Key Lime Pie - Sugarless and Carb Friendly

In celebration of finally getting the recreation room finished and the contractors out of the house, I decided to bake a pie. Really. Well..actually, I was at the 99cents store the other day looking for an oven cleaner when I spotted a bag of key lime for $0.49. I really have no need for them since I have a whole bowl of newly harvested lemons from my yard but I grabbed it anyway. Maybe I could use it for some cocktail drink.


But the pie sounded much better so I went on the internet to look for a recipe and found this simple one with only a handful of ingredients: can of sweetened condensed milk, pre-made graham crust, key lime juice and eggs. The instructions were pretty simple, too and will only take 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake. Then I remembered that I was not supposed to be eating "too much" sugar and starch and a can of sweetened condensed milk is probably more than what I am supposed to consume (okay so I am not supposed to eat the whole pie but it is still a whole can's worth in there!). Not to mention graham cracker crust. Hmmm..

This is the fun part of cooking. I searched for SUGAR FREE CONDENSED MILK. I did not find any in the store so I had to make my own. For the crust, I used the recipe for pecan tart crust my Ninang Tatie made once. It only had butter, cream cheese and flour. I used whole wheat flour and added 1/4 cup of Splenda with fat free cream cheese.

Here's my version of the EASY KEY LIME PIE:




For SUGAR FREE CONDENSED MILK, I followed the recipe from www.bigoven.com:

1 can fat free evaporated milk (14 oz)
1 1/2 cup fat free powdered milk
1/2 cup Splenda (or even less , just to taste)

Mix it all together. Use a blender because it does have the consistency of condensed milk when mixed. Set aside in the refrigerator. You can actually keep it there for a week.

For MOCK GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:



1/2 cup butter softened
1/4 cup Splenda
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 cup whole wheat flour

Melt the butter with the Splenda and cream cheese. Mine took a minute in the microwave. The butter will still stay semi-solid but leave it in the container for a couple minutes and it will melt.

Place flour in a bowl then pour the butter mixture. Mix until blended. With your hand is best. The "dough" will feel like crumbs of graham crackers.

Take a pie pan, and start pressing the dough until bottom and sides are covered. This is now ready for your key lime filling. Set aside.

KEY LIME FILLING

1/2 cup key lime juice
4 egg yolks, beaten
condensed milk

Mix together until well blended.

Pour filling onto crust.




Bake in preheated oven 375 degrees for about 15 minutes until set. That's it.

You can cool before serving or decorate with thinly sliced key lime or even put whipped cream topping.



It is now time for the "taste test". I'll let you know Matt's verdict. :)