Stevia and the Strawberry-Swirl Cheesecake Bars

I came across Stevia back when I lost weight the first time.  Now it's exploded and it's everywhere! I can grow it in my garden, I can buy it in a bag as a cup for cup replacement for sugar! And it's zero calories... I abhor artificial sweetners, but I love Stevia because it's a freaking plant! It's sweet and delicious - I love to just gnaw on the leaves of the plant! I picked up a bag of the cup-for-cup stuff and went to town when it came time to bake goodies for my meeting today at work.

One of my favorite things in the world is cheesecake.  Who doesn't love cheesecake, right? Right.  So let's take this sorta-slimmed down recipe and slim it down some more - lower the glycemic index on it... even my diabetic grandfather could eat this treat and be peachy keen! And all my co-workers who think they're "splurging" on a decadent desert filled with fat and sugar...well, they can just keep on thinking that, cause it tastes just as good!

Here's what you need:

1 cup or about 7 low-fat graham crackers, crushed

2 TBS light butter

2 8oz. packages of reduced fat cream cheese (You can sub 1 for fat-free if you wish, just bake a few minutes longer, if you use all fat-free it gets a goopy weird texture)

1/2 cup of Stevia cup-for-cup  (you can use sugar, or Splenda if you wish, just remember the calories will change)

12 oz. fat-free plain greek yogurt

5 large egg WHITES

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

2 TBS all-purpose flour

1/2 cup low sugar jelly/jam (I used Smuckers Low Sugar, which has no artificial sweetners)

Heat oven to 350°.

Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. ( I prefer glass over metal)

Melt the butter a bit in the microwave, about 20-30 seconds.  Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter with a fork until evenly moistened. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.

Gently beat cream cheese, stevia and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, and flour. Do not over beat. Pour over graham cracker crust.

Heat the jam for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir well. Drop spoonfuls over surface of filling. Using a knife, swirl jam gently through filling to create marble effect – be careful not to go down too far and drag crumbs from the crust through your filling!

Bake for about 30 minutes, depending on your oven.  Bake until the center is almost set and the sides begin to pull away from the pan.  Mine took 34 minutes.  Keep a close eye on them!  Let cool down to room temp and then store in the fridge.

Cut into 18 squares.  Each serving yeilds: 126 calories, 11g carbs, 6g fat and 5g protein.

The ones that are missing from the pan, my son ate for breakfast this morning. Whoops :)  They were a hit and everyone loved them, and no one is the wiser that they're not as sinful as they seem at first glance!

Next up, the zucchini-pineapple cake I made with cream cheese frosting!