In response to Mme. hart's request for a healthier pumpkin cheesecake recipe, I spent the weekend, calculator in hand, working on lightening up my recipe. I ended up with one that was great tasting and had a real cheesecake texture by using 1/2 light cream cheese and 1/2 yogurt cheese.

This cake serves 12-16. A regular cheesecake has about 580 claories per 1/16th of a cake serving - I was able to get it down to 205! Normally, we're faced with 43g of fat per serving and I got it down to 13.5, carbs down to 18 and protein up to 10.25.

I made a more traditional crust than Mme. Hart's request for a granola/oat one, but the filling was enough for me to tackle this first time... I did use whole wheat graham crackers, Splenda Blend and Smart Balance Omega-3 Plus for the crust to make it a bit Light Pumpkin Cheesecakemore nutritious.

Here's how...

CRUST:

- 1/3 cup Smart Balance Omega-3 Plus spread
- 6 whole wheat graham cracker sheets
- 1/4 cup Splenda Blend for baking

Melt Smart Balance. Blend with graham crackers and Splenda a in food processor till moist. Spread over bottom of large spring form pan. (It won't look like enough, but it will cover the bottom when spread evenly. The easiest way is to place a plastic bag over your hand and do it by hand.)Chill one hour or more.

FILLING:

In processor, blend:

- 1 1/2 cup 100% solid pack pumpkin
- 4 egg whites and 1 whole omgag-3 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 tsp.sea salt
- 1/2 cup Splenda Blend
- 12 oz. light cream cheese
- 12 0z. *yogurt cheese (or Labne)
- 2 Tbs. skim milk
- 1 Tbs. cornstarch
- 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract

Pour filling over chilled crust and bake 350 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes or till knife in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.

TOPPING:

Whisk 2 cups lowfat sour cream (You might be able to use non-fat and save 2.5 g fat per slice!)and 1 Tbs. Splenda and spread over top of cheesecake. Bake 5 minutes more.

Chill overnight, remove from pan and garnish with whole almonds or pecans.

This easily serves 12-16. You could freeze individual slices, use a smaller pan and cut the recipe in half or or share with friends and family...

(*If you cannot find yogurt cheese, I could not - then you can easily make your own. Line a strainer with 3 coffee filters or 2 layers cheesecloth and pour 24 ounces non-fat plain yogurt on top. Place the strainer in a container that will hold at least 1 1/2 cups liquid and let stand in refridgerator 10-12 hours or until at least 1 cup of whey drains out. This is an important step because your cheesecake would come out very soggy if you did not remove this excess liquid. Yogurt cheese can be used as a substitute for cream cheese in many recipes.)

Enjoy!!!