Cottage cheese is a healthy fermented milk product recommended for children and people looking after their health and shape. Dozens of healthy and tasty dishes can be prepared from low-fat cottage cheese, from cheese cakes and casseroles to diet cutlets and snack pastes. The product goes well with fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs, allowing you to significantly diversify the menu.
Diet curd dishes: advantages and cooking features
Cottage cheese is an indispensable participant in low-calorie diets. The product is rich in protein, low in fat and "fast" carbohydrates. Regular use of curd dishes will help to reduce weight, improve digestion, and normalize metabolism. In addition, such food has a high nutritional value and provides a feeling of fullness for a long time, not allowing you to break loose and complete the diet ahead of schedule.
Homemade dishes with fruits, vegetables, spices will help to diversify your meals. It is better to bake food in the oven, boil or steam it, frying in oil is excluded. Many dishes can be prepared in advance and frozen, bringing to the desired condition just before use. For food to be beneficial, you need to choose fresh and high-quality cottage cheese with a low percentage of fat. The most useful product is made at home; when buying cottage cheese, you must definitely check the release date and expiration date.
Curd mousse: a classic dessert
When dieting, you don't have to give up desserts - it is important to choose the right dishes and keep track of portion sizes. Delicate fluffy homemade cottage cheese mousse will complete your meal, replace a traditional breakfast or afternoon snack. There are only 50 calories in one serving, you can indulge yourself with such a dessert every day. For the dish to turn out to be truly tasty, the cottage cheese must be fresh, soft, not overcooked. If the berries seem sour, you can add a little stevia syrup.
Ingredients:
- 500 g of low-fat cottage cheese (preferably homemade);
- 130 ml skim milk;
- 2 egg whites;
- 1 tbsp. l. potato starch;
- 100 g fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries).
Separate the whites from the yolks, beat into a strong dense foam, adding a pinch of salt. Punch the cottage cheese with a blender until completely homogeneous. If grains come across, the mass can be rubbed through a sieve, but this will take more time and effort.
Puree washed and dried berries in a mixer, add milk and starch. Introduce the berry mass into the cottage cheese, add the whipped proteins in portions. Stir the mixture with a whisk until it becomes smooth and airy. Transfer the finished mousse to the bowls, place in the refrigerator for half an hour. Garnish with fresh berries or mint leaves before serving.
Lazy dumplings: children's favorite treat
A simple dish, perfect for breakfast or dinner. Homemade cottage cheese without hard grains is suitable for him. Serve the dumplings warm, adding sour cream. Sugar proportions are adjusted according to taste.
Ingredients:
- 450 g fresh cottage cheese;
- 1 egg;
- 140 g wheat flour;
- 1-2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- salt;
- a pinch of vanillin.
Put cottage cheese in a bowl, knead thoroughly with a fork. Add egg and salt and stir. Pour in sugar and vanillin, grind until the crystals are completely dissolved. Sift flour and add portions to the curd mass. The dough should be dense enough, if it turns out to be liquid, you can add more flour.
Knead the dough with your hands. A properly prepared mass is elastic, slightly sticking to the palms. Roll it into sausages, cut each into pieces, press them lightly with your fingers, giving a neat rounded shape.
Boil water, add a little salt. Put the dumplings in boiling water, run them along the bottom with a slotted spoon so that the products do not stick. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the dumplings float up, fish them out, let the water drain. Put the products on a plate, pour over sour cream and serve.
Cheesecakes in the oven: step-by-step preparation
Traditional cheesecakes are fried in a pan in heated vegetable oil. However, the dietary menu excludes frying; it is better to replace it with baking. In the process, the products rise, become lush and soft, acquire an appetizing golden brown crust. Instead of ordinary wheat flour, you can use oatmeal; for juiciness, freshly prepared pear puree is added to the list of products.
Ingredients:
- 380 g fat-free cottage cheese;
- 3 egg whites;
- 1 sweet ripe pear;
- 0.5 cups oat flour;
- 1 tsp Sahara;
- 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon.
Rub the curd through a sieve or knead thoroughly with a fork. The mass should become homogeneous, soft, without lumps. Peel the pear, remove the seeds, beat the pulp in a blender and mix with sugar. Combine mashed potatoes with cottage cheese. Beat the egg whites until firm.
Add oat flour and whipped egg whites to the curd one by one. If there is no finished oatmeal, grind the oatmeal in a blender or coffee grinder. Form balls from fluffy homogeneous dough and give them a slightly flattened shape. Place the blanks on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, place in an oven preheated to 190 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check readiness with a toothpick; when piercing it, the dough should not stick to it. Serve the cheesecakes warm.
Curd casserole in a slow cooker: a step by step recipe
In a slow cooker, you can quickly prepare a tender and airy casserole. Those who do not like raisins should add chopped dried apricots, prunes or dried cherries to the mass in any proportions. You can even give up dried fruits altogether by increasing the amount of sugar.
Ingredients:
- 500 g soft cottage cheese without lumps;
- 3 eggs;
- 50 g butter;
- 40 g semolina;
- 50 g granulated sugar;
- 50 g raisins;
- 0.5 tsp vanilla sugar;
- salt.
Rinse the raisins, soak for half an hour in warm water. Throw in a colander, let the liquid drain, dry the dried fruit on a paper towel. Separate the whites from the yolks, beat with a pinch of salt into a strong fluffy foam. Grind the yolks thoroughly with cottage cheese, semolina, plain and vanilla sugar. To make the mass homogeneous, and the crystals quickly dissolve, it is worth using an immersion blender. Add raisins and whipped egg whites to the mixture, stirring gently from bottom to top.
Grease the bowl of the multicooker with melted butter, lay out the curd mass, smooth the surface with a culinary spatula. Close the lid, set the Baking program. If using a multicooker-pressure cooker, leave the valve open. Cook for 20-30 minutes, the exact time depends on the model of the multicooker. Cut the casserole into pieces, arrange on plates, add vanilla sauce, condensed milk or sour cream to each portion.
Curd spreads: simple and healthy
You can make an appetizing and very healthy snack from cottage cheese - sandwich pasta. It contains no more than 120 calories per 100 g of product, is easily digestible, and can successfully replace high-calorie cheese and not very healthy sausage. Having mastered the basic recipes, you can fantasize by adding new vegetables and herbs and achieving the perfect flavor combination.
Ingredients:
- 100 g of low-fat fresh cottage cheese;
- 1 tbsp. l. yogurt without additives;
- 100 g fresh cucumber;
- 1-2 cloves of garlic;
- salt;
- some fresh dill.
Mash cottage cheese, mix with yogurt and salt. If desired, you can add a little black pepper. Peel the cucumber, grate on a coarse grater, squeeze out the excess liquid. Chop the garlic very finely or pass through a press.
Mix cottage cheese with cucumber, garlic, finely chopped dill. Store the pasta in the refrigerator for no more than a day, it is especially tasty with grain or rye bread. The appetizer can also be prepared with other vegetables: tomatoes, bell peppers, baked eggplants, grated zucchini, green onions or peas.
