Growing up, I was always a savory cottage cheese girl. Add a little salt and pepper and I was good to go. I don’t think it was until high school or college that I discovered that people added fruit to their cottage cheese! I’ve tried it and it’s not really my thing; even though it isn’t too much different than fruit with yogurt… or fruit preserves atop a log of cream cheese or chèvre.

Lately, I’ve been eating a lot more cottage cheese.

I’ve found that it really satisfies me. Sometimes I’ll just add a little salt and pepper. Other times, I’ll sprinkle some Herbes de Provence or other savory seasoning on top. Or I’ll just to top it with some chopped scallions.

And still, other times, I just add some to my leftovers!

Here, I stirred some leftover chicken into some leftover sauteed mushrooms and onions. I topped it with some diced tomatoes, but still felt something was missing. A little cottage cheese was the perfect touch to change the flavor and texture!

And by now, you know how much I love making a good Poorman’s Caprese in the summer when tomatoes are in season.

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Well, I’ve created a new-to-me version of the Poorman’s Caprese!

It came about because my cousin gave me a big jar of her homemade salsa. And once I opened it, I didn’t want it to go to waste. Then, I dumped some into my cottage cheese and a new and delicious creation was born.

It doesn’t look all that pretty when you mix it all together; but it is oh-so-good!

One other way that I’ve liked to eat cottage cheese is rather strange…

And I didn’t think it was the healthiest either. I’d take about a half-cup of cottage cheese and top it with a few almonds, then sprinkle it with a little shredded cheddar cheese. Weird, right?

But then I read this suggested snack on Livestrong for a Cinnamon Almond Spread that consisted of cottage cheese, chopped almonds and cinnamon. I didn’t feel so strange anymore! And their Mini-Mexican Pizzas are very similar to my Salsa Caprese.

In fact, I’ve been seeing a lot of snack-like recipes with cottage cheese as an ingredient lately. What an easy, versatile protein! Oh no. I just did a search for cottage cheese recipes on Pinterest. I could be there all day… 😉

How do you like your cottage cheese?

Any crazy combinations out there?

Cheers~
Carrie