Not many people can bite into a lemon without emitting a puckered face. And, no, that is not some kind of lemon-challenge! While a lemon's flesh may be too sour to eat on its own, when combined with other ingredients, it can produce a flavor that is simply delightful. Lemons may be available all year round, but spring is the time for lemons to shine!
Whether its lemon chicken piccata, sliced lemon over fish and seafood, or a lemon poppy seed dressing over salad greens, lemons can produce a sense of freshness to a savory dish. Of course, lemons are also popular for their confectionary uses. Lemon cake, lemon bars, lemon tarts, and lemon meringue pie are all dessert favorites. When a recipe calls for juice, it's generally best to use fresh. Bottled juices are simply no comparison. Roll the lemon back and forth under your palm or microwave for 30 seconds to get more juice out. And don't forget that you can use the beautiful yellow skin too! Take a grater and zest away for an intense lemon flavor.
Lemons are excellent sources of vitamin C. However, once it's been squeezed it loses about 20% of the vitamin after 24 hours in the refrigerator. I guess that's just an excuse to eat it up!
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Printable PDF
Crust:
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
Filling:
1 (8 oz.) package Neufchatel cheese
¾ cup nonfat plain yogurt
? cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of one small lemon
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh blueberries
To make crust:
Preheat oven to 350?F. In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs and yogurt. Press into an 8x8-inch pan. Bake for 5 minutes and let cool.
To make filling:
In a large bowl, beat Neufchatel cheese, yogurt and sugar. Add the lemon juice, zest, egg whites, vanilla, and flour and beat until fully combined. Fold in blueberries. Pour filling over the crust and return to oven. Bake at 350?F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
Yield: 12 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving): 280 calories, 9 grams fat, 300 milligrams sodium, 45 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 6 grams protein