It's summer, the perfect time to use fresh fruit as a sugar substitute for healthier desserts at your garden parties or barbecues. And if you think a low sugar and low fat recipe for cheesecake also means low (or lousy) flavor, then think again. So give this healthy recipe makeover a try—all you need is fifteen minutes, and these ingredients:
Take a medium bowl and mix together the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, orange juice, and orange peel. Blend all the ingredients well, preferably with an electric mixer set on medium speed. Next, cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge to chill for 4-24 hours.
If you own parfait glasses, then break them out. Otherwise plain dessert dishes work too. Put half of your mixture in each dish/glass and top it with fresh fruit. You can add broken, crumbled gingersnaps or chocolate wafer cookies over the top for a slight crunch if you wish, but it's entirely optional. Fresh mint also works as an optional garnish.
Have you ever seen the ingredient list for proper New York cheesecake? Take a look, and see if you can spot how much more fat, sugar, and calories it contains. First, for just the filling, you need:
The crust adds even more unhealthiness since it includes more cream and sugar plus butter, salt, eggs, and flour. So even if you choose to use a traditional cheesecake filling mixed with fruit instead of on crust instead of on crust, you've already given your cheesecake a somewhat healthy recipe makeover. But the adjusted filling is far better for you and just as delicious.
About Our Savvy Advisor: Laura Horwitz
Having lived in North America, Europe, and Africa, Laura has sampled fresh cooking and unique ingredients around the world. Now you can find her scouring farmers markets and specialty stores in Los Angeles for the sweetest, ripest, and most delicious flavors. While she tries to follow a healthy diet, she confesses to having a definite sweet tooth, and therefore remains vigilante about finding healthier ways to prepare her favorite foods.
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