Cottage cheese is a cheap and easy way to get protein. The macro breakdown of cottage cheese is great too. The stuff I get has 12 grams of protein for 3 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fat roughly. Low fat, low carb, high protein, and plenty of other nutrients in it as well. It’s pretty much a guilt-free snack all things considered.
The primary protein in cottage cheese is casein, which is metabolized slower. I typically eat cottage either at the start of a day or before bed. The night after a big workout is a great time for cottage cheese.
My only issue with cottage cheese is that I just plain don’t like it by itself. I always feel like something is missing, or something just isn’t quite right with the taste. Purely a mental thing, I know. I’ve tried fruit and all sorts of other things, but this is the first idea I had that really worked.
This recipe is a mix of Buffalo sauce, chicken, cottage cheese, and a few other things to really round it out.
The Recipe
Ingredients:
4 ounces cottage cheese
2-3 ounces diced boiled chicken breast
1-2 tablespoons diced stuffed green olives (optional)
1-2 tablespoons Buffalo dipping sauce
1-2 tablespoons finely diced celery (optional)
1-2 tablespoons finely diced carrots (optional)
1 teaspoon wheat bran (optional)
Seasoning salt to taste
If you don’t get the Buffalo dipping sauce pre-made, you can mix roughly 1 part Buffalo sauce with 1 part mayonnaise.
Making the Recipe
Basically, you just mix all of your ingredients together in a bowl, and you’re done.
About the Recipe
There is some variability in ingredients though. The amount of chicken depends on how much chicken you want as well as how watery the cottage cheese is. The smaller curd or lighter fat cottage cheese has a bit more liquid, so more chicken helps. The less fat the more Buffalo dipping sauce you want if you’re prioritizing taste over macros. I personally like the vegetables and some extra wheat bran to add fiber and some texture, but they’re obviously not for everyone. If you want a little extra kick, add in some diced green onions or crushed red pepper.
Buffalo sauce for can be simplified for this recipe too if you don’t want to buy it. Basically, mix 3 parts vinegar based hot sauce (Frank’s, Tobasco, etc.) with 2 parts butter. The spices you’d normally add to make Buffalo sauce are almost all present in the seasoning salt. You can even skip the butter and mayonnaise if you want and just use the wheat bran to soak up the liquid (or just drink it, but I’d advise against it). The taste will be a little harsher and a little less smooth though.
The only big thing that hurts this recipe is probably the sodium. Cottage cheese is inherently salty, and a lot of the ingredients don’t help on this front either. Moderation, or a lot of water during the day, is key to making this recipe better on that front.
If you want more recipes, check out my Crockpot Thai Curry recipe, or for something crazier, check out my Ramen Salad Sandwich recipe.
Image by Диана Лаврова from Pixabay