W.I.A.W. & Super Awesome Cheesecake!

It's Wednesday again.  This week flew by.  It was my daughter's birthday this weekend which meant 3 parties.  A family birthday Friday evening to kick off the weekend.  A second friend birthday party complete with 8 screaming kids and a Minion cake made of pure sugar and food artificial flavour and colourings but super fun.  And a small family party at the request of my daughter. 

By the third straight day of birthday bliss I tried to offset my sugar high with a green smoothie and a lot of fruit in the morning.... in addition to an orange and coffee.

Lunch was the best work sandwich ever....
avocado, tomato and mozzarella toasted and melted on pumpernickel with cut up veggies.

As it was my daughter's birthday her favourite dinner was on the menu... stuffed shells.

She also requested her third cake in a row... I was torn.  I can't turn down an 8 years old's request for cake when she specifically asked for cheesecake (one of my favourites) or a Motherly concern for setting a record for the amount of sugar consumed by a child in a 3 day period.  So I set out to attempt to make an editable yet healthier cheesecake using Greek yogurt to increase the protein content, a nut crust in place of the graham cracker base and no refined sugar.  Challenge accepted. 

This cheesecake turned out really well.  A great texture, not as sweet as some but the flavours of cinnamon and blueberries really stood out.  And the best part.... my 8 year old loved it!

Low G.I. Cheesecake

by Denise Boyd Dunlop

Prep Time: 30 minutes plus 6 hours settin

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: dessert gluten-free low-carb cake

Ingredients (10-12 servings)

For the Crust

• 3/4 hazelnuts
• 1/4 flour (I used brown rice)
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the Filling

• 1 package of cream cheese softened
• 2 cups of Greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the Sauce

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 tsp. corn starch
• Toasted almonds chopped

Instructions

For the Crust

Toast the hazelnuts in a skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant. Wrap in a towel and rub until most of the skins are removed. Place in food processor and process until crumbly. Add flour and cinnamon. While the processor is running, slowly add the maple syrup and oil. Mixing until crumbly. Press into a pie plate spreading evenly along the sides and bottom. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for 5-7 minutes or just starting to brown.

For Filling

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add yogurt, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla. Cream until smooth. Pour into crust.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of the cheesecake comes out almost clean.

Let sit until completely cooled and then chill for at least 5 hours.

For the Sauce

Place blueberries and 1/4 cup of water into a sauce pan. Heat until blueberries are beginning to soften. Meanwhile mix together 2 tbsp. of water with corn starch in a small bowl mixing until smooth. Whisk corn starch mixture into blueberries and water stirring constantly until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup.

Putting it all together

Cut cheesecake into pieces, pour sauce over top and sprinkle with almonds.

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