Vegetarians love and rely on cheese for protein and calcium, foodies relish it
for its creamy taste, but cheese maintains near-devil status in most dieters’
minds. That’s because it’s almost the ubiquitous punch line of so many bad-
for-you foods—cheesy chips, cheese pizza, cheese quesadillas, cheesecake, on
and on. With high levels of sodium, calories, and saturated fat, you don’t see
many well-respected diets that include Brie.
Does that mean you need to eliminate cheese completely? No. And if you
want to indulge from time to time, just integrate it into your rotation in
moderation. Some ways to do that:
Cheese lovers: Limit yourself to one serving a day, and get clear on
what a serving is. (For most cheeses, that’s 40 to 55 g—the packaging
is a good guideline.) So if you want to sprinkle some grated cheese on
a salad, make sure it’s just a sprinkle and not a truck load. For
cheddar, a serving is about the size of a wine cork. For feta, it’s the
size of two golf balls.
In general, choose softer cheeses like mozzarella and Brie because
they contain more liquid and fewer calories.
Grate it. A little bit goes a long way if you distribute it all over your
dish. You’ll find that you don’t need a whole heck of a lot to get some
of that cheesy flavour.
Protein-packed cottage cheese is endlessly versatile. It always pairs
well with fruit. For a savoury twist, add chopped olives and fresh
herbs (such as parsley), plus a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.Stock Up
Sure, you can buy a carton of vegetable broth at the supermarket—but
this homemade one comes together nearly as easily, and tastes way
better (in my unbiased opinion).
Lisa’s Famous Vegetable Broth
MAKES ABOUT 2.4 LITRES