Piña Colada Bars (Vegan)

What can be better than to have a cup of herbal tea with a bite of your most favorite dessert! These Pina Colada Bars taste like summer. The secret ingredient of this delicious vegan dessert is.... tofu! You wouldn't believe how nicely it blends with lemon juice, vanilla, and coconut milk to create a creamy filling. The recipe makes 12 bars.

The original recipe was posted in the September 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times. The link to the original recipe is here.

Crust
2 cups vegan vanilla wafer cookies
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp almond milk (I used 3 tbsp of almond milk to get the right consistency)

Coconut Layer
1 12-oz package of extra firm tofu, drained
1 medium banana
1/2 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Topping
2 cups fresh pineapple, finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pulse cookies into fine crumbs in food processor. Transfer to medium bowl and add oil and milk. Stir well. Spray 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press mixture into pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

2. Make sure you drain tofu from extra moisture. Cut tofu into 6 large pieces. Place one of them on two-layered piece of paper towel. Cover with another piece of paper towel and gently apply pressure with your hands allowing extra moisture to drain from tofu. Repeat with remaining pieces of tofu.

3. Blend tofu, banana, coconut milk, sugar, lemon juice, coconut oil, cornstarch, vanilla and salt in blender until smooth. Transfer to bowl and fold in shredded coconut. Spoon mixture over crust in pan. Bake 55 minutes or until edges pull away from pan. Allow to cool.

4. In small pot, bring pineapple, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch to boil. Constantly stir to prevent burning. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour pineapple mixture over coconut layer. Allow to cool. Once cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 3 hours. Slice into 12 bars. Enjoy!