Southwest Appetizer Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 4 eggs
• 1 (10 ounce) package sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (8 ounce) container jalapeno cheddar cheese dip
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1/4 cup pitted ripe sliced ripe olives
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Recipe

• 1 for crust: combine tortilla crumbs and melted butter.
• 2 press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
• 3 bake in a preheated 325° oven for 15 minutes; cool.
• 4 for filling: place cottage cheese in a blender and process until smooth.
• 5 in large mixer bowl, combine cottage cheese and cream cheese; mix with hand held mixer on medium speed about 5 minutes, or until well blended.
• 6 add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 7 blend in cheddar cheese and chilies; pour over prepared crust and bake at 325°s for about 1 hour.
• 8 combine sour cream and dip/spread; mix well.
• 9 spread over cheesecake and continue baking for about 10 minutes longer.
• 10 remove from oven and loosen cake from rim of pan with a sharp knife; cool completely before removing rim.
• 11 chill at least 2 hours.
• 12 top with topping ingredients and additional sour cream, if desired, and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.