cottage cheese Archives - Alida's Kitchen

Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese

June 8, 2012 ·

Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese is a delicious, cheesy, veggie-filled baked pasta with a Mexican twist. It is made with three different cheeses (yum!) and lots of vegetables (yum!). The chipotle chiles add a nice smokiness and spice which, along with the chili powder, balance nicely with the tomatoes and cheeses. Black beans give a protein and fiber boost while adding a nice color contrast to the rest of the dish. A traditional breadcrumb topping is sprinkled over the top before baking.

Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese is very easy to prepare and the result is no ordinary mac ‘n cheese, that’s for sure. This recipe makes plenty, and the leftovers heat up nicely for lunches the next day.

Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups dry whole wheat elbow macaroni (or other short pasta)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon chili powder (adjust to taste)
1 (14½ ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, including juices
1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from can of chipotle chiles)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1 cup skim milk
¼ cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting fat and salt.
In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chiles, onion, and bell pepper, and cook 4 minutes, or until onion is tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant, stirring frequently.
Sprinkle with flour and chili powder, and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes, or until mixture is thickened.
Add adobo sauce, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, milk, Parmesan and egg, stirring until combined and cheese is melted. Add cooked pasta and black beans, stirring until combined.
Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Pour pasta mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Filed Under: main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: baked, black beans, casserole, cheddar, cheese, chipotle, cottage cheese, dinner, easy, macaroni, make ahead, Mexican, onion, parmesan, pasta, peppers, quick

Kiddie Cheese Square

July 19, 2011 ·

All right folks, here is a tasty treat for your little ones. Now Adam is not a picky eater per se, but he will not eat plain cottage cheese, and he will not eat plain eggs (no matter how much cheese is added). Put the 2 together, along with some flour and shredded cheese and voila! Kiddie Cheese Square is delicious, protein-packed, and one of Adam’s favorite lunches!

Making Kiddie Cheese Square could not be any easier – just mix everything together and bake. I typically cut the square in quarters and then wrap each quarter in cling wrap to store (and refrigerate after a couple days). I have also stored cheese square in the pan, but fridge space is a premium in our house, so storing them as quarters is easier. Do what works best for you.

To serve, I cut 1-2 strips from the square and heat in the microwave for about 5 seconds (enough to heat and soften the square). I then cut the strips into bite-sized pieces for Adam. At 16 months, he averages about 4 strips per sitting, and at 12 months, he ate 1-2 strips.

I think cheese square tastes like a cheesy pie crust. Others have remarked it is like kiddie pizza without the sauce. Regardless of what we think, Adam just thinks it’s great! Who would have thought that 4 simple ingredients mixed together could turn into something so tasty!

Kiddie Cheese Square
Yields one 9 x 9 square, serving size varies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (see note)
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 ounces cheese, shredded (any cheese, such as cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella)
1 cup cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cheese, egg and cottage cheese. Add flour and mix until combined. Be careful not to over mix. (Note: mixture will be stiff to stir, yet sticky to the touch).
Pour mixture in baking pan. Using waxed paper, press mixture to spread out and fill the pan.
Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake. Cool and cut into squares.

Note: I have tried using whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour, and this definitely works best with all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flours made the square too dense for Adam to “chew” but might work for a child with molars.

Adapted from The Everything Cooking for Baby and Toddler Book

Filed Under: Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: baby/toddler, cheese, cottage cheese

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

June 20, 2011 ·

With a toddler, pancakes are a huge hit in this house. They’re easy to make ahead and a good finger food for my boy, Adam. Instead of a basic buttermilk pancake recipe, I wanted to find a nutritious protein-packed pancake recipe. Cottage Cheese Pancakes sounded perfect!

Not only are these Cottage Cheese Pancakes delicious, they smell amazing when cooking on the griddle. It reminded me of a doughnut or a funnel cake. But fortunately, these pancakes are a lot healthier than those greasy treats! They freeze really well too, which makes it easy to have healthy, delicious pancakes on hand at all times!

Adam absolutely LOVES these Cottage Cheese Pancakes, and they have become a household staple.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Yields 20 pancakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
Cooking spray (or oil) for the pan

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cottage cheese, vanilla and honey until blended. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Preheat nonstick skillet over medium heat (about 325 degrees) and spray with cooking spray.
Pour batter by the heaping tablespoonful and cook until bubbles start to form and batter looks set at the edges (about 3 minutes). Flip and cook until set (about 2-3 minutes).

Tip: These pancakes freeze really well. I let them cool to room temperature. Then place a waxed paper square between each pancake, wrapped in plastic wrap (or a plastic bag) and then a freezer bag. I typically bag then in groups of 6-8 so it’s easy to pull out a few portions at a time.

Adapted from Weelicious