Good food is the foundation of happiness! - Low Carb Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake

As I sit here at my kitchen table organizing my next recipe and blog post, I am filled with joy at the aromas emanating from the oven and from the large pot bubbling away on the stove top.
I am roasting some pork belly which I have slathered with a crust of wholegrain mustard and herbs, fresh from the garden, which we will enjoy 'a l'Irlandaise'.....in the Irish style...with steamed cabbage and potatoes....albeit the sweet low carb kind..... Simmering away in the pot is a lovely piece of smoked ham which after it is cooked, will be chilled to be enjoyed with a salad, diced up and flung into a mushroom, ham and cheese breakfast omelette, and stuffed into the kids lunch boxes. These are the foods full of flavour that bring us happiness!

For the last probably 30 or so years, we have been fed a diet of 'FAT IS BAD' and many of us, fearful of heading towards those pearly gates early due to heart disease before our pensionable years have even arrived, have gone down the 'low fat' or 'no fat' route...... poaching our chicken breasts and steaming our fish, trimming any sign of fat from our bacon or steak, ordering only the leanest of meats from our butchers and then grilling it to death to remove any fat that might be lingering....a certain Mr G. made a fortune off us! We even had the gall to eat that 'pond scum' otherwise known as low fat spread....or as I call it...'I can't believe you really expect me to put that stuff in my mouth' ! .......and the worst of it is, it seems we have wasted our time and may have done ourselves more harm than good!

I have vivid memories of a lithe Lizzie and a rambunctious Rosemary limbering up on early morning television to lead the nation in some excruciating aerobic exercises but not before they had given their daily sermon on how we would all die a terrible death before the age of 40 if we did not follow the low fat lifestyle.
Well all I can say to that is thanks for 30 years of misery, the needless guilt in the eating department, and the excess pounds donated to my rear and tummy area purely from following the 'low fat only' mantra!,
When I think of all the wonderful things I denied myself or the extreme guilt I felt when all I wanted to do was enjoy it, well I could strangle the two of them with their spandex leggings while I....as my daughter so wonderfully put it....slapped them in the face with a Dominoes!

But now the guilt is gone!....I wake every morning with a spring in my step and though I may have the odd moment of tiredness because I am a busy woman after all, I can honestly say I have never felt better or as energetic...well not since I was about 25!......this low carb style of eating is doing amazing things and I would recommend anyone having a go for a while and see how you feel.

The thing about this style of eating is that, bar not eating the likes of pasta, potatoes, rice and bread...a hurdle which if you can get over it, you will never look back,......the world of food is pretty much your oyster if you are imaginative.....it's not just eggs, eggs, steak and more eggs as some skeptics would have you believe!.
The list of suitable foods is extensive and if you have imagination and the skills.....ahem! ....like I have...then you can get inventive in the kitchen...this Strawberry Cheesecake is a prime example....if you are having guests for Sunday lunch or just want to treat the family to something delish while keeping to your eating style then this is the perfect thing, it is full flavoured, low carb, gluten free and with it's creamy top and gingery 'biscuit' style base, it's very difficult to tell the difference between this and a usual cheesecake.

You will need........gives  8 - 10 portions

180 g ground almonds
70 g whole almonds
100 g unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground ginger
250 mls cream
200 g full fat cream cheese
1 sachet of sugar free jelly crystals
100 mls water...hot enough to dissolve the jelly crystals
100 mls very cold water

a spring form cake tin

How to.......

• crush the whole almonds in a blender or by placing in a polythene sandwich bag and bashing with a rolling pin...we want these almonds to be quite coarse to add a bit of texture and crispness to the base
• place all the almonds in a bowl and stir in the ground ginger
• gently melt the butter and add to the almonds, stir well to make sure the almonds absorb all the butter
• spread the almond mixture on the base of the cake tin, press and smooth over with the back of a metal spoon
• chill the base in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling
• boil your kettle then pour 100 mls of the just boiled water into a measuring jug
• stir in the jelly crystals....make sure the crystals are fully dissolved before adding the 100 mls of really cold water...set aside to cool
• place the cream cheese in a bowl and whisk lightly to break it down and make it creamy again
• in a separate bowl whip the cream until almost a full peak then add the cream cheese folding it in gently with your whisk
• slowly add the cooled jelly liquid while stirring the cream using your whisk until all the jelly has been added......if the jelly is too warm it may make the cream turn a little sloppy but don't worry, the cheesecake will still set
• pour the strawberry cream mixture onto the almond biscuit base and return to the refrigerator
• leave to set for a couple of hours.....you might be surprised at how quickly this can actually set!

You can serve the cheesecake with some extra whipped cream on top and a scattering of grated 70% plus dark chocolate over the top....don't be tempted to have fresh strawberries with it.... they do have a lot of sugar in them.
Try using different flavoured jellies...lemon, lime, raspberry, orange.