Spinach Pesto Appetizer Cheesecake

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02

Title: SPINACH PESTO APPETIZER CHEESECAKE
Categories: Low-cal, Appetizers, Vegetables, Cheesecakes, Dairy
Yield: 16 servings

-JUDY GARNETT PJXG05A
2 1/2 c Nonfat cottage cheese
10 oz Frozen chopped spinach;
-thawed
8 oz Phillly non-fat cream cheese
-cut into pieces
1/4 c Romano cheese (1 oz)
1 lg Egg
2 lg Egg whites
2 cl Garlic; minced
2 ts Dried basil
1/4 ts Salt
1/8 ts Freshly ground black pepper

--------------------------GARNISH--------------------------
Cherry tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves; optional

Preheat oven to 325 deg. Lightly oil a 9-inch
springform pan and set aside. Place cottage cheese in
a fine sieve and gently press down on it with a wooden
spoon to drain liquid. Put the pressed cottage cheese
in a food processor. Squeeze spinach to remove excess
liquid and add to the cottage cheese along with the
cream cheese, Romano, egg, egg whites, garlic, basil,
salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Blend with
electric beaters until almost smooth. Spoon the
spinach mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the
top with a spatula. Bake for about 1 hour, or until
firm. Cool on wire rack. (May be prepared ahead and
stored, covered, in the refrig. for up to 2 days.
Allow to come to room temp. before serving. To serve,
place pan on a serving plate, run a knife around outer
edge and remove pan sides. Garnish with tomatoes and
basil leaves, if desired. Serve with crackers or
French bread. Source: Eating Well Per serving: 73
calories, 8 g protein, 3 gm fat, 3 g carbo, 252 mg
sodium, 23 mg. cholesterol

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