Thursday, June 15, 2017

Cottege Cheese Cheesecake, Lowfat And Creamy

Photo: shugarysweets
Two unopened pints of cottage cheese hid in my refrigerator for a month. Naughty, naughty! Sometimes you don't crave undoctored cottage cheese, so I turned them into a creamy cheesecake. While slightly less tasty than a full fat cheesecake made with cream cheese, it holds its own in the delicious department! Unlike the rich, full fat variety, I don't feel nauseous, after eating a huge slice. Because it's high in protein -- consisting of cottage cheese, eggs and milk -- I'm serving it for breakfast on the weekend with a fresh pot of coffee. 

What's that you say? Oatmeal? Ha! I prefer my breakfast. Here's the recipe:

Cottage Cheese Cheesecake

Ingredients for the crust:

1 1/2 cups graham crackers, ground
1/4 cup real butter
olive oil to brush your pan (and add to the crust as needed.)
Optional: 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds if you have them.

Directions for the crust:

In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients and spread on the bottom of an olive oiled 9 inch cake pan. (I use a 10 inch cast iron skillet.)

Ingredients for the cake:
Now we must decide on a topping.

4 large eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 pints (4 cups) cottage cheese (I use 4% milk fat at 120 calories per cup.)

Optional: You can add a bit of lemon zest if you have a lemon to zest. (Alternately, you can use one pint of cottage cheese + one 8 ounce package of Neufchatel cheese for your cheesecake. I made it both ways, all cottage cheese (which is richer in protein) and 1/2 and 1/2. Both worked.) 

Directions for the cake:

You must use a blender for this recipe to produce a creamy cheesecake. It will turn lumpy cottage cheese into a smooth consistency. 

1) Put the first 3 ingredients into the blender and blend. Pause and add the sugar, salt, some of the milk and flour. Blend until done. Eyeball the milk and use up to 3/4 of a cup as needed.

2) Pour your cheesecake batter over the graham cracker crust.

3) Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour, or until the center is done.

4) Remove from the oven and cool. After 20 minutes, take a knife and loosen from the side of the baking pan (or skillet), then let cool completely.

For a topping, you can open a can of cherries and call it a day, if you wish. I made an easy 5 minute lemon curd for mine --

Ingredients for the lemon curd topping:

2 large eggs
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
Eyeball a careful splash of milk
Optional: 3 tablespoons of butter (I omitted butter: Flavor vs calories, you decide for yourself.)

Directions for the topping: 

1) In a saucepan, whisk the eggs into the lemon juice. Turn on the heat until it simmers; and keep whisking.

2) Add the sugar (and butter if you use it). Continue whisking.

3) Turn off the heat, and let cool a bit before adding the corn starch. Pour a splash of milk into a cup and dissolve the cornstarch into it. Corn starch will thicken the milk. Make sure it dissolves completely before pouring it into the mixture.

4) Turn the heat back on, and whisk until it thickens; then pour the lemon curd over the baked cheesecake.

I won't lie: Rich, full fat, artery-clogging cheesecake can't be beat. But, what a creamy, healthy alternative. The only bad ingredient is the sugar, which is difficult to reduce without ruining the flavor. So think of this as a dessert ... and a treat.

The cheesecake is good chilled in the refrigerator. Plus it freezes well and thaws in 20-30 seconds in a microwave.

You may also enjoy:
The Food Revelotion  
Let The Barbecues Begin
Good Housekeeping's Food Safety Tips
The Five Seconds Rule For Food Is Untrue

5 comments:

  1. Thank you Debbie! This sounds soooo good, I have copied and printed it out already. Next chance I get, we are having this one.

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    1. Happy to share a recipe, Trish. Makes my day to know, you like this one!

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  2. If I had a sweet tooth, which I don't, I would make this. That said, I love cottage cheese and lemon curd is an essential for any afternoon tea. I still have my grandmother's recipe for lime curd, which is also delicious. If I can find it, I'll send it to you. It must be somewhere in my bulging recipe folder.

    Cheers, M-T

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    1. Marie-Thérèse, I would love to have your grandmother's lime curd recipe. I buy limes more often then lemons -- no seeds to discard!

      I believe I don't have a sweet tooth either, but when I do eat a sweet, I enjoy it. It's just that I can go a long time without eating sugary food, whereas, I crave salty food and cheese daily! Wish I could break the cheese-snack habit! Part of me doesn't want to do so ... and that is the problem with an addiction. :)

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    2. We clearly have the same addiction. I love salty and sour things. Every once in a while I buy a roll of Sweet Tarts. Just can't help myself. And cheese is regular part of my diet. My cholesterol is very low, so I indulge. Good source of calcium.

      Cheers, M-T

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