Are you refreshing your spring menu? Want light, healthful dishes that don’t sacrifice great taste? Choose cottage cheese!
Dairy foods, including cottage cheese, are nutrient-rich, filled with vitamins and minerals that your body needs for health and vitality. Cottage cheese is also low in fat and calories, a winning combination to lighten up your menu items.
Protein is still hot and cottage cheese is packed with quality protein. With an increasing interest in plant-based diets, cottage cheese is ideal for creating protein-rich, vegetarian menu items.
Cottage cheese also wins in taste and versatility. Use it in sweet or savoury dishes; the mild flavour takes on the vibrancy of any ingredients you pair it with.
6 Simple Ways to Refresh Spring Menus with Cottage Cheese
- Get toasty. Blend cottage cheese with lemon zest and chili flakes, spread on garlicky crostini, top with avocado, thinly sliced spring radishes and toasted slivered almonds.
- Lighten up dessert. Bake a light and lemony cheesecake using cottage cheese and top with a chunky, tangy rhubarb compote.
- Perfect pasta. Toss cottage cheese with whole grain pasta, lemon, olive oil, roasted mushrooms, garlic and fresh sautéed spring asparagus.
- Build a better breakfast. Create a trendy power bowl featuring a scoop of cottage cheese, cooked cinnamon-y quinoa, early summer strawberries, toasted walnuts and a sweet drizzle of Canadian maple syrup.
- Power-pack smoothies. Skip expensive protein powders; instead, blend cottage cheese into smoothies for an instant hit of protein. Whirl together with other smoothie boosting ingredients such as nut butters, avocado, or kale.
- Create sensational salads. A scoop of cottage cheese adds a super creamy taste and texture to salad of spring greens, cucumbers, sweet peppers, toasted sunflower seeds and green onions.
Written By: Shannon Crocker MSc RD, Vibrant Nutrition Communications
