Enlightened Strawberry Icebox Pie

They are delicious right now, I have been buying 10 boxes at a time!

So, I have been following Weight Watchers for 3 weeks, and have had great success.  Down 9 pounds, and haven't missed a thing.  Some days I add my wine right into my points at breakfast so I know I can have a glass or two!  But I haven't been cooking a lot, a turkey burger and sweet potato, lots of salads, smoothies and even some home made pizza.  But really not a lot that I felt was worthy to share.  But since I gave up chocolate for Lent, I have been hankering for a little dessert.  So, I decided to make one of my favorite spring dishes, and lighten it up.  So here is the original recipe, which is fantastic.  It looks like I cut it out of a Bon Appetit, and it has been at least 5 years.

Strawberry Icebox Pie with Almond Crust

CRUST
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat to 350F.  Butter a 9" pie dish.  Chop almonds, graham crumbs and sugar until finely ground.  Add the melted butter and press moistened mixture into pie dish and up the sides.  Bake until set, about 12 minutes.  Cool completely.

FILLING
5 cups quartered, hulled strawberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons orange peel

Place 2 cups of berries in saucepan and mash while cooking on medium heat.  Add sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.  Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens, boiling gently.  About 3 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.  Add the remaining berries and the zest.  Mound filling in crust and chill until set, which could take up to 6 hours.
6 servings

So by the WW calculator, it has 83 total Points+, and 14 points per serving.  Granted it serves 6, and I usually cut a pie into 8 pieces.  But either way, it can easily be lightened by cutting down on the almonds, the sugar and the butter.  And I have to say right up front, I don't use any artificial sweeteners, even Truvia.  I just don't care for them.  I think we are used to things oversweetened anyway.  The butter is a bit of a challenge, I use tons of real, unsalted butter for my cookies.  But I thought maybe there was a healthier alternative, and after perusing nutrition info, I think no.  So I am just going to slash that too.  Here's how it went. I put individual points plus to the side, the recipe builder makes it's own calculations so it doesn't always add up exactly.

A little whipped cream and we are ready for dessert!

Enlightened Strawberry Icebox Pie

CRUST
1/2 cup almond meal (find this at Trader Joe's) (8pts+)
5 sheets of graham crackers (9pts.+)
2 Tablespoons sugar (2pts+)
2 Tablespoons butter, melted (6pts.+)

Find this at Trader Joe's

I put the grahams in my blender and ground them fine with the almond meal and sugar.  In a bowl, mix the crumbs and butter and press into a pie dish that is sprayed with nonstick spray.  Bake at 350F,  I could smell mine at 6 minutes and I took it out.

My pie dish is 10" so more pieces, less points!

FILLING
6 cups strawberries, quartered, hulled (0pts.+)
2 Tablespoons sugar  (2pts+)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch (2pts+)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (0pts+)
2 teaspoons orange zest (0pts+)

Mash them with a pastry blender.

Cook 3 cups of the berries over low heat with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.  It will thicken pretty quick.  Remove from heat and cool to room temp.  Mix with the rest of the berries and zest and mound into pie shell.  Chill until set.  Or until you can't wait any longer!

As you can see I bumped up the berries since my pie was bigger, and I could have bumped them up to 7 cups.  The thickened berries were plenty thick and I can't imagine why you want a full 1/4 cup of corn starch.  I think my mixture was too hot when I added it, so it is a little cloudy and thick, but when I mixed it with all the other berries it is fine.  I will take a photo when we eat it!

In the recipe builder, it equals 39 points+.  So 6 points a serving for 6 servings or 5 points a serving for 8 servings.  Of course a dollop of Cool Whip Light will only set you back a point or 3 pts for the real whipped cream.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!