Key Lime Pie

Just a brief intro about the protagonists of today's recipe: lemons & limes

All Illnesses  start in an acidic environment. The human body is naturally slightly alkaline with a pH of around 7.35 to 7.45. Any deviation from this range can cause serious illnesses and death. However the human body is very smart and will not let an acidic diet high in processed food and animal products kill someone but it will ultimately cause unwanted illnesses such as cancer and arthritis. That's the importance of slightly alkaline diet to prevent diseases.  And lemons are great blood alkalizers. The citric acid in lemons, when digested, are transformed into carbonates in the body, which help neutralize the blood and keep the blood within the right acid-alkaline range. This process helps the body be free of diseases and keep working at its fullest.
 

To keep in mind:lemon are only medicinal, detoxifying the liver and neutralizing body acids, when eaten fresh and purely. So even though this recipe does not have refined sugar (the most acidic food) it contains other forms of less refined sugars such as: maple and coconut sap. But they are still sugar!

I was never a big fan of lime pie when I was growing up in Brazil. I don't like the taste of milk and all lime pies in Brazil have milk cream in them. So only after moving to New York that I was able to try  some vegan key lime pies that I discovered the great taste this sweet and sour dessert has!!! 

Here's a very simple recipe for a vegan key lime pie:

Yields 4 small pies

Crusts

2 tablespoons coconut sap (you may substitute for maple syrup or if you’re in Brazil use the real brown sugar)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp coconut oil (you may use organic soy, canola, sunflower, corn oil as well)
2 teaspoons chia seeds, grounded
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups oat flour
pinch of sea salt


Lime Filling
1½ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
1/3 cup fresh lime or lemon juice

1/2 cup coconut sap or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lime zest


To make the crust: 

Preheat the oven to 350º F (180ºC). In a large bowl, mix coconut sap, oil, vanilla and chia with a spatula. Add oat flour and salt, and mix until the dough forms (the dough will be very soft). Divide the crust mixture between the 3" tart pans and press the mixture into them evenly with your fingers. Bake the shells for 15 minutes. Allow them to cool completely, and remove the shells gently.

To make the filling: 

Combine all of the filling ingredients (except the lime zest) in a blender or food processor. Blend or pulse the mixture until completely smooth. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the lemon zest.

Assembly:  

Divide the lemon filling among the tart shells. Let them sit in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up. Garnish with lemon zests, berries, mint sprigs, strips of lemon zest or anything else you like.