Creamy Lime Pie Squares, Postpartum Meals, and Gladioli

I have recently started squirreling away food for the early weeks of postpartum life and I am certain that post-pregnant me will be very thankful for all the blood sweat and tears that are involved in cooking this much while this pregnant in the middle of a hot and humid summer. Having prepared food tucked away in the freezer will (hopefully) encourage me to eat a varied and healthy diet but also mean that I am able spend less time in the kitchen chopping and more time resting and nuzzling my baby. I will be spending lots of time at home and though the baby will be mostly immobile for awhile, it will be really important that I am eating a lot of nutrient dense (and delicious) food; everything that goes into me, will also be going into Presley via breast milk.

When I cook from scratch, I often make better food choices and find ways to add more nutrition into the meals I am making. Now, that is not to say that I don't indulge or bake things with white sugar and flour, but I am becoming more and more conscious of how I can stay true to the taste and sneak some healthier stuff in there. And then sometimes I will take a fairly nutritious dish and find a way to add a little junk to it to up the delicious factor.

We had our baby shower a few weeks ago and for some reason I was sent home with a bag of leftover limes, 14 to be exact... I had no idea what I was going to do with that many limes, 14 of them, I mean who could ever go through such an exorbitant amount of limes?! After posting a request for ideas in the kick-ass online vegan community I am a part of, it seems that it is actually not uncommon for people to buy more than just one or two limes here and there.

I had let them sit on the counter languishing for far too long and finally got motivated when I bought some gladioli at a farm stand yesterday. There was one single green one that stood out to me amongst all the bright reds and yellows.

Other than the 4 that were sacrificed to the almighty garbage disposal god in my kitchen due to mold, I have used up half. Last night I made the Creamy Lime Pie Bars that I saw over at Minimalist Baker not too long ago. I modified the recipe to suit my tastes and what I had in the kitchen already, as well as cutting them into squares instead of bars. Here is my version:

Ingredients

Pie:

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup coconut cream

2 tblspn corn starch

1/2 cup lime juice

Pinch Himalayan salt

1/4 cup agave nectar 

Few drops of green food dye - totally optional

Crust:

2 cups granola

1/4 tspn Himalayan salt

1.5 tblspn sugar

4 tblspn coconut oil - melted

Steps

1. Cover the sunflower seeds with boiling hot water and let soak for about an hour, then drain.
2. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 and line an 8x8 square baking dish with parchment paper.*
3. In food processor or blender, mix until fine.
4. Add coconut oil and mix until it is a loose dough that doesn't crumble.
5. Spread crust mix evenly in the bottom of parchment lined baking dish.
6. Bake for 12 minutes then crank up the heat to 375 and continue cooking for 5-8 minutes. The edges and center should have started lightly browning. 
7. Remove crust from oven, set aside to cool a bit, and drop temperature back down to 350.
8. Drain sunflower seeds and add all ingredients to blender. Mix until smooth and creamy.
9. Pour pie mixture into center of pre-baked crust and spread evenly.
10. Bake for 18-23 minutes, until edges have set and the center still wiggles a little.
11. Remove from oven and let cool for about 30 minutes before putting in refrigerator to chill overnight.
12. Slice however you want and enjoy. 

**I find that spraying the bottom of the dish with a little cooking spray and pressing the parchment paper on top helps keep it from sliding around or popping out of the dish while you are trying to form your crust. **

I cut mine into 16 squares, one got tested immediately, and the rest got individually wrapped and frozen as part of my stash. I used granola for the crust because I didn't have any oats or nuts, which will definitely be my go-to recipe in place of the typical graham cracker crust, The food dye was a last minute decision because I didn't love the bland color of the filling, they are still pretty light, but have an nice lime green hue. I am trying really hard to avoid dyes and corn syrup but I already had it in the pantry and only used a couple drops; I'm not going to beat myself up about it. 

The bright flavor of the citrus, the subtle sweetness of the agave, and the custard-y texture of the filling against the crunch of the crust really make for the perfect treat that won't weigh you down. They are just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth and not feel badly about putting loads of junk into my body. I will however use cashews next time because their flavor will blend into the background much more than sunflower seeds.