Nonfat greek yogurt is a WOW food, in my opinion. There aren’t many ways you can get 24 grams of protein in one cup of anything, especially without any fat involved. It can be used for sweet and savory dishes, or just eaten plain in place of sour cream. There are literally thousands of things you can do with greek yogurt, but none may be quite as good as this dessert. Usually cheesecake is a super rich, dense and highly addictive dessert that can be close to 700 calories and 30 grams of fat per slice. This recipe is approximately a third of that, is loaded with protein and uses no butter whatsoever.

RECIPE: Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Fresh Blueberry Compote

CRUST RECIPE:
Put 10 graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until the crackers have turned into crumbs. Slowly drizzle 5 TBSP melted coconut oil into the crumbs, followed by 1 TBSP water. Press into the bottom of a greased or non-stick spring form pan (or regular pie dish if that’s what you have). You can also make with gluten free graham crackers, if you prefer. No need to pre-bake; this crust will be nice and crisp.

FILLING RECIPE:
2 cups of nonfat greek yogurt
1 block softened light or greek cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup of raw sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar or coconut sugar (your choice)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 TBSP corn starch or arrowroot

INSTRUCTIONS:
Put all filling ingredients in blender and mix until smooth. It might need to stir the mixture a couple times with a spoon to get perfectly smooth, depending on the power of your blender. I’ve found if you put the eggs in the bottom, it works better. Pour mixture into the pan on top of the crust and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. NOTE: Put the springform on top of a sheet pan to bake, just in case. The center will still look slightly jiggly right in the middle when you pull it out of the oven.  It will firm up as it cools. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Top with a couple spoonfuls of compote. Makes 8 slices. Enjoy!

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RECIPE: Fresh Blueberry Compote
1  1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup water
1 TBSP honey or maple syrup
1/4 tsp lemon zest
small pinch of salt

Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan at a low simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, breaking up blueberries slightly toward the end. Taste the compote and adjust sweetness according to your taste and the state of the blueberries. Cool completely before drizzling over the cheesecake.

Sorry about the photo. We had friends over for dinner tonight and it was so yummy that we had scarfed down nearly the entire cheesecake before I  remembered to take a picture. Luckily one of us was a very slow eater, so I took a quick shot of her last two bites.