Orange Cheesecake With Strawberries

--CRUST--
      1 c  Finely crushed vanilla
           -wafers
    1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
      1 tb Egg white
           Vegetable oil cooking spray

--CHEESECAKE--
     16 oz Low-fat cottage cheese
      8 oz Light cream cheese
           -(Neufchatel), at room
           -temperature
    1/3 c  Sugar
      1 tb All-purpose flour
      2 tb Orange juice
  1 1/2 ts Grated orange rind (colored
           -part only)
      1 ts Vanilla extract
      1 lg Navel orange, sectioned,
           -membranes removed
      1 pt Strawberries, sliced thinly

This delicious cheesecake is adapted from "The Lighter Touch Cookbook," by Marie Simmons. Using egg whites in the crust instead of butter and combining low-fat cottage cheese with cream cheese keeps the calories to 137 per serving and the fat to 5 grams, excellent numbers for a dessert that is still rich and satisfying. 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the vanilla wafers and cinnamon in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy and blend it into the crumbs with a fork. 2. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Press the crumbs in an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. 3. Combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, flour, orange juice, orange rind and vanilla extract in the bowl of a food processor until very smooth. Spoon into the prepared crust and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. 4. Bake until set in the center, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan. Refrigerate until cold. Loosen the sides of the cake with a small spatula and remove the pan rim. 5. Combine the orange sections and strawberries. Cut the cheesecake into thin wedges and spoon some fruit on each serving.


Yield: 12 Servings