Raw Key Lime Pie from The Blossom Cookbook

It's always way too hot to cook in the middle of June, so making desserts is usually out of the question. No oven is needed for this healthy Raw Key Lime Pie from The Blossom Cookbook, though! Made with fresh ingredients, it's just the thing to satisfy your sweet tooth on a warm summer's day.

Blossom Restaurant

If you’re in Manhattan, you’re never very far from a Blossom restaurant. There’s the original Blossom in Chelsea, Blossom on Columbus, and the ever-growing chain of Blossom Du Jours. The Blossom restaurants serve gourmet-style vegan cuisine in an informal setting, for what I would consider reasonable prices. I’ve paid similar amounts for food that isn’t anywhere as tasty here in New Jersey, and I almost always say “we could have gone into the City and eaten better food at Blossom for that price.”

I first discovered Blossom when I was studying to become a health coach at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. Classes took place at Lincoln Center. The local restaurants would get mobbed with students and tourists at lunchtime, and many of them weren’t too vegan friendly, so my friends and I would all pile into a cab and head to Blossom uptown. Choosing between Caesar salad, the Southern Seitan sandwich, and the raw zucchini pasta was always tough to do. We ate there so often that the waiters started to expect us. One day, we found our favorite eatery completely packed with people, and our favorite server told us that they were suddenly hit with people from a nutrition conference that was in town. Our secret had gotten out somehow, and our fellow students were taking over our favorite spot!

Since then, Blossom has been my go-to restaurant when I’m in New York. I eat there for birthdays, for brunches, and for just-because-I’m-here meals. Because I don’t make it into the City as much as I’d like to, when I’m there, I always have a hard time decided on what to order. Should I go with my old favorite the Seitan Piccata, or should I try something different like the Pistachio-Crusted Tofu? One thing is always a given – I need to save room for dessert, because Blossom makes some of the best cakes and pies I’ve ever tasted.

The Blossom Cookbook

It never fails that on the train ride back home from New York, I always talk about how much I’d like a Blossom cookbook, so that I could recreate my favorites at home as well as try some of the new dishes. So when I found out that there was a cookbook coming out, I did a little happy dance around my kitchen. Finally, I could have Blossom’s food in the suburbs!

The Blossom Cookbook by Ronen Seri and Pamela Elizabeth is chock-full of the eatery’s signature dishes, such as Black-Eyed Pea Cakes, Tofu Florentine, and Cauliflower Risotto. Each recipe is more lip-smackingly delicious than the last. Some dishes are quick and easy to make, while others are a little more time consuming.

The chapters in The Blossom Cookbook include:

• Sauces and Dressings
• Appetizers
• Side Dishes
• Soups
• Salads and Sandwiches
• Brunch
• Entrées
• Desserts

Raw Key Lime Pie

The first recipe I tried was the Raw Key Lime Pie. It's quick and easy to make, and it's the perfect dessert for hot summer days, when you don't want to turn the oven on. Key Lime Pie is Dennis's favorite, he often orders it for dessert when we go to Blossom, so he was happy to have this sweet treat at home.

I would recommend The Blossom Cookbook to anyone who wants to make delicious gourmet-style food at home. If you’re a vegan newbie, the Blossom chefs will help you learn how to make amazing dishes that everyone will love. If you’re a vegan veteran you’ll definitely want these recipes in your arsenal. And if you’re an omnivore who just wants to eat more vegetables, you’ll find plenty of recipes to keep you satisfied in The Blossom Cookbook’s pages. And for me, I’m so thrilled that I can finally make Blossom’s delicious dishes at home!

Raw Key Lime Pie

Ronen Seri and Pamela Elizabeth

The “key” to this dish is the fresh lime juice—accept no substitutions! You won’t believe the fantastic texture of this pie—the avocados add an unbelievable creaminess to the filling.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Crust

• 1¼ cups macadamia nuts
• 1¼ cups pecans
• ½ cup dried, pitted dates, soaked in water for 1 hour
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling

• 1½ cups fresh lime juice, from about 12 limes
• 1 cup agave syrup
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
• 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1¼ cups coconut oil

Instructions

 

• Make the crust: Lightly grease a 9-inch springform baking pan with coconut oil.
• Put the macadamia nuts, pecans, dates, salt, and vanilla in a food processor and process until the mixture is soft and easily workable. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Make the filling: Put the lime juice, agave, coconut milk, avocados, vanilla, salt, and coconut oil in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour the filling over the crust, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze overnight. Thaw before serving.

Notes

Reprinted from THE BLOSSOM COOKBOOK by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017, Ronen Seri and Pamela Elizabeth

Tried this recipe?Tag @diannewenz on Instagram!

If you liked this Raw Key Lime Pie, you might also enjoy:

• Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream
• Chocolate Avocado Mousse
• Blueberries and Cream Chia Pudding