Atkins Friendly Cool Strawberry Creme Pie

Yesterday was our three year anniversary. It is amazing how quickly the time has flown. One of the coolest things about my marriage has to be my in-laws. They are so wonderfully supportive. My mother in law was an aide at elementary school where I went. My father in law is by far the coolest dude on the planet. He is infamous for going on Atkins, dropping lots of weight, and then gaining it all back after major holidays. 

The best way to eat is in moderation, in my opinion, but for the Mother's Day celebration we had, I knew that I wanted to incorporate foods that my father in law could eat and would not make him sick or set him back. It didn't take me long to come across this pie. 

Please excuse the brown color of the crust, I may have left the meringue in a little bit too long. I was a bit worried, but my father in law had two large pieces and asked to take the second pie home for himself. Being allergic to aspartame, I couldn't try the pie, but his request was enough to tell me that it was absolutely delicious.

Ingredients For Meringue Shell:
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 Tablespoons Splenda®

Ingredients For Filling:
1 small pkg. sugar-free gelatin (strawberry or raspberry)
1 pint heavy cream
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup Splenda®
1 quart strawberries, cleaned and sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275°F. Grease one Pyrex pie plate and set aside.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar then beat until whites stand in peaks. Add Splenda and beat for an additional minute or two. Spread the meringue evenly in the bottom of the plate and up the sides.

Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes in a 275°F oven. Raise the temperature to 300° and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool while you make filling.

Dissolve gelatin with 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir in 1/3 cup cold water. Place in freezer for approximately 15-20 minutes (just until it begins to gel.)

When the gelatin is ready, whip the heavy cream until stiff (but not dry). Fold in cream cheese and Splenda. Fold in gelatin. Stir in strawberries (reserving a few for garnish if you like.) Pour over meringue shell in pie plate and let chill until firm -- about 2 hours.  

Source:  Kitchen Cooking Recipes