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

Mango Edamame Salsa

I really don't have anything to say about this recipe except that you should make it! It came about because the other day there were champagne mangos for sale at the grocery store. They were small and yellow and looked interesting so I bought a couple. One of them I used in this Vegan Mango Banana Bread recipe. I haven't tried it yet because I immediately put it in the freezer to bring to Montana next weekend. It smelled and looked good though!

The other mango I used to make this salsa which was excellent on some baked tilapia. It would also be great with tortilla or pita chips, in a wrap with some chicken or mixed with some cooked quinoa.  It is fresh, sweet, and crunchy and perfect for a hot summer day. (The other items on our plate are sauteed kale and some brown rice and red quinoa pilaf from Trader Joes) Enjoy!

Mango Edamame Salsa

1/2 cup frozen edamame (warm from frozen for about 45 seconds in the microwave and allow to cool)
1 mango, cubed
1 small shallot, diced or 1/8 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup frozen corn thawed or 1/2 ear fresh corn cob, cooked and kernels removed from cob
handful diced cilantro
juice form 1/2 lime

Combine all ingredients together and serve.

Pico and Guacamole

Tomatoes have arrived. For weeks I have been watching and waiting for my tomatoes to begin turning from green to red. I've been picking a few cherry tomatoes here and there the past few weeks, but this week it was kind of an avalanche of tomatoes! I have cherry, roma, and beef steak tomatoes- more than we could possibly eat I think, but it sure is exciting to pick them right from the back yard! Note for next year, probably only one or two cherry tomato plants is needed-not six! I can literally pick them by the dozens right now.

Operation tomato preservation is now in action so that none of these delicious fruits go to waste. I  took several roma tomatoes, cut an "x" in the bottom of them and boiled them for about 1 minute. The skin easily pulled off and into the freezer those tomatoes went. They will be great to use for sauce this fall. Yesterday I dried cherry tomatoes (See Pinch My Salt for recipe) and I am excited to use them in a pasta dish, for bruchetta, or maybe in homemade hummus?

 

 This weekend I made pico de gallo since that has become a Russell favorite. When we were in Mexico for our honeymoon, every afternoon we would have nachos with pico and guacamole (see photo below). I don't know if it was because we were eating nachos on a beautiful beach with the hot sun shining down on us and the waves crashing on the sand, but those nachos tasted seriously amazing! The pico had a strong lime flavor, the guac was creamy and not too garlicy, and the cheese was running and delicious! I have been trying to recreate the experience ever since and I think I am getting close (minus the beach, water and sand).

For more information about tomatoes plus recipes, check out Away to Garden. There is a great post all about tomatoes plus links to a lot of different tomato recipes.

Russell Pico de Gallo
(The trick to this is making it to your taste. You may like a stronger onion flavor or less lime. I kind of throw everything together, so these measurements are not meant to be followed exactly. Make it to your taste, try it with a chip and then modify it until it is to your liking)

2-4 Roma tomatoes,diced

1/4 of an onion, chopped finely
1/4 of a jalapeno, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
course salt

You can either chop all of the vegetables or put the onion, jalapeno, and garlic into a food processor so they are chopped finely and they don't cause you any tears! Add to the tomatoes and toss with the cilantro, salt to taste, and the lime juice. Serve immediately, or allow to sit for several hours in the refrigerator so the flavors come together. Enjoy!

Laura's Guacamole

2 avocados, skins and pit removed
1/4 of an onion, chopped,
1/2 of a jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and ribs removed
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
course salt and pepper
1 Roma tomato, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (optional)

Add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno to the avocado, mashing with a fork until combined. Add cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add tomatoes and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese for even more flavor.

 This was all that was left after our recent feast!