I’m always on the lookout for recipes with which I can experiment in my own kitchen, and this is one of my favorites. We are a carb family. We eat a lot of ’em. Breads, muffins, pastas, pitas, pita chips, tortillas, tortilla chips, regular chips, crackers…let’s go! I am a huge proponent of everything in moderation. As Oprah once said, “I don’t deny myself bread.”
However, while I don’t deny myself or my family carbs (I do most of the shopping after all), I understand the potential pitfalls of excessive carb consumption. I’m a proponent of everything in moderation, but also a proponent of balance, so I’m always scanning for ways to “sneak” in some protein or some plants to the recipe. Enter cottage cheese!
Cottage cheese is an INCREDIBLE ingredient. First of all, it’s a host of ingredients, or at least ingredient properties, all rolled into one chunky tub – creamy and fatty and salty – making it a perfect, convenient ingredient swap. The higher protein content is the draw to this substitution for traditionally carb heavy recipes. The fact that it’s a pretty neutral taste that will take on whatever you add to it makes it a no-brainer!
This recipe is crazy easy, produces a really good result, and packs in a little balance to an otherwise wildly imbalanced carb, the bagel. Man, I love bagels.
This one is only 4 ingredients, and two of them are pretty loose, making it insanely easy to prepare and enjoy:
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 Cup, full-fat cottage cheese
* 1 Cup, self-rising flour
* 1 Egg, scrambled for egg wash
* Everything Bagel Seasoning (optional)
That’s it. You can certainly play around with this recipe and do with it whatever you please. Cheese, garlic, chocolate chips, cranberries…whatever! Dress it up to your preference, but this is a solid straight bagel that will receive any modifications that you’d like to add.
PROCESS:
* Blend the cottage cheese until smooth (You really do not have to do this, but I prefer this step. I have made it both ways and it pretty much comes out the same, though the blending helps to produce a little fluffier bagel I have found)
* Combine with flour.
* Mix until wet.
* Form into a dough ball and kneed for about 30 seconds (dough will be sticky, so be sure to flour the surface, and you may want/need to add a few tablespoons of flour to help the process and prevent sticking to your hands)
* Divide dough into 4 parts (or less if you like ’em smaller), form bagel shape, place on parchment-lined sheet, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with everything seasoning
* Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.
