Mini Raw Key Lime Pies

One of my favorite desserts ever is key lime pie.  I remember going to Florida and knowing that meant 3 things...1) I was going to get to get a tan 2) I was going to eat seafood every night and 3) I was going to gain 5 lbs eating the best key lime pie I had ever put in my mouth.  If I made these key lime cupcakes and sat outside with a sounds of the ocean CD on I could almost swear I was in Florida that's how close they are to the "real deal".

Ingredients:
- 24 cupcake liners

Crust:

- 3/4 c raw almonds
- 3/4 c raw walnuts or pecans
- 1/2 c dates
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Unsweetened coconut flakes

Filling:
- 3 cups raw cashews (soaked overnight)
- 1/3 c coconut oil
- Juice of 7 limes, zest of 4
- Juice of one lemon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 c agave, honey, or maple syrup (I used 1/2 c honey and 1/4 c stevia to cut back on calories)

Whipped Topping (optional):
- 1 can organic full fat coconut milk (refrigerated for at least 2 hours)
- 1 T agave
- 2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
- Place entire, unopened can of coconut milk in the refrigerator
- Place cupcake liners in muffin tins
- Place all ingredients for crust, except for coconut flakes, in food processor and pulse until crumb-like
- Sprinkle bottoms of cupcake liners with coconut to prevent crust from sticking
- Press crust mixture into bottom of liners and freeze until set (1 hour)
- While crust is setting, place ingredients for filling in high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth
- Divide evenly on top of crusts and place back in freezer for another hour
- To make whipped topping, open refrigerated can of coconut milk and scoop the solids that have separated to the top of the can into a small mixing bowl
- Using a whisk, mix the coconut milk solids with the the agave and vanilla until fluffy and whipped
- Refrigerate "whipped cream" until you are ready to serve the pies

Mini Raw Strawberry Cheesecakes

I love having a fancy little raw party dessert to impress my meat-eating and vegetarian friends alike.  Bring these to a party and watch them disappear.  No one will ever know they don't contain eggs, cream cheese and refined sugar....that is unless you tell them ;-) The best part is...since you don't have to bake them, you can make this large scale, or go the route I did and use cupcake liners for an easy grab and go option either way you choose you don't have to worry about adjusting pesky cooking times...because they're raw.........................did I mention they're raw?

Ingredients:
Crust:
- 3/4 c raw almonds
- 3/4 c raw walnuts or pecans
- 1/2 c dates
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt
- Unsweetened coconut flakes

Filling:
- 3 cups raw cashews (soaked at least 3 hours but preferably overnight)
- 3/4 c lemon juice
- 3/4 c agave
- 1/2 c coconut oil
- 1 T vanilla
- Water (keep on hand in case you need to thin out during blending)

Topping:
- 6 large frozen strawberries (or other fresh or frozen fruit of your choice)
- 1/2 c dates

Directions:
- Go ahead and place frozen strawberries in a bowl on the counter to thaw
- In a high speed blender or food processor, blend all ingredients for crust except coconut flakes
- Sprinkle coconut flakes in bottoms of cupcake liners to prevent crust from sticking
- Press crust mixture into liners and freeze while you make the filling
- In a high speed blender or food processor, add all ingredients for filling.  Add water a little at a time, if needed to achieve desired consistency (you shouldn't need more than 4 T)
- Divide filling evenly on top of your crusts and place back in the freezer (let sit for an hour to set)
- To make the topping, combine thawed frozen strawberries and 1/2 c dates in food processor and blend well.  Once filling has set in freezer, top evenly with topping and place back in the freezer until ready to eat. (Note: if you wish to get a little fancy, you can also omit this last step, remove the liner and plate the cheesecakes and drizzle the thawed topping on top with some fresh strawberries as garnish)
- Take out 15 minutes beforehand so that they can thaw slightly and enjoy!

Mini Cheesecakes

OMG! These are amazing! I was out perusing WalMart's grocery section with my mom today and decided to try 2 things I had never had before, but they sounded like they might go good together for a quick sweet snack.  Here they are...Quaker Vanilla Creme Brulee Rice Snacks and Laughing Cow's new Cinnamon Cream flavored cream cheese spread.

I got home from the store, cracked open the bag and a wedge of the cream cheese, slathered it on, took a bite and then....the skies opened up, I felt like I was floating, and the prospect of eating healthy became even more of a reality.  It tasted just like a little mini cheesecake.  Then I remembered I had some strawberries in the fridge...oh yeah...you know where I'm going with this.  Magic! I'm officially in love :-) The only thing I would have changed is putting a smaller piece of strawberry on to really showcase the amazing flavor of the rice cake and cream cheese...otherwise it will just taste like a crunchy strawberry

Note: You know when it's not quite strawberry season and your strawberries are hard and bitter.  If you cut up your strawberries and throw them in a tupperware with a couple packets of Truvia, your strawberries will become both juicy and sweet.  That is what I do 95% of the time when my strawberries are just not up to par.  I especially like doing it with this particular recipe because it makes them taste more like the strawberries used on traditional cheesecake strawberries (kind of syrupy and sweet) :-)

Calories for 6 rice snacks and one wedge of cheese: 100