avocado makes me smile. it’s bright, fresh, creamy, and filling. it’s the first “big people food” we feed our babies, and my a-girl and i could eat it every morning, halved and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, and spooned from the peel. in the interest of full disclosure, though, i might be the only one of our crew who loved this avocado cheesecake recipe. which is very bad, because although it’s practically a health-food recipe, someone had to eat it all.
it’s got a slightly licorice-y taste from the fennel, and the contrast of the cool, citrus-y filling with the crunchy crust makes for perfect balance.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup shelled walnuts or walnut pieces
- 1 cup gluten-free graham cracker crumbs
- 1 tablespoon baking stevia (or honey)
- 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds (or 1/4 teaspoon anise extract)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon gelatin
- 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk or skim milk
- 1/2 cup sugar or baking stevia
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced
- 1 8 ounce package Neufchatel cheese, softened and cut into pieces
- 1 lime or lemon for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In food processor, pulse walnuts until finely ground.
- Add graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon stevia, anise, and salt; pulse several times to combine.
- Add 2 tablespoons water and pulse until ingredients resemble coarse sand.
- Press into bottom of an 12 lined muffin cups; bake 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely.
- In measuring cup or small bowl, combine gelatin with 2 tablespoons water; let stand for 5 minutes.
- With vegetable peeler, remove strips of lemon zest (yellow only).
- In a saucepan, combine milk, 1/2 cup sugar or stevia, vanilla, and lemon zest and bring to a bowl.
- Add gelatin and simmer until dissolved (about 1 minute).
- Strain and discard lemon zest.
- In food processor, combine avocados and cream cheese.
- Pour hot milk mixture into food processor, and blend until smooth.
- Pour into baked crusts, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.
- Serve, if desired, with tiny lemon or lime wedges.
are you an avocado lover? i’d love to hear your favorite way to enjoy it. 🙂 and for the original version of this recipe, click over to allrecipes!
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