Spinach pesto appetizer cheesecake

Ingredients

 * 2 1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese
 * 10 oz frozen chopped spinach
 * -thawed
 * 8 oz phillly non-fat cream cheese
 * -cut into pieces
 * 1/4 cup romano cheese (1 oz)
 * 1 large egg
 * 2 large egg whites
 * 2 cl garlic, minced
 * 2 tsp dried basil
 * 1/4 tsp salt
 * 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
 * garnish
 * cherry tomatoes
 * fresh basil leaves, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 deg. Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan and set aside. Place cottage cheese in a fine sieve and gently press down on it with a wooden spoon to drain liquid. Put the pressed cottage cheese in a food processor. Squeeze spinach to remove excess liquid and add to the cottage cheese along with the cream cheese, romano, egg, egg whites, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Blend with electric beaters until almost smooth. Spoon the spinach mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for about 1 hour, or until firm. Cool on wire rack. (may be prepared ahead and stored, covered, in the refrig. For up to 2 days. Allow to come to room temp. Before serving. To serve, place pan on a serving plate, run a knife around outer edge and remove pan sides. Garnish with tomatoes and basil leaves, if desired. Serve with crackers or french bread.