The Cottage Cheese

As most of you know, I love cheese. A friend of mine once said "a meal without cheese is not complete" and I agree with her, mostly. Cheese is one vice I will also suffer from. However, not all cheeses are created equal. There are some rules of thumb for choosing the right cheese: white cheeses over orange cheeses e.g. mozzarella over cheddar; hard cheese over soft cheese e.g. Parmesan over Brie. But the ultimate test is fermented v. artificially processed.

Cheese is so bad for you because (1) high content of milk fat and (2) highly processed. But there are a number of cheeses that are naturally fermented, including feta, blue cheese, Gorgonzola, goat cheese and cottage cheese. Milk undergoes a natural fermentation process to produce cheese and thus have an easier path through your digestive system. Hence why you see so many of my dishes using goat and feta cheeses.

I love, Love, LOVE cottage cheese. I love small curd and large curd; low fat or full fat (because what is fat free cheese?); I love it savory and sweet. Although it is not the most aesthetically pleasing food to consume, it is packed with calcium and protein that makes for a healthy snack and awesome breakfast ingredient.

I have two typical cottage cheese breakfast staples that are healthy and filling. Pill on one half chopped apple over shredded wheat and cottage cheese for a filling and nutritious breakfast. I started off using sweetened shredded wheat but it's not necessary. The apples provide enough natural sweetness and the large shredded wheat is easier to break up. It's a simple and easy enough breakfast even to make at the office.

Cottage cheese pancakes were the rave during the Southbeach Diet and Atkins craze. This style of pancakes calls for less flour and sugar than traditional pancakes. I've also found that these pancakes are tender and moist and have no need for syrup. I took the original recipe from Martha Stewart, but I replaced ricotta cheese and cottage cheese and it made a great difference in taste.

Orange Cottage Cheese Pancakes

16 oz. small curd cottage cheese, low-fat or full fat

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

zest from one orange

2/3 cup self-rising flour

Mix cottage cheese, sugar and eggs. Use a submersion blender to blend mixture until curds are no longer noticeable. Mix in zest and flour.

Heat pan on medium-low and spray with PAM or use a nonstick pan. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter on pan and cook until bubbles start to form and flip. Cottage cheese pancakes are very moist and delicate - it is not as easy to see when cake is ready to flip or even to flip it. Don't get frustrated - the effort is worth the reward. Serve pancakes with fruit, if desired. No additional sugar or syrup required!