Caramel Walnut Cheesecake. The HEALTHY Way.

What girl doesn’t love sweets? Not to intentionally sound generic, but screw it: Chocolate is like sex (literally). Peanut butter is like heaven. Ice cream, cherries, caramel…all middle names of mine. And it’s not because I’m secretly the witch from Hansel and Gretel, either.

By Elizabeth

It’s because I’m a woman. But the world of the woman is polluted with Catch 22′s and this is just another example. How in the freakin’ world do we keep the body we want if we’re going to indulge in our beloved sweets?

Well, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Luckily, some lovely health conscience Rachel Ray’s out there have have formulated some recipes that can make us all feel a little more comfortable with our affair with sweets.

So get your girls together and dive in on Oscar night well telling yourself: “Scarlett Johansson has curves. So can I.“

Provided you LIKE caramel walnut cheesecake. (And if you don’t; I don’t think I can trust you.)

CARAMEL WALNUT CHEESECAKE RECIPE:

With only 7 g of fat and 336 calories, this dessert is a sweet alternative to regular cheesecake. It’s got 12 g of protein, 53 g of carbohydrate, 439 mg of sodium, 10 mg of cholesterol, and 1 g of fiber.

You need:

6 oz of reduced fat graham cracker crust

FILLING:

1/2 cup of sugar

12 tsp of vanilla extract

20 pieces of melted caramel candy

5 egg whites

2 tbsp of fat free milk

1/4 cup of walnuts

16 oz of fat free cream cheese-softened

Mix all of the filling ingredients, except for the caramel and the walnuts, together and pour into the crust. Then pour on a layer of caramel and top it with walnuts. Bake the whole thing at 350 for 30 minutes. When it’s done, let it cool in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Remember, ladies: Sweets are not a treat for women…they are a RIGHT. Enjoy!