The tradition of making a hot sandwich with tomato and cheese appeared in our country with the first microwave ovens in the late 90s. How many of you or your mothers then understood the types of cheese and the intricacies of its production?
In addition, what was offered in the store in those days - Rossiysky, Uglichsky, Kostromskoy - were classic rennet cheeses and posed minimal risk in terms of the formation of oxalates in the kidneys. Experiments on combining starter and rennet approaches in cheese making were just beginning at that time. But we didn’t think about it and gradually switched our sandwiches to a different type of cheese. This is how “traditional” recipes appeared, carrying a hidden bomb.
*But, by the way, even then, in nutrition manuals, patients were warned about the risks of combining cheese, tomatoes and bread.
There is one more factor that is worth noting when comparing cheese and cottage cheese. This is the serving size. We usually consider cottage cheese as a healthy low-calorie dish, and we eat 150-200 g (pack) at a time. And cheese, as a rule, goes as a snack, we are careful about extra calories, and its portion at a time is up to 50 g. On a large piece of pizza this will be about 10 g of cheese. Obviously, with such small volumes, the risks of oxylate formation are significantly reduced, especially against the backdrop of the properties of rennet cheeses.
To make the picture complete, I will give examples of varieties. I omit hard cheeses because they are easy to distinguish from our traditional cottage cheese. Although there is also something to be said here, and I hope to write a separate article on this topic in the near future.
So, rennet types of cheese, i.e. those that can be mixed with tomatoes are cheese and feta. Just make sure that the production method is indicated on the packaging! Modern manufacturers have learned to make starter cheeses with consumer properties similar to feta cheese and feta cheese. This is not good or bad, it's about the combination with tomatoes.
And here Adyghe cheese belongs to the starter varieties, it should not be mixed with tomatoes.
Finally, I think it’s important to warn you: there are very few real rennet cheeses in Russia. Due to the high cost of raw materials (we said that milk is required with special parameters, and besides, it cannot be stored), our stores are filled with cheeses based on fermented milk starters or combined ones. Some of them can be classified as hard cheeses, but this consistency is achieved through special hardening salts. From a dietary point of view, I would recommend being careful with such cheeses. Their advantage is only in price, and in terms of nutrition:
- They do not reach the level of real rennet cheeses in terms of the composition of amino acids and vitamins. In particular, tryptophan is practically absent;
- They do not reach cottage cheese in terms of protein saturation, and there is an excess of animal fats;
- The risk of oxalate formation remains when consumed together with tomatoes, although it is lower than in the case of low-fat cottage cheese. But here a lot depends on the specific type of cheese, its composition and production conditions.
By the way, for pizza with tomatoes, use meat fillings with coarse fibers: veal, chicken, lean fish. The proteins from such products will draw out the organic acids from the tomatoes, and the thin crust of the cheese will slip through without serious consequences.
*However, let’s not forget that the Mediterranean regions are leaders in gout diseases. And among the indigenous peoples of South and Central America, who, unlike us, have been familiar with tomatoes for several thousand years, tomatoes are not an indispensable attribute of the national cuisine.
If you don’t have time to prepare complex dishes, but want to quickly eat something tasty, we advise you to pay attention to a light and healthy salad with cottage cheese. You will find recipes for such snacks in today's article. We wish you success in the kitchen!
Salad with balsamic vinegar
This simple recipe allows you to make a simple and delicious salad in minutes. It involves the use of a minimum set of ingredients, none of which require pre-heat treatment. So, we need:
- 250 grams of low-fat cottage cheese;
- a couple of cloves of garlic;
- large ripe tomato;
- a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar;
- salt and ground pepper.
This salad with cottage cheese is prepared very quickly and simply. The first step is to peel and chop the garlic. After this, you can do the tomato. It is washed, dried and cut into beautiful thin slices. The cottage cheese is kneaded with a fork, salted, peppered and laid out in portioned plates, along the edge of which tomato slices are placed. All this is sprinkled with garlic, poured with balsamic vinegar and served.
Option with greens
This salad with cottage cheese turns out to be very light and low in calories. Therefore, it can be recommended to those who watch their figure. It can not only be served in a salad bowl, but also used to fill tartlets, pancakes or pita bread. We take the following products:
- 250 grams of cottage cheese;
- ripe tomato;
- a couple of sprigs of basil and parsley;
- salt;
- olive oil.
Cooking process
Place the cottage cheese in a suitable bowl and knead well with a fork so that there are no lumps left in it. Then chopped herbs and diced tomatoes are added to it. All this is salted and seasoned with olive oil. The finished salad with cottage cheese and tomatoes is carefully mixed and served. If desired, add cilantro or dill to it. And for those who like savory, moderately spicy snacks, we can recommend supplementing this dish with chopped garlic.
Recipe with olives
This tasty and nutritious dish belongs to Turkish national cuisine. The local population calls it "the breakfast of nomadic gypsies." To prepare an unusual salad with cottage cheese you will need the following ingredients:
- large ripe tomato;
- a teaspoon of cumin;
- 300 grams of homemade cottage cheese;
- ½ teaspoon ground hot red pepper;
- a dozen black olives (pitted);
- a bunch of parsley;
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil;
- salt.
Unlike previous recipes, the salad with cottage cheese will be supplemented with peeled tomatoes. Therefore, tomatoes are scalded with boiling water, peeled, chopped and placed in a suitable container. After this, they add cottage cheese mashed with a fork, olive oil, salt and spices. Mix everything thoroughly and transfer it to a beautiful salad bowl. At the final stage, the finished dish is decorated with chopped parsley and chopped olives.
Option with bell pepper
Using the method described below, you get a very tasty and moderately filling salad with cottage cheese and vegetables. It is prepared from simple and easily available ingredients. And the process itself does not take too much time. In this situation you will need:
- 150 grams of cottage cheese;
- a tablespoon of sour cream or mayonnaise;
- 100 g tomato;
- 100 g sweet bell pepper;
- salt;
- fresh greens.
The washed vegetables are cut into small cubes and placed in a large bowl. Chopped greens and cottage cheese mashed with a fork are also added there. All this is salted and sprinkled with spices. Season the finished salad with cottage cheese with sour cream or mayonnaise, mix gently and serve. If desired, you can add a little chopped garlic to it.
Cottage cheese + flax seeds
The almost finished appetizer is seasoned with sea salt, hot ground pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. After this, it is carefully mixed and placed on a plate decorated with lettuce leaves. If desired, the dish can be decorated with green onions. Since it is advisable to eat this salad when it has cooled, place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes immediately before eating.
Cottage cheese is a healthy product, from which it is usually customary to prepare cheesecakes, dumplings, casseroles and other sweet desserts. However, today I propose to make a new tasty dish out of it - salad with cottage cheese and tomatoes.
Recipe contents:
Salad with cottage cheese and tomatoes is a simple, dietary and healthy dish. Despite the fact that at first glance this may seem like a very unusual combination of products, they are in perfect harmony with each other. Because cottage cheese, a fermented milk product rich in calcium and proteins, goes well with fruits, herbs and, of course, tomatoes.
In addition, if the salad is being prepared not for a romantic evening, but for an ordinary family dinner, then you can add a little spicy adjika or garlic to the recipe. These products will add some spice. And a crumb of cheese will add new shades of taste to the dish. You can also add other vegetables to the salad, such as fresh cucumbers, peppers, and herbs. I prefer to dress the salad with spicy oil, but sour cream or mayonnaise will also work.
If you have never tried a salad like this before, be sure to try it! Once you try it, you are guaranteed to make it often. Salad with cottage cheese and tomatoes is a dish that, in its taste, can compete with many Italian recipes, which are more high-calorie and fatty.
- Calorie content per 100 g - 84 kcal.
- Number of servings - 1
- Cooking time - 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- Cottage cheese - 200 g
- Tomato - 1 pc. big size
- Vegetable oil - for dressing
- Basil greens - a couple of sprigs
- Green cilantro - a couple of sprigs
- Salt - a pinch
Step-by-step recipe for salad with cottage cheese and tomatoes:
1. Place the cottage cheese in a salad bowl and use a fork to crush it to mash large pieces. Although this can be done by doing. If you like the feel of large pieces, leave it as is. You can use cottage cheese of any fat content. I prefer to use homemade more.
2. Wash the tomatoes, dry them well with a paper towel and cut into pieces of any shape. Add it to the salad bowl with the cottage cheese.
3. Wash the greens (cilantro and basil), dry and finely chop. Send to products.
4. Season the ingredients with a pinch of salt and pour over vegetable oil. Mix the ingredients well.
5. Keep the salad in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to cool it down and serve. Sprinkle flaxseeds with sesame or sunflower seeds before serving.
This salad turns out to be very tasty, filling, juicy and healthy. It is suitable for lunch, a fasting day or a late dinner. It will perfectly satisfy your hunger and will not add extra grams.
If you have a large group of people and want something light and fresh, then a tomato-based curd snack will come in handy. Although this appetizer is the most popular on the holiday table in different filling and serving options. You need to choose tomatoes that are firm or slightly underripe, this is very important, since you will have to cut into circles and all the pulp may leak out if the tomatoes are soft. Cottage cheese must be at least 9% fat and soft. Low-fat cottage cheese is not suitable; it makes the mixture dry and not tasty. The amount of garlic in the filling depends on your preference, but just be careful not to overdo it.Tomatoes with cottage cheese and garlic is a universal appetizer; it can be served both on a buffet table and on a festive table - for a birthday or New Year. On a winter or summer day, this appetizer will go well with both freshly grilled kebabs and aromatic chicken or juicy chops. We recommend this snack because... firstly, it is beautiful and it is impossible to disagree with this, because red fresh tomato slices will set off other salads well, and this appetizer is also low in calories, which you will also agree is necessary to create a harmonious holiday table. And most importantly, this tomato with cottage cheese and garlic is not only a wonderful appetizer, but also absolutely natural and healthy. For those who want absolute naturalness, we recommend preparing this appetizer with homemade mayonnaise.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes – 2 pcs.
- Soft fat cottage cheese – 150 gr.
- Mayonnaise – 1-2 tbsp.
- Garlic - to taste
- Greens – for decoration to taste
- Salt - to taste
- Pepper - to taste
Preparation
We start preparing the appetizer by preparing the filling. Wash the greens and finely chop them. 
Place the cottage cheese in a deep bowl so that it is convenient to mix. Squeeze three cloves of garlic into a bowl with cottage cheese; if you want it spicier, you can add more garlic, depending on your preferences. Then add finely chopped greens to the bowl, add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. 
Mix everything thoroughly until a homogeneous thick creamy mass is formed.
You can use a blender to mix more thoroughly, but this is not necessary, although it will give the filling a more delicate consistency. 
Cut the tomatoes, pre-washed, into medium-thick slices and place on a large flat dish. It is best to cut tomatoes parallel to the stem, so all the pulp will remain in place and will not spread. It is best to take large tomatoes; if you take small ones, the consumption of tomatoes will be very large and it will take a lot of time to apply the filling to small circles.
Spread the filling onto the tomato circles in a heap, or distribute it over the circle in an even layer. If all the circles are not placed in one row on the plate, then they can be placed in several tiers, resulting in something like a layer cake. Decorate the appetizer with herbs.
If you don’t have cottage cheese on hand, you can replace it with grated processed cheese. Before grating the cheese, keep it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes so that it hardens and does not spread on the grater. You don’t need to add salt and pepper, as there is enough salt in processed cheese and mayonnaise. Sprinkle parsley on top of tomatoes with cottage cheese and garlic. This option is more satisfying, but less healthy.
We know this salad with cottage cheese and tomatoes from my mother’s Armenian friend. But her family was not from Armenia, but from Turkey - they managed to flee just when the extermination of their people began, and the paths of fate brought these people to Russia, relatively far to the north. They have relatives in Armenia, but the branch of the family with which we are familiar, in fact, did not live in that country. Taking this into account, I really don’t know which nation’s cuisine this salad belongs to (there is no such dish in modern Armenian, I asked)!
It’s a strange thing - just one ingredient is different than in the tomato salad with sour cream that we have been accustomed to since childhood, but in our perception it was a new dish for us! Perhaps his secret was the huge amount of black pepper, which is uncharacteristic of Russian cuisine. But in our family, Aunt Mona’s recipe has taken root precisely in the conservative and laconic form in which she herself showed it to us. We didn't add or subtract anything. There are no herbs or garlic in it, but it’s delicious without them, believe me!
The recipe for salad with cottage cheese and tomatoes has very few ingredients; it is cheap in season, easy to prepare and suitable for any time of day and any meal (well, except for meatless and vegan ones, of course). You can have it for breakfast, with meat, and with boiled potatoes... But there’s no shame in putting it on the holiday table! In general, despite its simplicity, I would like to introduce you to this recipe: maybe for you it will become as useful a little culinary discovery as it is for us.
Cut the tomatoes into large slices.
Sprinkle them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. It must be freshly ground, and there should be a lot of it. By the way, this salad was the first time in my life when I saw a real hand grinder for pepper, and how it is ground from grains! You will laugh, but until that moment I had no idea that the black peas and black powder that my mother uses are, in principle, the same thing... In my childhood brain, these were two different seasonings.
Well, now all that’s left is to mix everything with the cottage cheese! And the salad with cottage cheese and tomatoes is already ready!!!
All that's left to do is try it to see if it's seasoned enough. Because there really needs to be a lot of black pepper!
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