-The net carbs from the sour cherries come to a little over 5 grams per serving, which fits into the 10 grams of net carbs for a THM S meal but does blur the lines a bit since they’re technically a fruit and therefore an E fuel. The net carbs (minus fiber and sugar alcohols) for the whole dessert (slice of cheesecake + ⅓ cup of cherry topping) comes to 10.89 grams of net carbs, which is just over the line of acceptable if you're counting everything and not just the added carb source in your calculations. You have a couple of options: 1) Just enjoy it as an S + an extra carb, 2) use a little less than ⅓ cup of cherry topping, or 3) use red raspberries in place of the sour cherries for the same color and tartness but fewer carbs.
-If you don’t have tart cherries canned in water or would just like to reduce the carbs in this recipe, I recommend using red raspberries in place of the cherries and just using water in place of the cup of cherry water from the can of cherries. Adjust sweetness and thickener if needed. If using fresh cherries instead of canned cherries, just cook the topping down until the cherries are soft and mash them a bit to flavor the juice if needed.
-You can probably use THM Baking Blend in place of my baking mix in the same amount since it's such a small amount. (THM Baking Blend is not nut free.)
-I prefer
LifeSource brand oat fiber from Netrition.com. Trim Healthy Mama carries a
gluten-free version. Use an oat fiber that is light in color and taste; they’re not all created equally! Oat fiber is a really fine, dry flour with no net carbs or fats, and I don’t know of a good substitute for it for this recipe. Some people use psyllium husk flakes to replace it, but I’m not sure if that substitute would work in this recipe or not. The cottage cheese and sour cream produce a lot of liquid (more so than the cream cheese in a traditional cheesecake), so the oat fiber helps soak the extra liquid up and I don’t recommend omitting it (I’ve tried).
-The gelatin also helps counteract the extra liquid in this cottage cheesecake. If using a beef gelatin such as Great Lakes or Trim Healthy Mama brands, add an extra ½ teaspoon gelatin.
-I used low-fat cottage cheese and sour cream in this recipe to cut down on needless calories for a lighter dessert, but since this is a THM S recipe you can feel free to use full-fat dairy products for a creamier, richer result.