. Everyone is getting a bite or two of these. Yes, they have a bite, but it's subtle and the heat just enhances the flavor.

We used our 1/2 sheet baking pans and parchment instead of greased dark cookie sheets, and the time was about 14 minutes in our oven. The batter looks really runny when first combined, but let it sit for a few minutes and it thickens up to usable.

Chocolate Espresso "Mayan" Cookies

Makes about 40 cookies.

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 C (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick (1/2 C) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 large eggs
1 C plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3-1/2 tsp finely ground dark-roast coffee beans, such as Italian-roast
3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1/3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C walnut pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 2 dark metal baking sheets.

In a double boiler -- or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water -- melt the unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and butter, stirring until smooth, and remove from heat. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed the eggs, sugar, cayenne and ground coffee until very thick and pale and the mixture forms a ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 3 minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture. Sift into the mixture the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and walnuts, if using.

Drop batter by heaping teaspoonsful about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets and bake in batches around 7 minutes, or until puffed and cracked on top. Cool cookies on baking sheets 1 minute and then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Chow 'zine

hey .. this looks like a food magazine worth reading .. full of real recipes and article that are interesting. It's called CHOW .. never heard of it before the the other day when I found a link to it.

If you are having a hard time finding a Christmas present for your very own "foodie" might I suggest this? At $18.95 for a subscription its most definately worth it.

Cooking Brown Rice

You know the secret to Brown Rice Cooking ... right?

Never cook it on the stovetop .. cook it in the oven.

Take your 1 1/2 cups of rice and wash them until it runs clear. Put it in a 8x8 baking pan (or pretty much ANY size you have handy, I like using my Pyrex bread pans.) Pour 3 cups of boiling water over it. Add a dollop (tablespoon?) of butter, stir until dissolved. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, bring it out and let it"rest" for another 10.

Open, enjoy the aroma! Careful of the steam!

Fluff with fork and eat straight out of the container, over the sink ... and then order pizza for the rest of the family.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

The weekend before Halloween I decided we needed to make some cookies. Silly I know .. right before those bags of sweets come in the door. But I am a slave to my sweet tooth, what can I do...

Last year Pamela and the boys made little goody bags for the close neighbors and delivered them the day before Halloween. So this year Cub was ready to do that again. But of course we were overwhelmed with other things going on and didn't get around to it. So instead Cub and I made cookies.

During the fall we get all "pumpkinfied", and make pie (of course), muffins, cakes and this year, our first cookies. I searched around the web, found a bunch of recipes. I grabbed this one and used it as the base. I made some tweaks to the ingredients and listed them below.


* 1/2 cup shortening
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 cup canned pumpkin
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the pumpkin and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon; gradually mix into the creamed mixture. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Cool on wire racks.




Changes I made:

Turbinado sugar instead of regular white sugar.
Substituted half of the AP flour with Whole Wheat Flour.
Substituted pecans for walnuts (this is the south!)
Substituted 1/4 cup applesauce for the egg
Added 1/2 a cup of Cinnamon chips (left over from last holiday season! Gasp!)


Oh! and I upped the spices. come on ...1 tsp of Nutmeg and Cinnamon? feh!

podcast?

Gonna try podcasting this blog some, see how this works out. Will it just be the recipe? Diatribes on food? I dunno .. stay tuned. I'll put a link up to the right and announce it when it comes.

Bison and Pasta

Last night I had about 5 tomatoes on the counter that were reaching the end of their counter life and would soon be delegated to the compost pile or to the freezer for stock. I used them to make a base for a great tomato stock last night.

I cut off the tops, cleaned out the seeds, roughly chopped them and threw them into the cast iron pan. Drizzled with a bit of olive oil, a tablespoon or two of chopped garlic, some salt (kosher) and pepper. I let this start to brown and carmelize, breaking down the tomato flesh, separating the skin off the rest of the tomato (remove, it's bitter ya know). When everything started looking nice and dark brown I added about 1/2 a cup of merlot and let it bubble up. I added a can of Organic crushed tomatoes and basil at this point and the Bison Meatballs Pamela had made earlier in the day.

The boys stood around at my feet waiting for their opportunity to "ok" the sauce. They said (in order of age) it was 'great' and 'mmmmm'.

Now, I wasn't in charge of the Bison Meatballs but I assume they went something like this.

• 1 lb Bison (lean, and better than old Bossy)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (make your own!)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon Garlic
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• couple of grinds of black pepper

Mix and shape into small balls (tad smaller than a Ping-Pong ball)
Brown in skillet with a touch of olive oil
Cool on wire-rack.

I just let this simmer on the back of the stove while I waited for the pasta (plain, carrot and spinach bow-ties this time) to cook.

Once the pasta was ready we smothered it in the sauce and some shredded mozzarella.

Voila!

Both boys ate their plates (ok Cub ate his plate, and Thumper ate off mine and Pamela's) and asked for more. I would have to say it was a success.

We had leftovers because it's always too much sauce, and you should always make more pasta than needed, just so you can treat yourself at 11:30 when the house is quiet and everyone else except you and the dog are fast asleep.

So, tonight it'll be a game of make something new with the leftovers.

Saturday Night Mexican Fiesta part 2

OK, Now on to the tacos.

I heard somewhere recently that hard shelled tacos are not native to Mexican Cooking and were actually invented by the guy who opened up Taco Bell. I don't know whether it is true or not, but honestly unless I am eating AT an restaurant I'd rather have soft shell tacos anyway.

Saturday however I tried something new, and think its my new way to eat tacos. We bought some corn tortillas and used them for the tacos. Here is how it works.

Take your skillet (cast iron right?) and get it heating up, medium heat.

Lightly (I do mean lightly) butter one side of the tortilla.

Drop it butter side down on the skillet.

Wait 5 seconds and flip it. Wait another 30 and flip it back. See that nice brown color?

When you start seeing air bubbles add your filling on ½ of the tortilla. Fold.

Move over to the side of the skillet and start a new one.

When the cheese looks all melty and you can't stand it any longer take it off and eat it! (you're the cook, you're allowed to do that)

Fillings:

• Shredded Organic cheese (I like Monterey Jack or Cheddar)
• Ground beef/bison/turkey (brown, drain the fat, add seasonings, a bit of tomato paste)
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Lettuce? Nonono Add something with a bit more oomph .. fresh spinach, Kale, heck even “Spring Mix” will do.

Dave

Saturday Night Mexican Fiesta

Saturday night we made "“Mexican Food"” for dinner. This means tacos, refried beans and rice. This time I thought I'd mix it up a bit.
I got some soft corn tortillas for the tacos instead of the regular hard shells. And I tried a new recipe for the rice. The refried beans? Well, I was slack .They came right out of a can.

So, lets talk about the NON-Slack parts of the dinner. And what we could do to make it healthier, with more FOOD in it.

First the rice.
For Saturday nights dinner I used my favorite Jasmine Rice. Let me give you my basic recipe and then we can talk about what to do to make it better.

• 1 cup rice
• 2 ¾ cups water
• 2 cloves garlic
• Spices to taste (Cumin, chile, onion)
• Olive oil

Brown the rice and garlic in oil in a skillet over medium high heat. The rice will become sort of translucent. When you get that nutty aroma rising from the skillet its time to add the water and bring to a boil. When it hits the boil, lid it, turn it down as low as possible and don't disturb it for 20 minutes. Then take it off the heat and let it 'rest' for 5. When you finally unlid the pot don't stir the rice, unless of course you LIKE sticky rice.

Many people I know have a problem with this one little piece of the 'Rice puzzle', so let me repeat it. Don't disturb the rice after you have lidded it. Don't even take the lid off to 'check it'. Face it, if its going bad there is nothing you can do to salvage the rice. You'll just have to restart it. So just lid it and forget it.

Ok, now for suggestions to make it more FOOD.

• Use Brown rice, it's better for you
• Add a cup of diced tomatoes.
• Add a handful of chopped spinach.
• Add an onion chopped with the garlic and rice during the browning process.
• Use Chicken or vegetable stock in place of the water
  

Saturday night I used my normal Jasmine White rice, but I did add a cup of chopped tomatoes, and 2 tblsp of Cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp yellow curry powder.

When I opened the lid it was fragrant and colorful. The rice had adopted the colors of the spices.
We all took deep breaths of the goodness and then dug in.


Dave

Let's talk dips

Yes, my children are dips, in every sense of the word. But that’s not what I mean. I mean the yummy food that you use as condiments and as full meals.

The Boys love dip, and if you do it correctly it's healthy for them also.

Dip doesn't have to mean creamy ranch dressing (although its mighty mighty good). There are plenty of alternatives, salsa, yogurt dip, hummus, guacamole and much more. One great thing about most of these dips is that the kids can help in the preparation of most of them.

Ranch Dip -
First let’s look at the traditional ranch dip. While most of our kids can surely afford the calories and fat associated with the sour cream, we as parents (who eat after and with our children) sometimes can't. So how do we lower the guilt without lowering the nutrition? One way is to use Silken Tofu instead of sour cream, just replace it ounce for ounce with the sour cream. You'll need to blend it up a bit to break it down some and give it the proper consistency. Then add the ranch mixture. The kids won't know the difference and will be getting a big dose of protein in the dip.

Hummus -
It’s a wonderful treat that is easy to make and is a different consistency than creamy dips. Hummus lends itself well to things like pita bread (whole wheat, homemade), sliced veggies or even just by the spoonful! We add agar flakes for an extra bit of nutrition.

Guacamole -
This creamy goodness is full of food and flavor. Guacamole is easy, quick and can be adjusted to suit your tastes depending on the situation. It's a great place to add some 'other ingredients' that will boost the food content without changing the flavor. Mix in homemade salsa.

Salsa -
Fresh and full of flavor, make it yourself and watch the nutritional benefits rise. Fresh tomatoes, cilantro and onions do alot for the food content; add to that content by adding some chopped veggies into the salsa.
Substitute salsa for ketchup on Burger and Hotdogs, mix it into meatloaf. Instead of deep fried tortilla chips, buy some baked ones, or make your own. Wedge up some flour or corn tortilla's lightly brush with olive or Canola oil and bake in the oven. When they come out and are still hot sprinkle with spices to your taste.

Dave

Hiding Food Part 1

• Protein Powder blends into milkshakes, fruit smoothies, yogurts, puddings
• Agar Flakes can be slipped in judicious amount into mac&cheese, pasta salad
• Raw Vegetables can be run through the food processor add to muffins, hamburgers, tomato sauce.
• Blackstrap Molasses as sweetener, in cookies
• Add a box of frozen spinach to a devil’s food cake! Thaw, drain/press then run the spinach through a food processor until there are no large chunks. Add this puree to the cake batter and bake as usual. It adds moistness as well as nutrition, and I would never believe how good it is until I tried it.
• Substitute “good” pasta for “empty” pasta – whole wheat, spelt, Barilla Plus
• Substitute brown rice for white rice, cook in vegetable broth or low sodium chicken broth rather than water.
• Substitute whole wheat flour for bleached
• Pancakes, Waffles – add mashed banana, oats, Protein Powder, Wheat Germ
• Substitute avocado for butter, sour cream or cream cheese. It adds flavor and is a monounsaturated fat.

Dave

FarFar's Oatmeal Pudding

• 2 ¼ - 2 ¾ cups oats (less for quick-cooking, more for old fashioned. I like multi-grain, but you can use any kind)


• ½- ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar


• ¾ cup raisins, craisins, cranberries, dates, etc.


• 1 teaspoon cinnamon


• ½ teaspoon salt (optional)


• 3 1/3 cups milk (2% or full-fat works fine)


• 4 egg whites, beaten OR ½ cup egg substitute


• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil


• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine dry, mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine wet, mix well.
Add wet to dry, (you guessed it!) mix well!
Pour into 8x8 glass baking dish that’s been buttered, oiled, or sprayed w/ cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes.

Good warm or cold, plain or topped with yogurt. I often pour milk over a warmed bowl of it – yum!


Dave

Pancakes

Sunday mornings, I get up early, forgo checking my email and stumble into the kitchen to make breakfast. One of the boys' favorites is pancakes. Once we eat our fill there is always a few left over. I just let them cool completly (keeping the dog away) and then chuck them in a freezer bag. They heat up wonderfully in a toaster or the oven.

Sift together –

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup All Purpose flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt,
• 2 Tbs. sugar.

When you're ready to cook, mix in

• 2 cups water
• 3 Tbs. canola oil
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla,
• 2 Tbs. applesauce (or 1 ripe banana)

Heat your griddle until a drop of water dances across the top. Lightly wipe with oil (just a very very light sheen). Pour the size pancakes you feel, when the bubbles start breaking in the pancake its time to flip.

Serve HOT!

I will also sometimes add some of the following:

• ½ cup of oatmeal
• ¼ cup wheat germ
• 2 Tbs. ground Flax seed
• 2 Tbs. Agar flakes

Dave

Chocolate Tofu Pie

In a blender or food processor, puree until smooth:

• 1 block soft tofu, drained
• a couple of tablespoons of honey
• a glug of liquid (cold coffee, chai, Irish cream, coffee liqueur)

Melt 1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips or the equivalent amount of chocolate. Microwave or double-boiler works fine.

Gradually add to tofu mixture as blender runs, Mix until smooth and uniform in color.

Pour into graham cracker crust, chill until firm.

Variations:
By substituting Silken Tofu for the soft you have an easy and Quick Chocolate pudding/mousse.

We often like to melt raspberry jam or nut butter and add a layer of it in the crust before pouring the tofu mix. Make sure it’s cooled before adding the tofu mix! We also vary the types of chocolate and the type of crumb-crust.

I’ve had numerous people who are FIRMLY anti-tofu scarf up this pie without question. A good treat for the kids, since there is actual Food involved.

Dave