No-Fail Minted Lemon Icebox Cake

Pulling fresh ingredients from your back yard is so fulfilling! But if you don't have a lemon tree, you know where you can get juicy, organically grown Florida lemons?! ❤️🍋

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 4 oz fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp salt

• Zest of 1 large Florida lemon

• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

• 1 pkg unflavored gelatin softened in 1 cup warm water

• 2 eggs, separated

• 8 large spearmint leaves, sliced

• 16 oz whipped cream cheese
  

Icing:

• 16 oz sour cream (can use low-fat sour cream)

• 4 Tbsp powdered sugar
  

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups slivered almonds

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 baking soda

• 1 Tbsp water

• 2 Tbsp sugar

• 1/4 cup coconut oil

Directions:

1. Blend almonds in food processor until coarsely ground. Add remaining crust ingredients and blend briefly. Spread out and flatten into 9 x 9 pan and bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

2. In double boiler, mix sugar and cornstarch and salt. Add lemon juice and heat until sauce begins to thicken. Meanwhile, stir one cup warm water into package of unflavored gelatin and let soften. Separate eggs and mix egg yolks in with gelatin mixture until well blended. While stirring, add gelatin mixture into double boiler and continue stirring until it thickens. Remove from heat and add lemon zest and mint leaves. Stir until mint leaves are wilted and then carefully remove mint leaves from the custard.

3. Whip egg whites until stiff and fold in one 8 ounce container of whipped cream cheese. When lemon mixture is slightly cooled fold cream cheese and egg white mixture into the custard until smooth. Pour over crust and chill.

4. Next, blend 8 ounces of sour cream with 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar. When cake has firmed up, perhaps 30 minutes in the refrigerator, ice the cake with sweetened sour cream. Return to the refrigerator for three more hours before serving.

5. To serve, cut small 2-inch squares onto dessert plates.

6. You can use a quarter of a lemon slice with a tip of your fresh mint and a blackberry or other fruit as garnish.

Note: if you like, you can try mixing the mint in with the sour cream icing to separate the lemon and mint flavors in this dessert. I haven’t tried that but it could be interesting. Be creative!

FOR MORE RECIPES AND LEMON FUN, VISIT @LEMONSANDSUCH ON INSTAGRAM!

Skinny Paleo Lemon Cheesecake

This recipe, as seen on @lemonsandsuch, originally called for 2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, 2 tbsp of sour cream, and a graham cracker crust. I modified it by substituting15 ounce container of skim milk ricotta, 2 tbsp of lemon juice and an almond crust, making it Paleo and gluten-free. The lemon glaze is optional, but it is truly decadent. Enjoy!

Cheesecake:

• 1 small pkg lemon jello plus 3/4 cup boiling water (I reduced the water here due to the addition of lemon juice)

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp lemon zest

• 1 8 ounce pkg cream cheese

• 1 15 ounce container skim milk ricotta

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar (I cut this back from 1 cup because I like NY cheesecake tartness!)

• 1 1/2 cups whipped cream
  

Almond Crust:

• 1 package (1 1/2 cups) blanched almonds, finely chopped (steel knife)

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 1 tbsp water

• 1/4 cup coconut oil

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Lemon Glaze:

• 2 large eggs, well blended

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 1 cup sugar

• 6 tbsp butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Assemble crust ingredients, blend and pat into springform pan.

2. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes.

3. Cool.

4. Combine softened cheeses, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice into cuisinart and blend smooth.

5. Add cooled (but not congealed!) lemon jello and blend.

6. Add whipped cream. Hand stir in lemon zest and pour over cooled crust.

7. Refrigerate 3-4 hours. Meanwhile, make glaze by blending all ingredients except butter into double boiler with immersion blender.

8. Heat and stir constantly until thick, adding 1 tbsp butter at a time.

9. Keep on stove until thick. Remove from heat and let it come to room temperature.

10. Ladle over set-up cheesecake, gently smooth over surface of cake.

11. Chill and decorate. Refrigerate 2-4 hours before serving.

FOR MORE RECIPES AND LEMON FUN, VISIT @LEMONSANDSUCH ON INSTAGRAM!

You'll Love This Lemon Pasta!

Shared by my dear friend Suzan, here is the ultimate Valentine’s Day dinner - so rich and luscious, you’ll wish every day was a special occasion - for this is truly the best creamy fettuccine recipe in the world! And easy too! This Valentine’s Day, I’m serving this to my daughters family over some homemade spinach/broccoli/goat cheese-stuffed ravioli! Add hot bread and some Sauvignon Blanc, music and candles and voila- you’re in Europe, err, in heaven at least!! Bon appetit! ❤️🍋

LEMON PASTA (serves 4-6)

• 1 lemon

• 12 oz. spaghetti or other long pasta

• Kosher salt

• ¾ cup heavy cream

• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter

• 3 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about ¾ cup)

• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove two 2-inch long strips of lemon zest. Thinly slice each strip lengthwise into thin strands; set aside for serving. Finely grate remaining zest into a large pot (like a Dutch oven). Cut lemon in half and squeeze out enough juice to yield 2 tbsp. into a small bowl; set aside.

2. Cook pasta in another large pot of boiling heavily salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente (pasta will finish cooking in the sauce).

3. Meanwhile, add cream to pot with lemon zest and cook over medium heat, whisking often, until liquid is just beginning to simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in butter 1 Tbsp. at a time until melted and sauce is creamy and emulsified. Remove from heat.

4. Just before pasta is al dente, scoop out 1½ cups pasta cooking liquid. Add ¾ cup pasta cooking liquid to cream sauce and return to medium heat. Using tongs, transfer spaghetti to pot with sauce (it’s okay if a little water comes along with it). Cook, tossing often and adding Parmesan little by little, until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy, about 3 minutes. If sauce looks tight, add 1–2 tbsp. pasta cooking liquid. (Cream sauces tighten up very quickly as they cool, so it’s better to lean on the saucier side of things.) Stir in reserved lemon juice; season with more salt, if needed.

5. Divide pasta among bowls. Season with pepper, then top with reserved lemon zest strips.

FOR PICTURES, VISIT @LEMONSANDSUCH ON INSTAGRAM!