Key Lime Cheesecake Bars (gluten free)

Summer appears to be here! I love the sun, heat and warmth and I can't seem to get enough! My apartment garden is planted, I made my first trip to the farmer's market yesterday and went on a bike ride by the lake where hundreds of people were laying out on beach towels trying to soak up all of the warmth we missed during the winter months. Summer makes me think of crisp salads, fresh fruit, and cold desserts. Lime cheesecake fits right in.

This past weekend we were in Houston, TX for a funeral. Although we were there for a sad reason it was very nice to visit with Aaron's family and to have some delicious food! I had requested some authentic Mexican while we were there. Growing up in Montana I wonder about the Mexican food that I grew up with and how authentic it really is/was. I wanted some real TexMex and I was not disappointed!

We were treated to a fajita feast complete with rice, beans, tortillas, salsa, guacamole, sauteed onions, beef, shrimp and chicken. It was so delicious and something I could eat everyday I think! Of course our trip also included a visit to Fiesta for fresh tortillas. Unfortunately, the store we went to this time did not make any on site, but they did have key limes. . . for $0.88! Yes, $0.88 for that entire bag pictured above. Those are something I will likely not find in abundance in Minnesota, so I brought a bag home. What a better way to use some of them, then a key lime cheesecake! The flavor of lime to me screams summer, so these were a great way to kick off the season. They do have a strong lime flavor which pairs very nicely with the blackberries I found at the market yesterday. You could of course make these with out key limes, but they do have a slightly sweeter flavor that works great in a dessert. Enjoy!

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars with Almond Meal Crust
Makes: 16 bars

For the crust:
2 cups almond meal
6 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp granulated sugar

For the bars:
8oz light cream cheese
4 oz light sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup key lime juice (juice from~8 key limes or 2 regular limes or use bottled lime juice)
zest from 4 key limes or 1 large lime

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients for the crust and press into an 8x8 in pan. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes
2. With a mixer and whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese for about 3-5 minutes or until fluffy.
3. Add the egg yolk and mix for another 3 minutes- mixture will be pale yellow.
4. Drizzle in the condensed milk and whisk another 3 minutes.
5. Add lime juice and zest and whisk again until combined.
6. Pour mixture into prepared crust and bake for about 20 minutes or until set. Allow to cool completely and then refrigerate for several hours before serving (I was impatient so I actually put the pan in the freezer for about 90 minutes)

Nutrition Facts- Calories: 190, Total fat: 14g, Saturated fat: 5g, Cholesterol 55g, Sodium 89mg, Total Carbohydrate: 10g, Dietary fiber: 2g, Sugar 7g, Protein: 5g