Yes, you read that title right. I'm posting yet another recipe for cheesecake. Why? Because I couldn't sleep last night.
Insomnia is another one of those lovely peri-menopausal symptoms. And when I say "lovely," what I really mean is INFURIATING. If you have ever tossed and turned, fluffed your pillow, kicked your covers around, stomped into the bathroom, stomped back to bed, glared at the clock, sighed, and flipped your pillow over once more, you know what I'm talking about.
Last night, during an episode similar to the description above, I began to fantasize about cheesecake. In my mind, I opened up the fridge and cupboards, scouring the kitchen for possible ingredients and combinations. I love to experiment with different flavors. (Use the search feature on the sidebar of this blog to search all the various types of cheesecakes I have already shared!) I came to the conclusion, without even leaving my bed, that we had everything in the house for me to make an awesome, delicious, yet healthy cheesecake today.
If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you may have wondered about my obsession with cheesecake. (I have even had one of my cheesecake recipes published! You can find it in The Zumba Lovers Cookbook.) Well, cheesecake can actually be a very nutritious dessert or snack. As long as you don't have an allergy to dairy, of course, and you keep the sugar low. Cottage cheese is high in protein and low in fat and carbs, so this creates the basis for all my cheesecake recipes. I use twice as much cottage cheese as cream cheese. This ratio makes for a creamy treat that is also high in protein. By adding 4 eggs, I once again up the protein. For today's recipe, I added zero sugar to the batter, just using vanilla as a flavoring agent. The chocolate chips add the only refined sugar in this cake.
The crust is made from the above coconut macaroons I found at Costco, combined with a small amount of oats and brazil nuts. You could use any type of nut that you prefer, or eliminate the nuts completely. The coconut macaroons provide some sweetness and are sticky enough to form a crust without any added fat.
Ingredients:
32 small coconut macaroons (I recommend Coco-Roons!)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 whole brazil nuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 ounces cottage cheese (low fat is fine but avoid non-fat)
8 ounces cream cheese (low fat is fine but NOT non-fat!)
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F. Place the crust ingredients (at top of list) into food processor bowl and pulse until everything is finely ground and sticky. Dump crumbs into deep-dish Pyrex pie pan and press with fingers to form crust on bottom and sides of pan. (Save any excess crumbs and use to sprinkle on top of cheesecake before baking.) Bake crust (unfilled) for 10 minutes and then remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325F.
To make batter: place eggs and cottage cheese in bowl. Blend with handheld blender. (Alternatively, you can blend in regular blender or food processor.) Add vanilla, salt, and cream cheese. Blend again until batter is completely smooth. Add chocolate chips and stir with spatula. Pour batter into prepared crust. Try to spread the chocolate chips evenly throughout the cake. Bake in center of oven at 325F for about one hour. Check after 45-50 minutes. Cake is done when golden on top and no longer jiggly in the center. Let cool on counter, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Make 8 servings.
Insomnia is another one of those lovely peri-menopausal symptoms. And when I say "lovely," what I really mean is INFURIATING. If you have ever tossed and turned, fluffed your pillow, kicked your covers around, stomped into the bathroom, stomped back to bed, glared at the clock, sighed, and flipped your pillow over once more, you know what I'm talking about.
Last night, during an episode similar to the description above, I began to fantasize about cheesecake. In my mind, I opened up the fridge and cupboards, scouring the kitchen for possible ingredients and combinations. I love to experiment with different flavors. (Use the search feature on the sidebar of this blog to search all the various types of cheesecakes I have already shared!) I came to the conclusion, without even leaving my bed, that we had everything in the house for me to make an awesome, delicious, yet healthy cheesecake today.
If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you may have wondered about my obsession with cheesecake. (I have even had one of my cheesecake recipes published! You can find it in The Zumba Lovers Cookbook.) Well, cheesecake can actually be a very nutritious dessert or snack. As long as you don't have an allergy to dairy, of course, and you keep the sugar low. Cottage cheese is high in protein and low in fat and carbs, so this creates the basis for all my cheesecake recipes. I use twice as much cottage cheese as cream cheese. This ratio makes for a creamy treat that is also high in protein. By adding 4 eggs, I once again up the protein. For today's recipe, I added zero sugar to the batter, just using vanilla as a flavoring agent. The chocolate chips add the only refined sugar in this cake.
The crust is made from the above coconut macaroons I found at Costco, combined with a small amount of oats and brazil nuts. You could use any type of nut that you prefer, or eliminate the nuts completely. The coconut macaroons provide some sweetness and are sticky enough to form a crust without any added fat.
Ingredients:
32 small coconut macaroons (I recommend Coco-Roons!)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 whole brazil nuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 ounces cottage cheese (low fat is fine but avoid non-fat)
8 ounces cream cheese (low fat is fine but NOT non-fat!)
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F. Place the crust ingredients (at top of list) into food processor bowl and pulse until everything is finely ground and sticky. Dump crumbs into deep-dish Pyrex pie pan and press with fingers to form crust on bottom and sides of pan. (Save any excess crumbs and use to sprinkle on top of cheesecake before baking.) Bake crust (unfilled) for 10 minutes and then remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325F.
To make batter: place eggs and cottage cheese in bowl. Blend with handheld blender. (Alternatively, you can blend in regular blender or food processor.) Add vanilla, salt, and cream cheese. Blend again until batter is completely smooth. Add chocolate chips and stir with spatula. Pour batter into prepared crust. Try to spread the chocolate chips evenly throughout the cake. Bake in center of oven at 325F for about one hour. Check after 45-50 minutes. Cake is done when golden on top and no longer jiggly in the center. Let cool on counter, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Make 8 servings.
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