Low Carb New York Style Cheesecake

Cheesecake makes a wonderful low-carb dessert. You can top it with some low-carb berries, you can make it with or without crust and it's loaded with fat, some protein, and just a few carbs.

I've developed a cheesecake recipe that I and my family love. I'm not a big advocate of eating tons of sweetener, artificial or otherwise, so I go pretty light on it in this recipe. Also, I do mine without crust because it's just easier that way. At times, I've made it with an almond flour/meal crust, which I've enjoyed, but I can go either way.

Equipment you'll need:

• 10" springform or cake pan - I use a cake pan because my springform pan is so leaky
  
• Electric mixer - makes life easier, but not required
  
• Microwave safe bowl
• Mixing bowl
• Food processor (optional)
• Large rectangular cake pan or the bottom part of a broiler pan
  

Ingredients:

• 32 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup ricotta chese
  
• 5 egg yolks (or 3 yolks, 2 eggs) - all depends how much/little protein you want in your cake
  
• 1 cup Splenda
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• cooking spray
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease your pan with cooking spray.
3. Put an inch or two of water in a pan deep enough to put your springform or cake pan in and place in the oven.
   
4. Process the ricotta cheese in the food processor for about a minute to smooth it out.
5. Unwrap the cream cheese and place it in the microwave safe bowl.
6. Heat the cream cheese in the microwave for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes rotating the bowl every 30 seconds. The cream cheese should get soft and a little melty, but shouldn't start to cook.
7. Combine all the ingredients except the cream cheese and Splenda and mix until thoroughly blended.
8. Combine the Splenda and cream cheese and blend until smooth.
9. Combine both mixtures and mix just until blended.
10. Pour the combined mixture into you're greased pan and place the pan in the water bath in the oven.
11. Bake for one hour.
12. Turn off the oven.
13. Leave cake in the oven for another half hour.
14. Remove the cake from the oven and place in the refrigerator. The cake should be ready to eat in about three hours.
15. Enjoy!

Just thinking about making this cheesecake makes me want to make one tonight. Maybe I'll whip one up tomorrow. Everyone in my house loves this and it's very amply, but mildly sweet. I think I might experiment with reducing the sweetener a little bit more.

Whether you're just trying to cut out some of the carbs in your diet, or you're going really low-carb, I hope you enjoy this cheesecake.

No matter what you're doing, let me offer a word of caution. Desserts are important for some, but sweets can be addicting for some. Indulge in dessert only as much as you need to to keep on track. Low-carb isn't a license to chronically overeat. It's about learning how to nourish your body and mind so you can be healthier.

I didn't mean to put a downer on a delicious recipe, but I know that sweets can be a slippery slope for some. I know they are for me. I tread very cautiously when eating sweets.

Hopefully I'll have another recipe or two to post soon. I've made some good stuff lately.

Later Alligator.