(Sugar-Free, Low-Carb) Breakfast Cheesecake

My friend Mimi is also doing the low-carb thing, which is really great because it gives me someone to talk to about diet stuff, which frankly is the most boring subject on the planet. Seriously; the only thing more tedious than being on a diet is listening to someone else talk about it. And I KNOW you know what I'm talking about, right? Okay, here's an example:

I was at a friend's birthday party in a nice little restaurant. A large number of us were gathered around the table, trying to decide how many charcuterie plates to order. One member of the party started describing all of the crazy diets she'd been on over the years, including one where you ate one food exclusively all day, every day for like a week before switching. She was invited out to dinner to a very, VERY nice restaurant that specialized in duck. Trouble was, it was grape week on her diet, and she was a hardcore dieter; she was not making any exceptions for this meal. She brought along a bunch of grapes, and asked the waiter to plate them for her. I, naturally, asked her if they had charged her a "grapeage" fee.

This yummy breakfast cheesecake is full of protein and calcium, and completely delicious even for those of you not setting limits these days. Naturally, they are not just good for breakfast; there's lunch, snackage, and dessert. There really is only one problem with these at our house: Johanna loves them so much, it's not easy to get one for myself in the morning!

Mimi R., this one's for you.


Breakfast Cheesecake

2 cups full fat cottage cheese or ricotta
8 ounces soft/whipped full fat or low fat creamcheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk greek yogurt
1/3 cup erythritol
4 tiny scoops stevia
2 TB xylitol
1 generous pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla OR 1/2 tsp almond extract
zest of 1 orange or 1 lemon
3 large eggs

If you don't have erythritol, substitute 1/3 cup xylitol in TOTAL. If you don't worry about sugar, substitute 1/2 a cup of white sugar for all of the sweeteners.

Preheat oven to 325 F

1. Set 6-8 6 ounce ramekins or custard cups in a high sided baking pan (at least 2")

2. Pour the cottage cheese into the bowl of your food processor and whirl until smooth.

3. Add the cream cheese and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

4. Add the yoghurt, sweeteners, salt and extracts and whirl until smooth.

5. Add the eggs and zest and whirl until just incorporated.

6. Pour the batter into the cups. Then carefully pour hot water into the pan around the cups, until it comes halfway up their sides.

7. Bake the cakes for about 40-45 minutes, until the sides are firm and the centers are just barely firm at the center.