When I was in college, I worked at Thai Noodle House. It was a bright, airy one-room restaurant that offered the promise of healthy, fresh noodle bowls, modeled on what you might get on the streets of Bangkok. The cooks seemed determined to deliver Third-world authenticity: I once unknowingly delivered a noodle bowl with the cook’s Bandaid floating in it.

Generally though, the dishes were delicious, the recipes carefully protected by Foo, the whipsmart, female owner. She was a bossy, imperious Thai who usually wore a pink track suit and was trailed constantly by her personal trainer/assistant.

The manager, Pat, was a sweet, kind lady who often took it upon herself to give me advice. During the time I worked there, I had stepped up my exercise and lost maybe 5 or 10 pounds. I bought some new fitted wrap skirts and showed up to work one day in one.

As I strolled through the front door, Pat save me a big smile. “Oh, you lose some weight!”

I smiled and blushed. Yeah, I guess I did.

“Good!” she continued. “Now you lose some more! Not good for pretty young girl to be heavy.”

Third-World honesty, unlike the cooking, didn’t involve any Bandaids. Tough-love all the way.

That day I took home a slice of the pie that I bring you today, in a lower-cal version: CHOCOLATE SILK PIE.

I fiddled and faddled with the recipe after finding a full-fat version of it on the web. I hoped to make a version as delectable as the original with half the points, but you may want to try the incredible original, especially when you want to splurge on company.

That said, I do think I succeeded in creating something very tasty — it’s different, but equally delectable. The boyfriend, a total chocoholic, says no: This version is decidedly inferior because it is less chocolate-y. But my roommate — who professes two hate two of the main ingredients, pumpkin and tofu — ate a slice and loved it.

So, I throw my hands up in the air and offer you the recipe with some trepidation. You’ll just have to try it and see if you like it.

CHOCOLATE SILK PIE: 10 servings, 4 pts per slice

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tsp cocoa powder

To make the crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, cocoa powder, yogurt, and brown sugar. Press mixture firmly into a 9 inch pie pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Filling:
12 oz silken tofu (also called “extra soft”; must be silken or the magical texture will be off)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
4 oz FF cream cheese
3/4 cup pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp honey (I omitted because I don’t like sweet but you might try it)

To make the filling:
Place tofu, cream cheese, pumpkin, and honey into a blender or food processor.
Melt chocolate chips until smooth in the microwave on low power, or carefully on stovetop. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over tofu and whizz/blend the mixture until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Pour into a pie crust and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Suggested toppings: Shaved chocolate. Fresh raspberries. Mint sprigs. It’s tasty alone but could use the toppings for beauty, since the filling is a medium-brown color.

That’s it! I hope you like it! I’ll probably continue to work on this over time and may post an improved recipe in another year.