I.
Sweet Potato with Cottage Cheese
(ingredients)
Sweet potato, cottage cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper.
(notes)
Pictured here is a Japanese sweet potato which I prefer to a yam on most occasions but either totally works.
Could be prepared steamed, boiled, wrapped in foil and baked, or sliced in half and roasted. The fastest route is usually water based, but the most flavorful usually involves the oven. Ideally you would be cooking this ahead of time anyhow, so just go with what makes sense. Consider preparing it the night before when cooking dinner.
The cottage cheese adds a nice cold texture contrast, protein and minerals, and helps cut the density of the potato.
II.
Cheese and fruit
(ingredients)
Seasonal fruit, cheese.
(notes)
E.g.
Strawberries and Gouda.
Apple and cheddar.
Pear and brie.
Grapes and manchego.
III.
Oats with fruit and sunflower seeds
(ingredients)
Milled oats, sunflower seeds, stone fruit, cream, olive oil, salt, pepper.
(notes)
Overall, the texture of milled oats is superior when going in the porridge direction.
For this recipe, I like to add water and salt to the oats and microwave them for about 1 minute, then stir in the sunflower seeds and another splash of water, then microwave it a little more. Once they’re the right texture, top with fruit, a splash of cream, and a drizzle of olive oil. Finishing with sea salt and pepper gives it a nice contrast.
Optional plug ins— chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin seeds, butter.
IV.
Salami Wraps
(ingredients)
Salami, cheese, apple, cornichon, mustard.
(notes)
This could go in many directions as you likely know. Sometimes when I’m not in the mood for making a whole charcuterie board I’ll whip up a couple of these.
For wrapping purposes, the larger salami such as sopressata work better. And the cheese pictured here is emmentaler (a type of Swiss).
Optional plug ins— gruyere, gouda, manchego, pear, stone fruit.
V.
Cottage cheese with crunch
(ingredients)
Cottage cheese, corn nuts, sunflower seeds, olive oil, salt,
(notes)
They make corn nuts that aren’t just from the gas station now, and this is the best thing to do with them IMO.
Optional plug ins— pumpkin seeds, crispy chickpeas.
VI.
Cucumber and hummus
(notes)
This one explains itself, but it’s worth noting that Persian cucumbers sliced into strips and salted is the way to go.