-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