Have you noticed that cottage cheese is having a resurgence lately?
Cottage cheese has always been a bit controversial. People either love it or hate it. The people who can’t stand it dislike it mostly for its texture. They just can’t get over all the curds. I like cottage cheese but I can commiserate with those who have food texture problems, and I imagine that trying to choke down chunky and milky dairy must be a nightmare for some.
Back in the old days we knew that cottage cheese had health benefits and moms everywhere added it to Jello salads or topped it with fruit. The problem was that the chunks were still there! And all the Jello in the world couldn’t hide them.
That frustrated moms because they knew that cottage cheese was a powerhouse food.
In a half cup serving (which is tiny) of 2% cottage cheese, there are:
- 84 calories
- 2.3 grams of fat
- 11 grams of protein (protects against fractures)
- 4.1 grams of total sugar
- 103 mg of calcium (helps prevent osteoporosis)
- 148 mg of phosphorus (critical for bone strength or repair)
- 120 mg of potassium
- 14.6 micrograms of selenium
Besides all that, cottage cheese can help you lose weight, manage blood sugar and strengthen your bones. It is also rich in casein, a complete protein that provides essential amino acids. Cottage cheese is low in carbohydrates and the slow-digesting casein protein helps prevent blood sugar spikes.
Research is also showing that raising your dairy intake may prevent certain cancers (bladder, breast. colorectal and stomach).
BUT IT STILL HAS THOSE NASTY LUMPS!
Well, here’s where things get interesting. New cooks have found much better ways to include cottage cheese in your diet.
I have made brownies, muffins, pancakes, cookies and bread, all using cottage cheese and no one was the wiser! The results were not only yummy, but the lumps were gone!
I never tell my grandkids when I make a cottage cheese recipe, no need to traumatize them. They have even announced that the pancakes were “the best in the world”.
This is one way that the old ways were not better. I’ll take hiding cottage cheese in a delicious recipe over tossing it in Jello any day of the week.
Here is a recipe for you to try and see if you agree. Even your pickiest eaters will love it!
PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE
PC: Ann Kirsten
- 16-ounce container of cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (I used natural chunky)
- 1/8 cup raw local honey (or you can sub maple syrup)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ – 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/8 cup peanuts or any chopped nuts of your choice
In a food processor, blender or a bowl with an immersion blender, blend the cottage cheese, peanut butter, honey and vanilla together until no chunks remain!
Separate the mouse out into small dessert bowls or glasses.
Melt chocolate chips in a small microwave bowl for 30 seconds at a time until they are melted.
Spoon the melted chocolate on top of the mousse and sprinkle with the chopped nuts of your choice.
Chill for 30 minutes and enjoy.
I just fed this to my grands (not mentioning the cottage cheese) and they loved it. My granddaughter suggested that it would also be good frozen. It was the perfect after school snack, full of dairy and protein. No lumps and no Jello!
“On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.” Ezekial 20:6
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Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
