Mixed Berry Cheesecake with Mint and Lime

Don’t let these lovely cakes fool you. They’re actually low in fat and high in protein. I first created this recipe on an episode of My Sweet & Skinny Life. The blend of cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and reduced-fat cream lightens up this recipe while packing it full of protein. I also a bit of cornstarch. It gives it a nice and dense texture, much like a New York-style cheesecake. It’s also a cinch to make, you don’t even need a stand mixer, just a food processor.

I recently made this dessert again with the lovely Debbie Matenopoulos on Hallmark’s Home & Family. For the version with Debbie I made the above photographed miniature cheesecakes, instead of one large. They’re the perfect dessert for a summer dinner party.

Mixed Berry Cheesecake with Mint and Lime

Serves 12

For the Crust:

6 ounces graham crackers, finely ground

2 tablespoons pistachios, ground

2 tablespoons algae oil or melted butter

For the Cheesecake:

6 ounces mixed berries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

13 ounces reduced fat cream cheese

1 cup reduced fat Greek yogurt, preferably Fage

1 cup reduced fat cottage cheese

1 whole egg

2 large egg whites

For the Topping:

6 ounces mixed berries

2 limes

10 mint leaves

Preheat the oven to 325F with a rack in the center position. Lightly grease a 9- inch springform pan, set aside. Alternatively, you can use eight 3 inch ring molds.

To prepare the crust, place the graham crackers in a food processor and grind into fine crumbs. Place the pistachios in the food processor and finely grind. Add in the algae oil. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, puree the first portion of berries and strain through a sieve to remove all the seeds. Discard the seeds. Stir together the sugar and cornstarch. In a food processor, puree the cottage cheese until smooth. Add the berries, sugar and cornstarch mixture, and cream cheese. Puree until smooth. Add the yogurt, egg, and egg whites. Pulse just until combined.  Do not over mix.  Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and carefully pour the mixture on top of the crust.

Bake the cheesecake for about 50 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set and no longer liquidy. For individual cake, reduce bake time to about 20 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to completely cool in the pan. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, before serving.

Just before serving, toss the second portion of berries into a bowl. Zest one of the limes. Toss the lime zest into the bowl with the berries, add 5 mint leaves cut into thin strips and one tablespoon of fresh lime juice. Stir gently to combine. Be careful when stirring, you don’t want to the berries to break down and start to release their juices, you just want to spread the lime zest and mint around.

Carefully place the berries on top of the cheesecake. Cut the second lime into wedges. Place the lime wedges and remaining mint on top of the cheesecake. Serve.