Tuesday, October 28

Pumpkin Cheesecake! Need I say more?

When I embarked on this low carb lifestyle I was a bit concerned about how I would do without things like cakes, cookies, bread, pasta and rice. Those have always been staples in my diet and not having them had never crossed my mind.
Do I miss those things? Of course. But, to be honest, I don't crave them on a regular basis. I love everything that I eat and I love how this diet makes me feel, so the tradeoff is more than worth it for me.

I had a new A1c test done about 2 weeks ago and it had gone down from 7.2 to 5.9!!! So, obviously, my diabetic blood is responding to my onslaught.

So, are you craving a good, low carb dessert that won't wreak havoc on your bloodsugar? Pumpkin cheesecake is your friend. I have always loved pumpkin pie and whatever genius thought of combining cheesecake and pumpkin pie deserves some sort of award.

I got my recipe off of recipezaar and modified it to make it low carb. Most cheesecakes sport a graham cracker crust and this one was no exception. To make it low carb, I used almonds and unsweetened coconut:

I pulsed them in my food processor until they were very fine. Then combined the two 'flours' with about 1/4 cup of butter and a bit of splenda and pressed it into the bottom of a springform pan:

Pop it into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes and then take it out and let it cool.

Now for the cheesecake. So simple guys! Start with your creamcheese:

That's over a pound of cheese! Yum! Combine the Philidelphia with 1 cup of Splenda and vanilla extract and beat it until it's smooth.

To this mix add 1 cup of gorgeous orange pumpkin:

Add 3 eggs, a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice:

Mix it until it is smooth, occaisionally spatula-ing the sides of the mixer so it's all well blended, and pour it into the springform pan:

Pop it in the same 350 degree oven your crust was in and bake it for about 50-65 minutes, or until a knife inserts cleanly.

That's it! It really is so easy and it is absolutly delicious! I had a slice and topped it with homemade whipped cream with cinnamon:

What's NOT to love????

4 comments:

Fiona said...

YUM! And, for anyone who needed a dessert for Passover, this would work for that, too.

I love pumpkin.

Congrats on your numbers!

Jill said...

Ohhhhh this looks delicious :) I'll have to give it a try for our family get-together at Thanksgiving. I'll let ya know the review it gets!

BTW...great job on your lower A1c!

Mara said...

Damn you for a cheesecake recipe!!!

you should read my new blog! http://imadedinner.wordpress.com

Unknown said...

Ooo I'm so excited to find your blog. Once I have a minute, I'm gonna look for some good low carb yummies to make. I'm a diabetic, also pregnant. New to it all really. :) So I was searching low carb marshmellows and came across your recipe. I know it's not for me, but i'm still gonna try it with splenda or stevia.

Anyway- thanks for all these great recipes.

Gina