There are six cheeses you can easily incorporate into a healthy diet today let's look at
all 6 Cheese’s today.

Gouda
Gouda Cheese is a creamy cheese it has a rich, buttery flavor, so you may not have thought about Gouda being a healthy cheese. An excellent source of calcium, it's slightly lower in fat and calories than Cheddar, but higher in sodium

Goat Cheese
Also called chèvre, goat cheese can be creamy, crumbly, or semi-firm. It has a mild aroma and a strong, tangy taste. Lower in fat and calories than cheese made from cow's milk, goat cheese is high in protein. It's easily digestible, too, making it a good choice if you have lactose intolerance or dairy allergies. Avoid goat cheese if you're pregnant, as it may have bacteria that can be harmful to the baby.

Cottage Cheese
Cottage Cheese is one percent, two percent, non-fat, creamy or dry-cottage cheese comes in lots of varieties, yet they all share that bright white color, bumpy texture, and classic flavor. A dieter's standby, cottage cheese is low in fat and carbs but soaring in protein and calcium. The downside: it's high in sodium.

Ricotta
Ricotta is smooth, creamy, and slightly sweet, ricotta is one of the most versatile cheeses around, going from lasagnas and dips to desserts. The second highest dairy source of calcium, ricotta is low in sodium and a good source of protein and selenium, an antioxidant. Cut fat and calories by using part-skim ricotta.

Feta
In Greece it was first made from sheep's or goat's milk; in the U.S. it's usually made with cow's milk. Either way, it has a salty, tangy flavor that comes from curing the cheese in brine, which makes it high in sodium. But it's still a good source of protein, riboflavin, calcium, and phosphorous-and at 74 calories per 1-ounce serving, it's diet friendly, too. Avoid feta if you're pregnant. Soft cheeses such as feta can become contaminated with listeria, a bacteria that can be transferred to the baby.

Parmesan
Parmesan has a grainy texture and a nutty, buttery flavor that intensifies with age. It's higher in calcium and lower in sodium than many other cheeses, and one tablespoon of shredded has just 23 calories. Because of its sharp flavor, you can use less and still get a big payoff in taste. The aging process also lowers the lactose content, making Parmesan easier to digest if you have lactose intolerance.


Smoked Gouda Chicken

1 teaspoon olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup *flour
1/2 cup *sour cream
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 wheel smoked Gouda cheese, sliced in 1/8-inch
thick slices, divided

Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet. Sear chicken in skillet to brown on each side. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

In same skillet melt butter. Add garlic and brown. Add flour and brown. Add sour cream and yogurt. Mix to make sauce. Add scallions and all except 4 slices of the gouda cheese. Simmer until cheese melts. Return chicken to skillet and simmer about 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

To serve, place over cooked *pasta. Add pasta to plate, Spoon sauce over pasta, then place a chicken breast on top. Just before serving place the last 4 slices of gouda on the 4 breasts and allow to melt slightly.

CHEESE AND HEALTH

Grate your cheese rather than slicing it - you will use
a lot less cheese and fat grams.


Cheese can be part of a healthy diet if you know which ones are the best choices and know how to use them. Cheese can be high in sodium and fat, but it also delivers powerful nutrients. A 1-ounce serving can pack up to a third of your daily calcium, plus protein and vitamin D, a critical nutrient many Americans don't get enough of. The trick is to know which kinds of cheeses are best and how to use them. We will cover six of healthy cheese and a few healthy cheese recipes over the next two weeks, using the big six, Gouda, Parmesan, Feta, Ricotta, Cottage Cheese, and Goat Cheese.

HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY

HOW TO MAKE THE PREFECT HAMBURGER

Burgers may be the basic of all picnic menus, but they needn't be boring. Jazzed up with spices and seasonings or topped with your favorite condiments, a good burger is hard to beat.

Building a better burger is easy when you follow these suggestions:
Make sure the grill is the appropriate temperature too hot, and the burgers will burn on the outside before getting done on the inside. Medium-low to medium heat is best.
Keep the lid closed while cooking. A closed lid retains heat, shortening the cooking time and thus keeping the burgers moist.
Use beef that is no leaner than 85% Fat is needed for the burgers to be moist and flavorful.
If using ground turkey or chicken, add a little broth or olive oil to keep them moist.
Use a gentle touch overworking the mixture will produce a tough burger. Mix ingredients just until combined.
Don't form patties too thick or too thin A ¾-inch thick patty is ideal for even cooking. To keep patties from swelling in the middle, make small indention in the center.
Always clean and oil the grill grate This prevents burgers from sticking, extends the life of your grate and helps put those beautiful grill-marks on your patties.
Turn burgers only once and never, ever, press burgers with the back of a spatula: the sizzling sound may be fun to make, but the pressure releases all of the flavorful juices.
Cook burgers properly for safety's sake; cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (170 degrees F for poultry).
To check the temperature, insert the thermometer into the patty horizontally for an accurate reading.

FRIED CABBAGE GREENS

In 1880s and 1890s immigrant laborers brought cabbage to America. The term cabbage is a derived from the French word "caboche" (head). During slavery, children that weren’t big enough to work were fed at the Master house. They got milk and mush for breakfast and bread and pot liquor (the liquid remaining after cabbage was cooked).

Fried Cabbage Greens

INGREDIENTS
6 slices of *bacon, cut into thirds
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 head cabbage, cored and sliced
1 white onion, sliced
1 small bell pepper, sliced
1 pinch white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Place the bacon into a large pot over medium heat.
Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes
or until bacon is crisp. Add cabbage, onion, bell pepper
and sugar into the pot; cook and stir continuously for 10 minutes, until
tender.

Tip:
If you like your bacon crisp, remove it from the pot before you add the cabbage, add the bacon when it ready to service.
* If you use turkey bacon add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to your pot.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day to you or anyone who is "mom" in your life!