The early bird gets the worm, but the second mice gets the cheese

So its a late night and I have just finished my shift at work, I am currently just hanging out on the couch watching the Olympic games with my flat mate and attempting doing some baking, while trying to wind down.


Now I am not much of a baker the master would have to be my flat mate Danielle and my boyfriends mum. I prefer cooking roasts and meat dishes and any sauce where I can mix the flavours of herbs and add a dash of red wine. Tonight I am branching out of my zone  however and as I was walking home past fix (a 24 superette) I decided that I would bake something for the girls in my Look Better Naked group at Lesmills. Now I can't exactly rock up with full fat, high sugar and ultimate indulgent baking unless I plan to sabotage everyone's weight loss.. ha-ha (EVIL GRIN). 


So instead I decided to continue on my low fat cheese cake journey (I tried this a week ago but didn't like the base). So I picked up a banana, 2 tubs of low fat cottage cheese, a plain yoghurt, a bag of salt free nuts, and 6 pack of eggs cost $14.00. The idea a low fat/sugar high protein banana berry cheese cake with a nut and special k base. Before I list the ingredients properly and method I must point out again that I am not  GREAT BAKER this is because I like to freestyle when it comes to cooking and 9 times out of 10 I do not follow a recipe e.g I have a habit of swapping vegetables, meats, flours and this works fine in curry's or soups but baking is basically science. (I wasn't to bad at science at school but I did love trying to set things on fire, break test tubes and make reactions) because it is practically a science one slight change can prevent a cake from rising or a pana cotta mold setting. This can leave you with a batch of in-edible cakes, buns or  a soggy slice.  


I have just finished one batch of miniature cheese cakes and I am going to taste test them before I upload the recipe and make my batch for the girls.  It pays to do this if you want to show off its just like checking the seasoning or spice in a dish before serving it to customers. I am going to check the consistency,  the texture, how sweet it is.  


I am scared too eat this, it's still slightly warm so I am taking that into account and it isn't smooth like a cold set cheese cake. I have just had a flash back: I am already laughing I remember this time mum (who is a pretty good cook) baked this cake for me and my brother, chocolate our favourite. Now mum baked for my brothers friends and for us all the time things always tasted great except for this one cake she made were she put to much baking soda into it or mixed up the powder but this cake was so so bitter and horrid and me and my brother cracked up and tried to tell her but she didn't want to believe us and ended up forcing us to eat it with chocolate custard as to not waste food. We will always hesitate while processing the first bite of her baking after that, and she denies that it ever happened.  


I have processed the first bite and its yum the base is better then the last time I tried it, the texture is like a normal cheese cake but its also light and not as sweet. 


Ingredients & Method:  Time 20min, makes about 13 mini cheese cakes 
1/2 cup special k, and a 150g mixed nuts ground up, drizzle a little olive oil about 2tsp and mix through the mixture. Put 2 tsp of the mixture into the bottom of muffin tins in cupcake cases. Press down firmly using the flat bottom of a glass. Bake on 180 degrees for 7minutes to help set.


In a blender, put:
1 1/2 cups lite cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 scoop protein powder (Banana flavour)
1 Banana
2 scoops defrosted mixed berries
2 tsps honey
1 Little tube plain lite yoghurt.
Process until smooth and runny. Scoop onto the muffin base and fill until almost at the top. Poke in a few berries in the centre and bake at 180g for 15-20min or until set. Fridge-rate.

Alterations: Swap Banana protein with chocolate, remove banana and once cooked and cool dust with weight watchers hot chocolate


use flavoured yoghurt.

Heat a sachet of weight watchers jelly with berries and a few drops of water (not the usual amount) it should be runny and thick. Once cooled place a thin layer on top of cold cheese cake and re-fridge to set a sarah lee style sweet fruit layer on-top.


or for a cold set variation remove the eggs and in the blender instead mix in one sachet of low fat instant mouse mix pour into moulds and fridge-rate until set. 


For a nut allergy I would suggest using no base as the special k is to soft by itself. They taste great without the base anyway its just an added crunch


Now you can indulge without the bulge. 
bon appétit.