-CRUST-
1 c Finely crushed vanilla
-wafers
1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
1 tb Egg white
Vegetable oil cooking spray
CHEESECAKE
16 oz Low-fat cottage cheese
8 oz Light cream cheese
-(Neufchatel), at room
-temperature
1/3 c Sugar
1 tb All-purpose flour
2 tb Orange juice
1 1/2 ts Grated orange rind (colored
-part only)
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 lg Navel orange, sectioned,
-membranes removed
1 pt Strawberries, sliced thinly
This delicious cheesecake is adapted from “The Lighter Touch Cookbook,” by
Marie Simmons. Using egg whites in the crust instead of butter and
combining low-fat cottage cheese with cream cheese keeps the calories to
137 per serving and the fat to 5 grams, excellent numbers for a dessert
that is still rich and satisfying.
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the vanilla wafers and cinnamon in
a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy and blend it
into the crumbs with a fork.
2. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Press the crumbs in an
even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Reduce
oven temperature to 300 degrees.
3. Combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, flour, orange juice,
orange rind and vanilla extract in the bowl of a food processor until very
smooth. Spoon into the prepared crust and smooth the top with a rubber
spatula.
4. Bake until set in the center, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan.
Refrigerate until cold. Loosen the sides of the cake with a small spatula
and remove the pan rim.
5. Combine the orange sections and strawberries. Cut the cheesecake into
thin wedges and spoon some fruit on each serving.
Yields
12 Servings