I know what I am eating isn't terrible for me. But I have been realising lately that when we are not eating meat, we eat a LOT of cheese. Mostly Tillamok (no growth hormones and local), and always with very healthy meals, but LOTS of cheese.

Like last night, I made a potato cassarole. It has 20 red and white, potatoes, 1 med zucchini, 1 lg onion, 1 c basil leaves, 1/2 lg head of garlic, 3 lg portabella mushrooms, 25 cherry tomatos, 1 c feta cheese, and 1 lb (yes a whole lb) of motzerella. The cassarole is amazing and we all love it (although I am the only one that eats the zucchini).... but that is a LOT of cheese. In my defence we never finish more than half of that at dinner, it is lunches and snacks for the next few days. BUT healthy?

There are days where we have no cheese at all, but more often than not, that is our substitute for meat. We could not eat meat for a week (and do, consistantly) but we could never go three days with out cheese. Luckily none of us are lactose intollerant... that would ruin our weekly menu most times. lol... and we dont drink milk (like none of us ever have a glass of milk).... but I was wondering any thoughts on the matter of cheese, sour cream, and butter?

What do you think?

We eat a lot of dairy too. I try to limit it for myself because my total cholesterol is just a teensy bit borderline, but in general I think it's fine. My numbers really look OK, my gp says.

We only eat raw dairy too, and I think overall it is so healthy and nutrient rich that if is a-ok!

I just remember 3 servings a day- 2 for Abel.

Does it help that we eat just about every kind of cheese known to man? lol... from Rosemary coated parmesean from France (a gift from a friend who is a chef and traveled there) to brie, to feta, to regular old chedder and motz.... We NEVER eat "American" cheese... in my opinion it is not cheese. That stuff is the devil. Yuck... and we never eat "cheese food" such as Velveta or cheese 'dip'. Only real cheeses.

I'm right there with you, Val! LOL, we are raising a bunch of cheese snobs. They literally can't stomach that "cheese food" stuff. If you hand them a sandwich with one of those prewrapped cheese slices on it, they can't eat it.

About eating too much cheese and dairy, I guess you are already on the right track. Moderation in all things. Sounds like a lot of cheese in that casserole, but you don't really consume it in one sitting.

Fermented dairy is better for you/more easily assimilated than non-fermented. So cheese, yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, butter (if made from soured cream), etc are the preferable choice. And chosing hormone free is good, organic is better, organic raw milk is best.

We've intentionally increased our intake of fermented dairy by leaps and bounds based on the nutrional advice found in 'Nourishing Traditions.' Essentially it says that lacto-fermentation is one of the key basis of making nutrients available to our gut/bodies. Just started a qt of lacto-fermented beets tonight!

Yeah, that's a lot of cheese. My objection wouldn't be health. My objection would be expense. That's, like, $7 worth of mozzarella.

There are a few ways around that. The first, is that that recipe sounds like a "dauphinois" - a really rich vegetable dish. You could sub in both cream and butter, for more accuracy. Or even cream, butter and olive oil, depending on region.

The second approach is a white sauce. Melt butter, whisk in flour until it's lightly toasted ( or not, for a white, white, white sauce) and then add milk ( or cream) and then whisk in cheese. This is how you get to a classic cheese sauce for rarebit, or for macaroni and cheese. For that matter, it's the true white sauce used for tuna casserole, although you'd also add salt and pepper.

The third approach, and the best approach, is the Louisiana, New Orleans roux. Cattle are hard to come by and raise in a swamp, so dairy is crazy expensive, but fish is cheap. Anyway, here's how, more or less: In a big black iron skillet, melt butter. More is better. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery. cook until limp. this is past translucent. now, add other spices. pepper, salt, others that make you happy. Or not. now, add flour, and keep stirring, until you have a roux base. The slurry will be coffee with cream brown. For that matter, sometimes people add coffee. ( don't) reddish, goldenish brown. add a bay leaf, bring up with broth. add your other foods. cook a little while. serve over rice.

other foods are things like chicken bits, vegetables you want to recognize, seafood, or even cooked macaroni.

parsley goes in there somewhere, sometimes, too.

this isn't precise at all, is it? You can make a roux, and use is as a base for a vegetable casserole that will make you cry with happiness.

ari

We don't eat much meat so cheese and meat have seperated there expences... it balances out... really. lol... When we buy meat, we don't buy as much cheese, and vice versa.

If we were to give up cheese it would cut about $60 off our budget each month pretty easily (and I mean give up cheese in a dinner sort of way and keep snack cheeses). But when we don't eat meat, we still eat really well for very little and the cheese is just our meat sub.

I make a killer white sauce with tomatos, basil, and lots of fresh parm that is a wonderful topper for potatoes or pasta. We just had it the other night. YUM!

Val

Val,
Do you have a recipie for that white sauce, or is it just standard white sauce with those things thrown in? I know how to make white sauce, but I am wondering about proportions of the tomatoes, basil, parm. That sounds yummy.

I just threw the stuff in for the most part. Made a roux (butter melted then add flour) and then added a bit of chicken stock, some milk, then the parm. Waited until it melted, added two tomatos (full size, from my garden) that I had blended in the food processor, then a handful of basil chopped into tiny strips. Don said it was even better after the flavors melted the next day (he took the rest for lunch). I tossed a whole bag of penne with it, and it was SO good!!!

Val

Yeah, I am totally going to have to get an invitation to dinner at your house.

grovel, snivel, grovel, beg.

ari

Yum, if I hadn't just eaten a delicious dinner I would be hungry!

We don't use a lot of cheese to cook with but are trying to reduce meat. We use beans though - lots of bean and rice dishes.