Rachel's Cottage Cheese

Name: Caroline Yoder
Email Address: broccolihut@gmail.com
3 stars
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As I have mentioned before, the primary reason I have not converted to an entirely vegan diet is cottage cheese. Although several tofu-based recipes for this animal product exist, I have never been quite satisfied with the results in their abilities to mimic this salty treat. I blame a certain Rachel for making my love of cottage cheese even greater.

In recent months, Rachel’s Dairy has begun producing individual cups of (sweet and savory) flavored cottage cheeses. I have grown to love these products for many reasons, but chief among them is that they have all the convenience of individual yogurt cups but without all the sugar or artificial sweeteners. In addition, as are all of Rachel’s products, these cottage cheese cups are made with milk from cows not treated with rBGH, otherwise known as bovine growth hormone. Ideally, I would prefer to consume only organic dairy, but I will settle for rBGH-free products.

All of Rachel’s cottage cheese products are made with 1.5% milkfat, and each cup contains 110-140 kcalories, 2 grams of fat (1.5 grams saturated), and 14-15 grams of protein. As mentioned above, these products are 50-75% lower in sugar than conventionally sweetened yogurts. As you might expect, the sweet varieties contain more sugar than the savory ones; the sweet flavors contain 10 grams versus the savory flavors’ 4-6 grams. Plus, each cup provides 200 mg of calcium (20% RDA). As with all cottage cheese, however, the sodium count is high–around 20% RDA for each serving.

The flavors:

-Pear Mangosteen:
* This is my favorite among the sweet varieties. * I am not entirely sure what a mangosteen is, but I like it…especially if it has anything to do with mango:)

-Pomegranate Orange Cranberry
* The pomegranate is sadly all but undetectable. * Still quite enjoyable; the cranberry flavor brilliantly shines through on your taste buds.

-Lemon Verbena Berry
* The most prominent flavor is “berry;” a little more lemon action would be preferable * I love how unique this variety is! As far as I know, few products feature “lemon verbena oil” among their ingredients.

-Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
* Given my recent discovery of pesto and all its tastiness, I was excited to try this…but its most prominent flavor is tomato. Good thing I love me some tomatoes too! * This would be easy to incorporate into Italian recipes such as lasagna or stuffed pastas.

-Cucumber Dill
* This flavor is my favorite among the savory varieties. * If you like tzaziki dip, you’ll love this–it might even be worth trying as a dip for pita.

-Roasted Red Pepper
* This flavor was the most difficult to locate in my area. I finally found it at a local Publix. * I loved how there were visible chunks of pepper mixed into this product.

Have you tried Rachel's Cottage Cheese? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment or linking to your own review of this product.

Scrambled Tofu (Broccoli Hut)

Name: Caroline Yoder of Broccoli Hut
Email Address: broccolihut@gmail.com

Scrambled Tofu

Ingredients:
* non-stick cooking spray

* 1 garlic clove, chopped

* 1-2 cups of desired vegetables

* 3-6 oz. firm tofu, cubed or crumbled

* 1 T. low-sodium soy sauce

* 1 T. tahini

* 1 tsp. grated ginger

* 1/2 tsp. turmeric for color

* scallions, for garnish

1. Chop garlic and vegetables.
2. Heat a pan over medium heat, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Add garlic (and onions, if using).

3. Once garlic has begun to cook, add other vegetables.

4. Once vegetables have grown soft, add tofu cubes or crumbles to the pan. (Crumbling is way more fun). Stir to combine.

5. Add soy sauce. Stir until tofu crumbles are coated in soy sauce flavor.

6. Add ginger, tahini, and turmeric. Mix well so that turmeric is evenly distributed. This ensures an equal golden color throughout the dish.

7. Transfer the mixture to serving plate and top with scallions.

8. Serve with appropriate accompaniments (such as kombucha!).

Notes:
*I use cooking spray rather than olive oil in an effort to keep fat content moderate; with the tahini already in the dish, the scramble is plenty rich.
*Some of my favorite vegetables for scrambles include broccoli, onions, mushrooms, and asparagus. The amount is up to you–include as much or as little as you like.
*Beware that salsa does not pair well with the flavors in this dish.
*Again, the amount of tofu depends on your appetite. I typically use two 3 oz servings of tofu, or about 2/5 of a block.
* I prefer Arrowhead Mills Organic Sesame Tahini

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