A Scientific Dinner Is Better Than a Filling Dinner: Cottage Cheese

Who doesn’t like cheese? Probably people who are lactose intolerant. Or serial killers. But it’s a largely accepted fact that molded milk, more commonly known as cheese, is one of the finest delicacies out there in life. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of variations of cheese which differ from one country to another in their preparation method, consistency, taste and odor among other factors.

While most people’s minds drift towards Cheddar, Swiss, Gouda or even Feta cheese, this post will revolve around a less coveted type of cheese; cottage cheese or “gebna 2areesh”.

It’s no secret that cottage cheese does not commonly rank in the top five cheese choices by most individuals, it’s rather hard to find in most grocery stores and its consistency and somewhat bland taste fall on deaf ears for most people who opt for more flavorful types of cheese.

But cottage cheese is a unique kind of cheese. How so, you ask? Well, it’s science time, bitch!

The majority of cheeses are created using the whey protein derived from milk, whey if you are unaware, is the major component in most post-workout powder shakes due to the body’s ability to absorb it with significant ease and speed. Cottage cheese is in the unique position of being derived from casein protein, which unlike whey, is a slow-digesting protein which can take up to eight hours to fully digest; providing a steady stream of amino acids during that time.

“Why should I eat that for dinner? I’d like to have it for breakfast!” Well, you can do that of course, but the reason I recommend cottage cheese as the optimal dinner time meal is what I just stated above. Unlike most other foods which can be completely digested within three to four hours, cottage cheese can easily last during your entire sleep, keeping your stomach churning and burning during your sleep, supplying your muscles with protein during your slumber, preventing catabolism and boosting your overall metabolism.

Now that we’ve established a logical reason why you should be eating cottage cheese before bedtime. It’s time we tackle the second issue which affects cottage cheese; flavor. Once again, like pretty much any food (except Okra [Bamia], because fuck Okra) its flavor depends on how you use different ingredients to bring out its glory. I’ll share with you a few recipes which I utilize on rotation basis which add a great twist on my cheese and keep me more than satisfied.

Cottage cheese a la thyme and olive oil:

Ingredients:

• One small bowl of cottage cheese
• One tablespoon olive oil
• One teaspoon fresh thyme
• Dozen almonds
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Process:

• Add the paprika and pepper onto the cottage cheese in the bowl.
• Add the olive oil and thyme on top.
• Mix well using a fork to mash the cheese with the other ingredients.
• Add almonds on top.

You can eat this as is with just a fork or have it with a side of whole/multi-grain bread.

Cottage Cheese a la mustards and Brussels Sprouts:

Ingredients:

• 2-4 pieces of whole/multi-grain toast
• One bowl of cottage cheese
• One tablespoon mustard
• Fistful of Brussels Sprouts
• One small tomato diced laterally
• One small yellow bell pepper diced laterally
• One tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
• ½ teaspoon black seeds

Process:

• Heat your toast pieces in a toaster till they’re at a crunchy (but not burnt) consistency
• Layer up the cottage cheese so its evenly spread on your toast
• Add the paprika, black seeds, ginger, black pepper and mustard atop the cheese
• Add the balsamic vinegar on top
• Spread the mustard on top
• Add the Brussels sprouts and sliced tomato and bell pepper

Cottage Cheese a la sweet tooth:

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of whole/multi-grain toast
• One bowl of cottage cheese
• Two tablespoons of honey
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon powder

Process:

• Heat your pieces of toast till they’re crunchy
• Layer up the cheese evenly atop the bread
• Spread the ground cinnamon powder evenly on top
• Drizzle the honey

This is one dinner plate that will leave your taste buds satisfied and ensure that your body’s got something to do while you’re snoozing. Let me know what you think about the recipes and share your own twists by commenting below!

If you have any question on techniques or execution please comment below or reach out to me on Twitter on @Foxicakes I’ll be more than glad to assist!

Bonne appétit

The Little Bean That Could: Foul Medamis (Fava Beans)

It’s a well documented fact that it’s practically part of religious dogma and a downright genetic fate for Egyptian to eat fava beans; more commonly known as “foul medamis”. Despite contradictory reports regarding its benefits or harms (many people cite obscure scientific articles which pinpoint the fava beans’ role in promoting lessened IQ, decreased sperm quality, etc.) I’m here to discuss the bigger picture on this iconic breakfast item consumed by tens of millions in Egypt, the Middle East and indeed across the globe.

First of all, it may come as a surprise to you that different blood types respond differently towards different types of food. For instance, people with type A blood are discouraged from consuming certain meat & poultry items, in addition to avoiding legumes, grains and certain fruits and vegetables whereas those with type B blood are more susceptible to corn and nuts while handling meat and dairy with fair efficiency.

That being said, that doesn’t mean you ought to necessarily weed out entire food items off of your potential menu just because your parents’ genetic combo told you that it’s not all that good for you. All that means is that you should aim for a minimal caloric input from such foods, i.e., don’t let it be your main source, i.e., consume sparingly.

So now that we’ve gone through our mandatory biology class of the day, let’s get down to sprucing that foul sandwich like it’s Mardi Gras. My personal favorite twist on the classic breakfast icon below:

Ingredients:

• Four tablespoons of roasted fava beans (foul medames) sans any additions
• Two to four pieces of whole/multi-grain toast/bread
• One tablespoon olive oil
• Two tablespoons concentrated lemon juice
• One tablespoon of finely diced onions
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ tablespoon mustard
• One whole soft-boiled egg (if desired)

Process:

• Add the fava beans into a fairly deep but small bowl (make sure they are still hot)
• Add the lemon juice and olive oil
• Crush whole beans using a fork and mash the mixture
• Add the onion slices, pepper, salt, paprika, cumin and mustard
• Continue whisking with the fork and mashing any remaining whole beans
• Layer up equally atop your bread
• Slice up your soft-boiled whole egg into four pieces laterally and add one slice per piece of toast (if desired)

Just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean it will look like it does on a menu

Enjoy this modern day twist on a classic breakfast item. Remember, you should generally limit your weekly intake of legumes - as per your blood type - so that it doesn’t contribute more than 30% of your total caloric intake. Add your own twist and share with me by commenting below!

Bonne appétit

Self-Pampering 101: Working them Nuts

More often than not, you'll find that you are unkind to yourself, wishing that life would be kinder to you, that your friends would bestow their kindness upon you and that you deserve to be pampered.

It's probably best if you figure out that there's no one out there who can pamper you better than you. Naturally, in the realm of foods when the word "pamper" comes to mind you jump into cakes, burgers, pizza slices and other waist-expanding treats. That shouldn't be the case. No sir.

You can always take a crack at simple basic ingredients and give them the right twist to add buzzing flavor that'll definitely hit your sweet tooth while actually providing your body with high quality nutrients.

Let's take a crack at a breakfast meal. 

Let's say you're a sucker for peanut butter and jam. Sadly for you fitness freak in the making, jam is basically fruit (which is great) that has been literally drowned in processed sugar (not so great). What to do? How do you get your fix? That sweet, sweet sticky peanut butter. Peanut butter is actually quite amazing if you can get your hands on some high quality natural supplies - since the majority of the off-the-shelf products are super packed with sugars and preservatives. Peanuts are packed full of proteins, healthy fats as well as various antioxidants.

When it comes to peanut butter you've got two routes, one where you buy it from the grocery store (ready made and packaged) 

My recommended options include the Jif natural option (which you can usually find in Seoudi Markets around Cairo) as it's the one with the least ingredients (pretty much just peanuts and sugar and salt) unlike other brands which pack a ton of other processed chemicals and preservatives in there.

Your other option is a recently discovered treasure which I came across by chance, PB2 peanut butter powder which has powdered peanut butter that has 85% less fat [there's even an option with pre-blended-in dark chocolate!]. Where do I get this you ask - since I clearly do not live in a country where they create such awe inspiring wonders for my palette? Why, you can order it by messaging Superfoods Egypt of course! Their Facebook page also showcases plenty of super cool healthy products (including the most wonderful guilt-free probiotic chocolate bars ever!) Another option is ordering naturally made nut butters from Lettuceat, a Zamalek and Nasr City based entity which delivers across Cairo. They have some amazing samples of almond, cashew, peanut and hazelnut butters as well as many salads and sandwiches of the healthy variety. They deliver right to your doorstep, just give 19657 a call!

OR you can make your own! Sounds complicated, really isn't...

Steps for making your own peanut butter [Makes 1 1/2 cup of peanut butter]:

1. Get two cups of pre-roasted (raw) salted peanuts.
2. Spread on a baking pan.
3. Place in an oven (180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit  for 6 - 8 minutes while shaking the pan every two minutes so they aren't scorched.
4. Let them cool down for a few minutes
5. Add the roasted peanuts to a food processor with a metal blade.
6. Add 1/2 table spoon of peanut oil (if available) or vegetable oil.
7. Work them around the processor for 2-3 minutes till mixture has formed a ball.
8. Scrape the peanuts which get stuck against the walls down using a spoon and keep processing until the desired consistency has been achieved.
9. Add a dash of salt or brown sugar according to taste. Honey can also be blended into the mix during processing.
10. Store in an airtight container (outside the fridge) for a day or two so the taste and flavor settle in and voila! You've made your very own peanut butter!

Alright, now that you've made your very own batch of super healthy peanut butter you sexy chef you, what are you going to do with it? How are you still going to get that sweet taste of fruit on your sticky peanuts without wrecking your waist with jam?

Why, you use frozen fruit of course. The optimal candidate for this is banana, as it takes just under 20 minutes to freeze and can still be easily chopped and mashed (or kept whole) and added directly onto your peanut butter toast. The frozen banana adds a wonderful contrast to the heated multi-grain toast upon which rests the peanut butter - basically a party in your mouth.

You can virtually replicate this using most fruits, berries are also premium candidates, grapes can frozen and sliced to be added atop the toast. You get the idea.

The above example is what I had for breakfast this morning, and you can even spruce it up by adding some flax or Chia seeds or cinnamon sprinkles on top for good measure. You can replace peanuts with almonds or cashews and make different nut butter batters. It's your sandbox to go wild in. Go crazy. Go nuts (pun totally intended)