A St. Patrick’s day recipe that doesn’t involve booze!

 

So the idea I had was a quick, dirty dessert recipe that could serve a few purposes; it needed to sate my sweet tooth, I’d like it to be nutritionally valuable, and screw it, make it green because a priest kicked snakes out of an island a few hundred years ago. I looked in the fridge, found some stuff that fit the bill, and threw it together because what is cooking if not mad science? I also opted out of the traditional-yet-inexplicable mint affiliation that St. Patty’s day themed food tends to have.

I chose limes too because I desperately want Second Winter to end. Just, please?

 

Key Lime (or regular lime, if that’s your thing) Keto Cheesecake Fluff

2 medium avocados, pitted and scooped out
2 Key limes (or regular limes work, too)
1 8oz brick of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup Pyure stevia sweetener

Cut your block of cream cheese into a handful of cubes – this isn’t necessary but it makes it easier to process if it’s straight from the fridge. Toss the cubes into your food processor and pulse them a few times to get it smooth. Slice your ripe avocados and scoop out the flesh into the bowl of the food processor and blend them in with the cream cheese. With your processor going steadily on low, slowly pour in the heavy cream and let that go for about a minute. Roll the limes on the counter with your hand to release the juice, then zest both into a small dish, and then slice in half, squeezing into the food processor as it’s going. Do this for both limes and then slowly pour in the Pyure, continuing to process the whole mixture. Finally, add your lime zest and blend for another minute.

Now this should be smooth, whipped up, and creamy while still retaining a dense, cheesecake-like consistency. You can eat it with a spoon like an animal right now out of the bowl of your food processor, I won’t judge, but it’s better after it’s been refrigerated for a few hours. As far as keto desserts go, you could definitely do worse. The potassium from the avocado is a welcome, necessary addition to your diet, and the fiber helps improve your gut flora.

You can’t taste the avocado, it’s simply there for nutrition and to add some fruit-based creaminess, but you’ll want them ripe. The less ripe they are, the more their flavor will shout through the rest of it. That’s it, though – it’s simple, healthy (though calorie-dense, so eat sparingly), delicious, and a lovely shade of green.

Other applications

There is a lot of uses for this stuff besides just eating it outright – it would be a good icing of sorts. The color is beautiful and it is pretty firm without being actually as dense as cheesecake. A piping bag handles it well, so you could use it in little almond flour tarts, icing a vanilla mug cake, or if you are inclined, freeze it for an hour or so and you have a reasonably easy keto ice cream. Along those lines, putting this into these freezer pop molds can yield something akin to a dreamsicle. We bought these exact popsicle molds when our kids started to eat solid food about 4 years ago and we still use them AND they’re super cheap.

In any case, give this keto cheesecake fluff a try. It’s tart without being obnoxious, sweet without being overpowering, and cheesecakey without requiring a lot of time, cooking, or effort.

Do you have a go-to low carb dessert that sates your cravings or keeps you from buying Frankenstonian keto snacks online? I’d love to hear about it!