Cheat on your diet with this lo-sugar lemony cheese cake!
“That Mr. Crank is such a witch,” complained Vinny, about his neighbor. “He spends his days dreaming up ways to make my life miserable.”
“Why are you so down on him, Vinny?” asked his mom.
“Well, for one thing, he’s put his new barbecue right under our kitchen window. He burns his burgers to charcoal and the smoke wafts right into our house.” Vinny’s face turned red at the thought. “Fatty,” he shouted, raising a fist in Crank’s direction.
“Vinny! That’s so unkind. Find something good to say or just keep quiet… Please!”
Be kind to old Mr. Crank!
Vinny paused. “Crank wasn’t always this annoying,” he conceded. “Before he decided to lose some weight, he was reasonably human.”
“It’s Mr. Crank,” said his mom.
“Something nice? That’s hard, Mom. Let’s see. I do remember when he’d leave a bowl of water at the end of his driveway for thirsty dogs passing by. That was kind of nice…”
“That’s better, Vinny. Thank you.”
“But that was before he turned into a dog, himself,” Vinny added with a smirk.
“Vinny, It’s mean to point out people’s faults. Do be kind!”
“Maybe you should follow your own advice, Mom.”
“I’m sorry, Vinny. Do you think he may be cranky because he’s on a diet?” his mom asked.
Vinny shrugged and turned away.
“I asked you a question, Vinny. An answer would be polite.”
“Mom, I just don’t know! Okay. How about this, Ms. Manners. Let’s bake Mr. Crank a tasty dessert he can enjoy on his diet. Maybe he’ll like it enough that we can talk to him calmly about the barbecue problem.”
“That sounds kind,” Vinny’s mom agreed. “Let’s get cooking!”
Cheaters’ lemony cheese cake
Serves 2
- 3 tablespoons pecans
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon quinoa flakes (optional)
- 2 drops liquid stevia (more if you used walnuts instead of pecans…)
- 1 tub soft goat cheese (3 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons of lemon curd, preferably homemade with stevia
- 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 5 drops liquid stevia
- Blitz the nuts in a small food processor and transfer to a bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil in a small cup in the microwave oven, about 10 seconds. Add a drop or two of liquid stevia, mix, and pour over the crushed nuts. Stir to combine.
- In a larger bowl, use a big spoon to cream the goat cheese with the lemon curd and Greek yogurt. Add 5 drops of liquid stevia. Swirl until light and fluffy.
- Divide the nut mixture in two. Pat each half firmly into the bottom of two glass cups. Divide the cheese mixture in two and top the nutty crust in each glass with one of the portions.
- Garnish with berries, another nut, more lemon curd (MMMMM…) or even a tablespoon of limoncello, if you have some ;). Keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!
A gift for Mr. Crank
“What a lovely little dessert – and so simple!” said Mr. Crank, when Vinny presented it to him, with instructions for making more. “I’ve been feeling so hangry on my diet,” he confessed. “Thank you so much for thinking of me.”
When he returned the empty cup, Mr. Crank said, “Thanks for the recipe, Vinny. And I’ve realized I’m going to have to move my barbecue away from your window. I don’t think my smoke can be a very appetizing addition to your kitchen atmosphere.”
He smiled. Vinny smiled. Life got a little better.
Don’t get hangry. Make cheaters’ lemony cheese cake!
Nutrition per serving:
285 Calories
25 g fat of which 13 g are saturated (mostly medium-length healthy ones from the coconut oil)
212 mg sodium (16% RDV)
1 g fibre (21% RDV)
5 g sugar
11.4 g protein
167 RAE Vitamin A (26% RDV)
124 mg calcium (10% RDV)
Iron (15% RDV)
Vitamin E (20% RDV)
Riboflavin (26% RDV)
Many thanks to Home-Cooked Heston for inspiring this tasty little morsel!
Cook Up a Story 
May 07, 2015 @ 18:32:50
This looks wonderful and healthy. Thank you for introducing me to your blog.
May 05, 2015 @ 18:26:27
That’s neat how you tell the recipe in a story and give it a purpose! I also love how you had the word “hangry”. I thought it was a typo at first then you had a picture of this cute cup with the definition on it! It’s also nice that you put the nutrition facts. One question: do you have any recipes for food for gaining weight? I am 5’2″ and I weigh less than 100 pounds and can’t seem to gain weight no matter what I do. Thanks!
May 05, 2015 @ 21:28:43
Thanks, Lauren! Glad you liked my story :). My recipes aim to help people learn about the food they eat, so they can choose foods that give them a nutrition boost. The only foods I stay away from are sugar and refined carbs (white flour and pasta etc), because in excess they damage our biochemical interactions. Please talk to your doctor and ask for a nutrition consultation. The doctor can check you for conditions that keep you from absorbing the nutrients in the food you eat. A dietician can help you design a meal plan to correct the problem. Perhaps eating smaller meals more often (6 times a day) would help. My friend has Crohns disease and she uses Ensure (a fortified smoothie from the drugstore) in between meals to make sure she gets enough nutrients to maintain a healthy weight. Do check with a doctor for expert personalized advice.
May 07, 2015 @ 05:35:44
Thank you. Maybe I should look for a recipe on your site that has more nutrients. I have been looking at the amount of calories, not nutrients. Thank you!
May 07, 2015 @ 16:56:02
Yes – all my recipes are made from foods that have lots of nutrients. Each post explains why a food is good for your health. If you read a post each day and learn about that food, you can either try my recipe, or you can search on line for other ways to prepare the food. It would make a great theme for your blog :). I only post once a week because it takes time to read a post, make a recipe, taste test, then write it up.
In the right-hand menu there is a list of categories. Click on main dishes for meal ideas. Or on one of the other categories for other kinds of meals (desserts, sides, breakfasts etc). Take it slow and you’ll soon learn all about the foods we eat so you can choose wisely.
But if you are eating well, enjoying balanced meals high in protein, good fats, and fiber and low in sugar and refined carbs, but you are still not maintaining your weight, I really urge you to check it out with your doc :).
May 05, 2015 @ 17:27:44
You send out good vibes, you get good back. Nice recipe. 🙂
May 05, 2015 @ 16:29:25
Love your style of writing. Very unique indeed! And the recipe sounds fabulous . will definitely try it out soon!
May 05, 2015 @ 17:27:28
Thanks, YMIT! I try to present info in ways kids might be interested. The idea is to appeal to families and get them all enthused about healthy eating.