Creamy Coconut May Day Pie

"Take this magic unicorn and have him live in your bra and you're cured." It captures a stream of thought that goes through a woman's mind when she is told she has cancer. The line comes from Sarah Kramer, author of Govegan.net.

Earlier this year, Sarah announced she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer. She's also the author of several wonderful cookbooks, including one she co-authored called How it all Vegan. On this beautiful California May Day, I am sending a healing unicorn in the form of a coconut cream pie. This isn't your mother's coconut cream either, it's vegan. And actually, vegan doesn't translate to "harder to make." It's simpler and cheaper, too. And healthier! And my Mom can have some too (lactose doesn't grow old kindly with many of us).


Sarah (and co-author Tanya):  I don't spend enough time with How it all Vegan, but the times I have spent have been delicious--this post is for Sarah!

Many thanks to Britt Bravo of Have Fun, Do Good who issued the call for posts (in April) in support of Sarah's story. Cancer is really a journey and she is an amazing narrator of that journey. In this post she sends a letter to cancer thanking it for the wisdom its presence in her life gave her. Indeed, losing your health does teach you how much you are loved. Great writing, Sarah!

So, a day late, but not one milligram short (maybe it's correct to say "shorter"), here is my contribution:

• I changed the recipe- I always do. The food web community needs a new word for people like me who can never make something the way it was written the first time. 
• Using the Creamy Coconut Pie recipe on p. 143 of How it all Vegan, I went with 14 oz. of firm tofu instead of soft and filled in the other two ounces with Tofutti. I wanted it richer and for some reason over the years, this has become my blog's top post. So for lovers of that recipe, I encourage you to try Sarah's!
• I reduced sweetener to approximately 3/4 of a cup (and a small amount of that was this delicious Verbena Sugar I got on vacation recently at Nicasio Valley Cheese company).
• I added 1/2 tsp. of lemon zest; I should have added in more.

 P.S. I just realized the irony of my title. May it actually be a Merry May Day of healing and recovery for Sarah and not the "Mayday, mayday" expression found in nautical eras past. The difference is in the space bar, of course!  ;)