Avocado Key Lime Pie

This recipe may shock you. Yes, we are about to use a vegetable in a dessert. Yes, that vegetable is the avocado, something that has become somewhat of a national icon. I would like to say that the avocado trend started with avocado toast. But, it's use doesn't just end there. Its creamy texture and mild taste allow it to become a gateway into a whole new era of healthy cooking.

Surprisingly enough, I was given an avocado cookbook this past holiday season, An Avocado A Day by Lara Ferroni. This book aims to not only inspire people to eat more healthy, but to use on of the most popular superfoods in unique ways. Recipes like "Avo Deviled Eggs" or "Avocado Mac" may not seem that far-fetched. But, I was truly intrigued when I saw a recipe for "Avocado Key Lime Pie". I knew I had to try it.

My first thought was avocado?? in a pie?? While yes, that's basically what it is, but it was surprisingly good! Here's the recipe: (adapted from An Avocado A Day)

Ingredients:

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:

- 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

- 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar

- pinch of salt

- 1/3 cup butter, melted

AVOCADO LIME FILLING:

- 1 avocado (about two cups)

- 1/3 cup key lime juice (freshly squeezed)

- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

- zest of 2 limes

- dash vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while you're making the crust. Combine together the graham cracker crumbs (which you can now buy instead of whole graham crackers), sugar, and salt. Add in the melted butter slowly while stirring with a fork. Press the crumb crust into your pie dish and bake for around 10 minutes. It may still be a little soft when taking it out of the oven, but the butter will soon begin to solidify, creating a nice crisp crust.

Using a food processor or blender, whip together the avocado, lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, and vanilla extract. If you can't find key limes, you can substitute with regular limes. Be sure to combine everything very well, the last thing you want in your pie is a whole chunk of avocado! Smooth the filling into the pie crust and chill before serving. Enjoy!