Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Recipe

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What do you enjoy most about a good slice of cheesecake? The crisp pebbles of crust as they melt on your tongue? Or perhaps the decadent sweetness or creamy texture of the rich filling?

All of the things you like most about cheesecake can be not only preserved, but actually enhanced by a secret, nutritious ingredient: plain, non-fat Greek yogurt.

Cheesecake has always been the weakness of my health-conscious body. One day, as I reached for that chunk of Philadelphia cream cheese in my fridge, I spotted a carton of Greek yogurt with a fast-approaching expiration date. I then decided to leave out the customary sour cream and instead incorporate the remains of this carton of Greek yogurt into my cheesecake.

I happily found the cheesecake to have the thickest, richest texture of any cheesecake I had ever made before.

(Photo Credit: Linda Yao)

Ingredients:

• 5 sheets of graham crackers (20 graham crackers)
• 2 tbsp. light butter
• 2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Crush graham crackers into crumbs. Then melt the butter and mix with graham crackers.
2. Press graham cracker mixture into greased, 7-inch pie pan to create the crust.
3. Stir sugar and cream cheese until well blended. Then beat eggs and mix with the cream cheese mixture.
4. Add the milk, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and flour to the mixture and stir well.
5. Pour mixture into pie pan over the crust.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for about an hour and then leave in the refrigerator overnight or until serving.

Optional Blueberry Topping:
Heat 1 tbsp. of butter over low heat.
Add:

• 2 cups of blueberries,
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice,
• ½ cup sugar,
• ½ tbsp. rice flour.

Stir and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until topping is a dark color.

When you reach for that dessert at the end of a meal, why go for the empty calories when you can both enjoy a sweet treat and garner some additional nutrition points?

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