How do you make something with a strong cheese taste but low calories?

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cyaneverfat
cyaneverfat Posts: 527 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I make stuffed potatoes or sweet potato/kumara with onion, corn/peas, bacon and cheese, and I can never get enough cheese, I want to put a mountain on top. What do you do instead of grating half a block? is there a better alternative that will taste stronger for less?

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  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    cyaneverfat wrote: »
    I make stuffed potatoes or sweet potato/kumara with onion, corn/peas, bacon and cheese, and I can never get enough cheese, I want to put a mountain on top. What do you do instead of grating half a block? is there a better alternative that will taste stronger for less?

    In my opinion, the only way to get a "quality" cheesy taste for less is to use a cheese with fewer calories. Start looking at the calorie count for different cheeses that you can buy in your area. Pick the one with fewer calories per 100g. You'll find that certain cheeses are higher calorie. For a cheese lover that information can be crucial.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    Use a strong quality cheese, like a good, old parmiggiano reggiano. Basically a cheese that really hurts your wallet. Maybe the combination of strong taste and high price help you using a smaller amount while retaining the marvelous taste?

    I live in Italy and use Parmigiano Reggiano everyday. However, when I go home to the States, in Minnesota, I can't find it in small town supermarkets. I'd have to go into the cities and do a search to find it. So I make do with Pecorino, which they have, although it isn't our quality. Thats why she'll have to look for cheeses that are available. I do love an aged cheddar from the States that we don't have here.
  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member
    edited April 2021
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    I know what you mean @cyaneverat ..... I love a strong cheese and feel it has to have taste for all the calories! I love cheese - the creamy mild, soft to the hard & strong! I have moved to eating the smelly cheeses where you can use so much less. in the UK that is an extra mature cheddar, or even better for taste over calories, a stinky blue Stilton on a roast butternut squash ....bliss 🤣
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    snowflake954 wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    Use a strong quality cheese, like a good, old parmiggiano reggiano. Basically a cheese that really hurts your wallet. Maybe the combination of strong taste and high price help you using a smaller amount while retaining the marvelous taste?

    I live in Italy and use Parmigiano Reggiano everyday. However, when I go home to the States, in Minnesota, I can't find it in small town supermarkets. I'd have to go into the cities and do a search to find it. So I make do with Pecorino, which they have, although it isn't our quality. Thats why she'll have to look for cheeses that are available. I do love an aged cheddar from the States that we don't have here.

    I know what you mean snowflake. Oh, I received a marvelous hand-made, not fast-aged organic old Gouda for Christmas. It was really fantastic, and what a difference to supermarket cheeses. To be honest, I ate it as a snack and not on bread or used it for cooking :D So maybe this could potentially backfire :D
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    CHEESE!

    I agree with previous posters that high quality cheese, while pricier, can give you a lot of flavor for less quantity. To me, that is a trade I would absolutely make. Bad cheese is sad. You have to make room for it in your calories, but again...worth it, IMO. You can experiment a little bit to find what you like. Cheese is a food designed to last a long time, so you can eat it slowly without worrying too much that it will go bad.
  • Thoin
    Thoin Posts: 942 Member
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    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    You could try Nutritional Yeast. I often use it to ramp up the flavour in a dish containing cheese, so I can use less cheese. I also always use the 30% less fat mature cheddar for cooking, or Edam which is naturally lower calories per 100g than Cheddar or similar cheeses.

    I use Nutritional Yeast on my popcorn and it taste pretty close to cheesy popcorn.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    You could try Nutritional Yeast. I often use it to ramp up the flavour in a dish containing cheese, so I can use less cheese. I also always use the 30% less fat mature cheddar for cooking, or Edam which is naturally lower calories per 100g than Cheddar or similar cheeses.

    @BarbaraHelen2013 @Thoin I use nutritional yeast nearly every day in my morning oatmeal, along with plain whey powder. I started using yeast in the 1970s, and always smile a little at the quote, "cheese-like," flavor. I love all cheeses (cheese is my downfall - or one of them), and tolerate the yeast, but yeast for me is an acquired taste, LOL. But, yes, I can agree, there are cheese flavor notes in it, and in some preparations, can be included to increase the apparent cheesiness. Plus it carries a good amount of protein and vitamins.
  • Thoin
    Thoin Posts: 942 Member
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    mjbnj0001 wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    You could try Nutritional Yeast. I often use it to ramp up the flavour in a dish containing cheese, so I can use less cheese. I also always use the 30% less fat mature cheddar for cooking, or Edam which is naturally lower calories per 100g than Cheddar or similar cheeses.

    @BarbaraHelen2013 @Thoin I use nutritional yeast nearly every day in my morning oatmeal, along with plain whey powder. I started using yeast in the 1970s, and always smile a little at the quote, "cheese-like," flavor. I love all cheeses (cheese is my downfall - or one of them), and tolerate the yeast, but yeast for me is an acquired taste, LOL. But, yes, I can agree, there are cheese flavor notes in it, and in some preparations, can be included to increase the apparent cheesiness. Plus it carries a good amount of protein and vitamins.

    Whole foods keeps it stocked next to the Parmesan Cheese. To borrow an overused phrase from America Test Kitchen, "It has a nutty", and cheesy flavor. But yes, do not expect it to taste just like cheese.
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,844 Member
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    I agree with the other posters....spend the money on "good" cheese to get more flavour per calorie. I have too few calories (only 1500 in maintenance) to waste on rubbery, flavourless cheese.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Thoin wrote: »
    mjbnj0001 wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    You could try Nutritional Yeast..
    @BarbaraHelen2013 @Thoin I use nutritional yeast nearly every day in my morning oatmeal, along with plain whey powder.

    @mjbnj0001 : LOVE my noochy oatmeal for brekkie with onions, mushrooms & eggplant!

    On its own, I'd call nutritional yeast (or "nooch") somewhat "reminiscent" of cheese rather than actual cheese flavor. I don't do dairy, so I use it ALL the time (add some to salsa for instant cheez-dip), but my cheese-loving spouse likes to cut fat and calories by nooching up casseroles and enchiladas and such and then add just a bit of a very strong-flavored real cheese at the end
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Expensive, ages cheeses, Stilton with blueberries, and sharp cheddar are where it's at for me. I use sharp cheddar on sandwiches since a little goes a long way
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,844 Member
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    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    Expensive, ages cheeses, Stilton with blueberries, and sharp cheddar are where it's at for me. I use sharp cheddar on sandwiches since a little goes a long way

    A dairy farm not that far from where I live makes a smoked gouda. I use it with rye bread to make the best grilled cheese sandwhich in the world. Okay, in MY world, anyway 😉

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