Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Oikos Miniature Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake


When my students performed well at a local debate tournament, I wanted to celebrate their success. However, I wanted to keep that celebration healthy and include my students with gluten and nut allergies.

As a health conscious individual who has a fetish for Greek yogurt, I was excited to hear about Stonyfield's Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt recipe contest. Combining Greek yogurt with some seasonal flavors, I came up with a celebratory treat that had my whole debate team cheering. These mini cheesecakes weren't just tasty and allergy-conscious, but the high protein and lack of fat in the Oikos yogurt made it a low-calorie treat for me as well!

Oikos Miniature Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Chocolate Drizzle

Crust:
3/4 cup brown rice flour
2 tbsp flax meal
1/6 cup tapioca starch
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of water

Filling:
5.3 oz container Oikos Fat Free Organic Plain Greek Yogurt
3/4 cup reduced fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup fat free cream cheese
1/2 cup egg whites
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Topping (Instead of including the chocolate in the cheesecake, I turned it into a drizzle so that I could leave it off a couple of servings for students who couldn't have chocolate.):
Chocolate (I use a gluten free, nut free, semi sweet chocolate)

Preheat over to 300 degrees. Coat a mini muffin tin with your choice of oil/spray (count additional calories accordingly). Mix crust ingredients together. Press crust into the bottom of each tin. Blend the cottage cheese, yogurt and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients. Spoon the filling into the tins. Do not overfill. Remember it will bake up slightly.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheesecakes are firm to a gentle touch. Turn off the oven and let the cakes sit in the oven for an additional ten minutes. Remove and refrigerate in the tin overnight before loosening and removing.

The final optional touch is drizzling melted chocolate or dipping the cheesecakes into the chocolate to form a candy crust. I melt a measure amount of chocolate in the microwave (heat for 10 seconds, remove and stir and repeat until desired consistency).


My students LOVED the cheesecake bites and didn't realize how healthy they were until I told them after! The cheesecakes disappeared so quickly the other teachers in my department never got to try them. So it looks like I will be hitting the store for more Oikos yogurt to whip up another batch.

Each miniature cheesecake sans chocolate: 62 calories, 1.7 grams fat, .6 grams fiber, 2.8 grams protein

Do you want a chance to try your hand at crafting an amazing recipe that feature Oikos Greek yogurt? Are you a fan of Greek yogurt and just want to share your love with other fans? How about scoring some free coupons for this fabulous yogurt (that has amazing calorie stats... only 80 calories in a single serving cup!)? Become a fan of Stonyfield Farm Organic Oikos Greek Yorgut on Facebook today!

I am also excited to announce that Oikos is sponsoring a fabulous relaxation giveaway that starts tomorrow on Uncovering Food. I hope that tomorrow you will grab a cup of yogurt goodness, open your laptop, and visit us tomorrow to check out this spa themed giveaway :o)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

These mini cheesecakes look so good! And I love that they are healthy and low in fat, great use of oikos! I love their yogurt products!

Angie's Recipes said...

Mini cheesecakes look so lovely!

Mo Diva said...

those are not only gorgie but tasty looking and im a sucker for pumpkin AND Cheesecake

Marisa @Loser for Life said...

Those look great! I like the addition of the chocolate drizzle -YUM!

I heart greek yogurt!

Anne said...

Oh my gosh. I am both a pumpkin and a cheesecake fanatic. Those look AWESOME!!!! I'm totally bookmarking this recipe!

Naveel said...

How many servings does this make? These things look awesomely delicious.

Disclaimer:

I get asked by readers if I am being paid to push products. The simple answer is no. In fact, most of the products I write about are ones I have found and purchased during my trips to the grocery store or on the road. Occasionally, a company will send a sample my way and if I believe the product will serve a need for my readers and I would buy the product myself, then I will share it with you. Sometimes I will write to a company after reading about it, if I believe it will help us lead healthier lifestyles. But even then, if the product doesn't pass my scrutiny, it won't make the screen of Uncovering Food. You can trust that every product or recipe posted here has passed through my lips, and that I wouldn't blog about it if it wasn't worthy of you... my favorite readers.