Top Ten Cheese-based Dishes

Can you think of a better summertime dish than one composed with cheese? Because of the variety of cheeses today, the dishes that can be prepared using cheese are varied and endless. Here are my top ten cheese recipes formulated over the past 35 years. Don't be afraid to alter the recipes. Switch out the vegetables. Try a different kind of cheese. Throw in some fresh herbs.

Cheese and Olive Hors D'oeuvres
Makes 24

These are very simple and great for parties or as an appetizer before dinner. Guests just love these festive-looking hors d'oeuvres. Feel free to vary the type of cheese. I've used hot pepper, cheddar, Colby, and American cheese in this recipe. I usually use 2% fat cheeses and no one knows the difference.

1-5 to 8 oz. brick of cheese.

1 jar of large green olives stuffed with pimiento (or 1 medium-sized can of whole, pitted, black olives)

Toothpicks (I used the colored ones or the festive ones trimmed with colorful cellophane on one end)

With a knife, cut the cheese brick into uniform squares. From a 5 oz. brick of cheddar cheese, I do 2 cuts lengthwise (makes 3 long strips), then 7 cuts width-wise (makes 24 square chunks of cheese total). Stick a toothpick through an olive then through a square of cheese. Stand it up on the serving platter. Repeat until all cheese is used.

Cheese and Tomato Salad
Serves 2 to 4, depending on size of the servings

This salad is one of my old stand-bys. It can be made quickly and I even mix up just a bit of this salad for myself for lunch sometimes. These ingredients blend flavors beautifully. You'll be pleasantly surprised how delicious this simple salad tastes.

3 medium tomatoes or about 3 cups of grape tomatoes

2-3 oz. good/gourmet (Il Villagio, for example) mozzarella cheese

Extra virgin olive oil to taste (I use about 3 or 4 TB)

Salt and Pepper

Fresh chopped cilantro OR Fresh chopped basil to taste (optional)

Place tomatoes in a bowl. Slice the cheese then cut it into small squares or dice. Sprinkle cheese over tomatoes.

Drizzle oil over all. Add salt and pepper. Spread the cilantro or basil over the top, if you like. Mix gently and serve.

Black Bean and Cheese Salad
Serves 4

This goes great with hamburgers or a Mexican entrée, such as quesadillas or enchiladas. It's a fantastic side dish.

1- 15 oz. can of Black Beans, drained and rinsed

4 oz. brick of Colby, Cheddar, or Hot pepper cheese

½ of small onion, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced small

¼ cup of bottled Italian dressing, I use fat-free

Chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Place beans in serving bowl. Cut up the 4 oz. of cheese into small, square chunks and spread over beans. Mix in the onion and celery. Drizzle the Italian dressing over all. Finally, sprinkle cilantro over the top of the salad before serving.

Three Cheese Submarine Sandwich
Serves 1 or 2

This makes a great-tasting, meatless sandwich. You'll be surprised at how tasty this sandwich is. Vary the cheeses based on what you like.

1-6 to 8 inch wheat sub roll

1 slice of American cheese

1 slice of Provolone Cheese

1 slice of Hot Pepper Cheese

Mustard, mayonnaise, sandwich dressings

Lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, sliced bell pepper, sliced fresh mushrooms, green and/or black olives

Cut sub roll in half to make a long sandwich (if they are not already sliced). Put the mustard and mayonnaise and any other sandwich condiments you like on both halves. Place slices of cheese, overlapping, on ½ of the bun. Build the sandwich, using the toppings you prefer-lettuce, tomato, onion and the like.
Salt and pepper the sandwich. If you like, use Italian seasoning instead of the salt and pepper, or along with it. Top with the other slice of bread.

Cottage Cheese and Chopped Vegetables
Serves 2

This dish is a great quick lunch that tastes fresh because of all the fresh vegetables. It can also be served as a side dish. Leave out the vegetables you don't like or add in others you think might enhance this dish.

1 ½ cups of small or large curd cottage cheese (I use low fat or fat-free)

1 carrot, washed, trimmed and sliced thinly-or you can use 6 or 7 baby carrots sliced

1 celery stalk, washed, trimmed and diced

2 sliced green onions, or ½ of a small onion diced

¼ of a red or green bell pepper, washed and diced

Gently mix the diced vegetables into the cottage cheese. Season with black pepper. Serve on plates with saltines or other crackers as a lunch dish.

Cheese and Chive Baked Potato Rounds
Serves 4

I made up this recipe when I got bored with plain, old baked potatoes. The shape is a lot more interesting. Plus, the cheese and green onions just make the Potato Rounds fun to eat. When serving, you can place the rounds directly on individual plates. Or you can serve them from a large platter, if you prefer.

4 white baking potatoes, scrubbed

6 slices of American or Cheddar cheese

4 green onions, slices thinly

Salt and pepper to taste

Sour cream, salsa, or other condiments of your choice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Bake the potatoes, skin on, either in the oven or the microwave.

When just cool enough to handle. Slice each potato width-wise thickly. Arrange the flat slices, touching, on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. You may have to cut off the rounded ends so those slices will lay flat.

Spread the cheese slices over the potato slices. You don't have to cover all of every single potato slice. You can break the cheese slices into pieces if you like.
Bake just long enough to melt the cheese. Remove from oven and sprinkle the sliced green onions over all.

Salt and pepper if you wish. Serve with the condiments of your choice. I use sour cream and salsa or taco sauce.

Naked Nachos
Serves 3 or 4

I came up with "Naked Nachos" when I realized how much I like Nachos without any meat on them. Although you could spoon a little refried beans straight from the can on to the tortilla chips before you put the cheese on, these Nachos really don't need them. They are great "naked."

8 oz. of Colby or American sliced cheese

About a half bag of flat, triangular Tortilla Chips

¼ cup of finely diced onion

¼ cup of finely diced red or green bell pepper

Sour cream

Taco Sauce

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. On a cookie sheet, spread out tortilla chips into a single layer. It's okay if they overlap. Place the slices of cheese over the top of the tortilla chips. You can leave the slices whole, break them up, or cut them in pieces if you wish. Sprinkle the diced onion and bell pepper over all. Bake in the oven for just a few minutes. Watch them closely and remove as soon as the cheese starts melting, about 4 to 8 minutes. Serve with separate bowls of sour cream and taco sauce on the side.

Cream Cheese and Chive Salsa
Serves 4

This recipe "happened" when I didn't have any sour cream at home and didn't want to go out to the store. I found these three ingredients and figured I could do something with them. Voila!

1-8 oz. container of Cream Cheese and Chives (I use reduced fat or fat-free)

1-16 oz. bottle of Pace Cilantro Salsa

Tortilla Chips (I used the Baked ones)

Remove the cream cheese from the container, either scooping with a spoon or knife and place on a plate to one side. Shake the salsa before opening. Then open and pour about half the bottle of salsa over the cream cheese. Place tortilla chips alongside for dipping into the cream cheese and the salsa together.

Popcorn and Cheese TV and Movie Snack
Serves 2

This is the simplest snack ever. I figured out these 2 snacks go great together. I even eat it some nights for a late dinner while watching TV. It's scrumptious!

Microwave popcorn

4 oz. of brick cheese of your choice

Pop a bag of microwave popcorn. While it's popping, cut about 4 ounces of brick cheese into small square cubes. You'll probably have about 12-16 cubes. Place the chunks in a small bowl and stick a toothpick into each of them. When the popcorn's finished popping, separate into 2 bowls. Take a bit of popcorn with a chunk of cheese and enjoy!

Hot Layered Mexican Dip

Over 30 years ago, I started making a version of this recipe. However, I kept making changes in the dish. Now, it's a completely different recipe. It's a great appetizer before a Mexican meal. Or it's perfect to make for Movie Night.

8 oz. of cream cheese (I use low-fat or fat-free type)

1- 14-20 oz. can of Chili

1-16 oz. jar of Salsa

2 cups of shredded Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Mexican Blend Cheese

3 green onions, sliced thinly

1 medium can of sliced black olives, drained

Tortilla chips or Saltine crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. I use the reduced fat or fat-free kind. Pour the can of chili over all and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon. Shake the jar of salsa. Open and pour about half the jar over the chili. Sprinkle the 2 cups of the shredded cheese over the top. Finally, top with the sliced green onions and sliced black olives.

Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with tortilla chips or saltine crackers as dippers.