Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Kick A$$ Paleo Key Lime Pie

This recipe seemed criminally obvious when i first thought about it, however, it took a little doin'. BUT, before I go there... Want to give a shout-out to Crossfit Verve - Matt and Cherie (think "6 Million Dollar Man" meets "GI Jane" - and you'll already have a good picture), with the help of many generous volunteers, ran the Mountain Sectionals in Golden, Colorado - it was a fantastic event with clever WODs and camaraderie in abundance. Matt Chan is the kinda guy that, if he's NOT your friend, you WISH he was. Just a solid friendly dude with an easy smile. He gave the Sectionals a family feel, like you were surrounded by brothers and sisters - he's really the epitome of a crossfit athlete. And Cherie, Whooa! Unfortunately i did not see her judging because she is truly amazing. That girl can guaranteed yank a PR out of you, with forceps, rubber boots, and a stiff heel if she has too ;-) She is incredible - seriously. What a dynamic duo they make. I have yet to leave a Crossfit competition with out feeling inspired and encouraged and this one was no exception - so THANK YOU Matt and Cherie - it was memorable.
Macro-Nutrient Cycling - well i better give a quick update on this.. I only lasted 6 weeks :-(. I wasn't getting the results i expected (ie buy new shirts cuz gettin SO massive) and, umm I'm a fruit junky - apparently. Also, the load meals were painful - not something to look forward to. In defense of Faigan, I really couldn't load as he described - mostly starchy carbs. I was just too uncomfortable. I also tend to do some very long duration med-intensity stuff on weekends (backcountry splitboarding) and i just couldn't hang with the super low carbs while humping my pack up to 11,000 ft. I WILL say it leaned me out pretty quick,i felt fine during WODs, and i added 25 lbs to my dead lift. I know i'm just N=1 and some people do better on lower carbs overall and dig chowin macnuts & avocado all day (actually, seems like MANY people) - just not optimum for me. So, i'm back to standard 5 block PZ meals... well, AFTER these key-lime pie trials! Who knows, i may dial back the carbs just a little going forward... OK.... ON with it already...
Key Lime Pie - normally it's made with a graham cracker crust (crushed graham cracker, sugar, and a lotta butta). Which forces me to ask "What the hell IS graham?" That's the first clue you shouldn't be eating it btw. It's "fine ground white flour with coarse ground wheat bran and germ" - according to Wikepedia. Scary - I really had to look it up. Graham crackers have a high glycemic load - right up there with coke and vanilla wafers. Maybe something to be avoided unless you think "metabolic syndrome" sounds like a good time ;-) Another common ingredient in KLP is sweetened condensed milk. Coconut milk to the rescue...

Kick A$$ Paleo Key Lime Pie

1/8 Pie = 21C, 23F, 8 P)

Preheat oven to 350F

Crust:
1.5 cups whole almonds
4 pitted dates
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
(I didn't make up the date part.. here's some paleo crust recipes)
Put it all in a food processor and stop just short of nut-butter
Dump it into a standard pie pan (smear with coconut oil first) and, with your fingers, just mush it flat. Don't bother going all the way up the sides with it - though a visible crust looks good, you have to worry about it burning in the oven - too complex for a lazy caveman. Form the crust so it goes about half way up the sides. Pre-bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes - should be just a tad golden.

Filling:
4 teaspoons lime zest (you know... get the grater out)
1/2 Cup lime juice (fresh of course)
3 Tablespoons agave syrup (can use honey)
2 Tablespoons coconut flour
3 eggs
1 Cup Coconut Milk (Thai Kitchen brand recommended)
Get a whisk and mix it up real good. When pie shell is done, dump filling into shell and put back in oven for another 25-30 minutes (filling should appear to be set up). Hopefully the crust is actually covered. If not, don't let it burn - cover with foil near the end if you have to.
Key limes are these itty bitty limes that are slightly better than real limes but WAY more work. I used 20 to make ONE of the pies - fairly redonkulous. Even then i needed extra limes to get more juice. I swear more seeds than juice came out of some of those little buggers. I would buy 3 as "evidence" but use regular limes instead ;-) I made it both ways -hardly tell the difference. This pie really needs to cool and IS better the next day but i'd be a hypocrite if i told you to wait.
I'm embarrassed to say i've had this every night for the past 4 nights! For a 5 block meal, it's quite reasonable to combine this with a good portion of veggies and some lean meat. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. It kicks A$$!
Eat Well! Steve "Paleo"
PrimitiveFoods.com

38 comments:

  1. Wow! Gonna try this for SURE.

    Steve,

    I'm sorry macronutrient cycling didn't work out the way you want, but also it's nice to know you can always just go back to Paleo-Zone and still live like a champ. I am also jealous of your backcountry split boarding adventures.

    Matt

    P.S. have you tried Coconut Butter? HOLY MOLY!

    http://livesuperfoods.com/coconut/PRE001.html

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  2. Barbara - give it a try! But make sure you invite some people over. I'm mowing thru my pie solo at the moment ;-)

    Matt - Well, any experiment you can walk away from is a good one ;-) I know a little more about myself now. I have NOT tried coconut butter but i keep hearing about it. Gonna order some! Thanks for the tip!

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  3. I just made this with the intention to let it set over night but I failed to wait. I just ate the first piece and am really struggling to resist another so I thought I would sit and write to keep the temptation at bay. Steve - this is amazing! The only downside - it is so rich and creamy I would love to wash it down with a tall glass of cold milk. I think I will have a slice for breakfast with coffee - that should do the trick. Thanks for such a great recipe!

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  4. J - can't tell you how many times i went for seconds.. even at breakfast! Never with any ill effects though. I think this is by far the best desert on the blog for sure... My daughter is insisting i make it this weekend AGAIN ;-) Glad you like it and thanks for the post (good luck avoiding it tomorrow morning.. even better when it's been in the fridge for a bit!)

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  5. Hey is this you?
    http://games2010.crossfit.com/blog/2010/03/mountain-sectionals-update/
    Well done!

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  6. This is delicious. I'm not a big fan of coconut (yes, that's really inconvenient for eating paleo) but since I love key lime pie so much, I thought I'd give it a try. And it's so lime-y that the coconut isn't strong at all! Which is just awesome. Thanks for this recipe!

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  7. I can't wait to make this!! I enjoy your blog, and it has inspired me to start my own. :) ps. We have the same plates. Pretty sweet Costco buy!

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  8. omg yum. made this, using gelatin instead of coconut flour and 2T coconut sugar rather then honey to reduce the carbs a bit and it was sooo yummy. thanks for the inspiration. fortuneately my kids ate some so i wasn't stuck staring at the whole delicious mess myself.

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  9. This is one of several recipes i have tried from your blog, and it was fabulous. Even the hard core junk food lovers loved it. Your blog has been a huge source of inspiration for my primal cooking adventures. Thanks!

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  10. Finally got around to making this - oh my goodness! I couldn't wait until it cooled - very messy and yes the lime does tend to do better as a cold taste rather than warm. It was great the next day! Thanks Steve.

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  11. So I think I'm gonna play around with this recipe a little because I have a hankering for some sort of Key Lime Pie/Lemon Bar hybrid thingy. I'll let you know how it goes. If it turns out well I'll have to bring some down with us to the Colorado Open tomorrow. :)

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  12. Indeed please share! I won't see you tomorrow - recovering from an injury so i'm gonna be playing on a 14r this weekend instead. Have fun though!
    (yumm! lemon bar! that should work for sure!)

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  13. I've been looking for a key lime pie recipe for a long time. I found one other one that I tried and it was pretty sorely lacking compared to what I was used to eating before paleo.

    This one looks great, though! I'm going to give it a shot.

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  14. I see that you put the carb, fat and protein count for the pie. One question, is that in grams like the cacoa nib cookies or is it in blocks?

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  15. I am going to give this another try, I made it about a month ago and it didn't look at all like yours...it was pretty darn good but I'm hoping to make it better. I also did a flax seed meal pie crust, but I don't think that would change the look of the pie???

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  16. This looks really good! I'm trying it TONIGHT!

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  17. I'm new to paleo and this is the first dessert I make. I must say that it's delicious. I used coconut covered dates and I love that it's so coconutie!!! Thanks for sharing!

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  18. You are welcome Carmen. This is my favorite desert for sure!

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  19. Made this today. Wonderful!!!

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  20. I just made this, waiting for it to finish baking. Quick question, how long do you need to wait after it comes out of the oven to cut into it?

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  21. Geez - it's better cold if you can wait :)

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  22. Wow!!! The most amazing pie! All 3 of my girls gobbled it up.

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  23. Yep :). Favorite of my daughters too!

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  24. I made this for my husband tonight for his birthday. Just wanted to let you know I reblogged it :) Stop by when you have a chance.

    www.vintagelywrapped.wordpress.com

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  25. Does this recipe use full fat canned coconut milk or the carton style coconut milk like So Delicious?

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  26. I can't get mine to set. Its been in the oven for 30 min. I just turned the heat down (so not to burn the crust) and hoping it will set. Any suggestions? No idea what I did wrong. I added less honey (2T) but that is it. I did stir up the can of coconut milk as it didn't specify coconut cream from the can. Flummoxed.

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  27. No idea Charlotte! - make a smoothie out of it worst case ;-) Also, next time, make the crust low so filling goes over the top. Then it won't burn. It might set up once it cools down. I've never had one not set up.

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  29. Made it. Loved it! Even my non-Paleo friends were impressed. One thing I did was add the thick part of a can of full fat coconut milk as a 'whipped topping' to the pie. It was good plain but I think next time I would add a bit of liquid stevia to it for a sweeter topping, like real Key Lime Pie. It was a great treat though and no guilt!

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  30. my filling is very tart. I mean I just tasted it before it cooked. Is that normal. Maybe my limes weren't ripe? its is cooling now and I will let it sit in the fridge for a day. Fingers crossed!

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  31. Well, i kinda LIKE tart :). I hope it's good!

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  32. Steve,

    THANK YOU!! This was the first "paleo" dessert I ever made- in 2010- about 6 months after converting my diet from zone to paleo. It was amazing and I made it a few more times- once even as my birthday "cake" - it was THAT good. I somehow lost touch with your blog and the recipe... my birthday is in a couple of weeks and I searched everywhere for your recipe, weeding through so many online that sounded too complex or just not delicious (too sweet) BUT, then I found your blog address! You can't imagine my excitement!! Thank you , thank you, THANK YOU!

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    Replies
    1. You're quite welcome Andrea! Obviously I don't post anymore but I still circle back to these recipes. Hopefully they never get zapped! :D Cheers.

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  33. Absolutely- the blog is a treasure trove!!

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