Chocolate-Coated Key Lime-Coconut Creme Pie

This pie is a combination of coconut creme and key lime so the tangy lime has been tamed somewhat - feel free to up the amount of juice (reducing the other liquids to compensate) or add more lime zest. The hint of chocolate and the crunch of the toasted coconut and cacao nibs is a wonderful counterpart to the creaminess of the "custard." Recipe and photo contributed by Annie Oliverio of An Unrefined Vegan. Annie is the author of the forthcoming Crave Eat Heal: Plant-based, Whole-food Recipes to Satisfy Every Craving  * (April, 2015).

Makes: 8 slices

Crust:

• 1 cup nut meal (I used almond, left over from making milk)
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons date puree

Crust coating:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ¼ toasted coconut flakes
• 2 tablespoons Choffy or cacao nibs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon agar flakes or powder
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder mixed with ¼ cup cool water
• 12 oz. silken tofu
• 1 tablespoon key lime zest
• ¼ cup key lime juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon liquid stevia

Make the crust:
Pour the walnuts into the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Add the nut meal and hemp seeds and pulse a few times to combine.

Add in the remaining ingredients and process until a moist meal is formed.  Pour into deep 9″ pie dish and use wet hands to pat out the crust until evenly distributed along the bottom and sides.

Chocolate coating:
Line a small baking pan or dish with aluminum foil.  Set aside. In a double boiler, melt the coconut oil and chocolate.

When smooth, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, Choffy (cacao nibs) and toasted coconut. Spread about half of the mixture along the bottom and up the sides of the prepared crust.

On the prepared baking sheet, drop melted chocolate to form small disks - you aren't going for perfection here. Put baking sheet and crust in the 'frige while you prepare the filling.

Filling:
In a small saucepan, bring the coconut milk, water and agar to a boil.  Boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, combine the lime zest, silken tofu, lime juice, maple syrup, stevia liquid and arrowroot mixture in a food processor and process until very smooth.

When the coconut milk mixture is ready, pour it into the food processor and pulse a few times to incorporate it into the tofu mixture.  Pour into the prepared crust and refrigerate until firm.

Serve garnished with disks of coconut-Choffy-chocolate on top.

• Here are more vegan cakes and pies.

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