Cottage Cheese Grapefruit Bowl

Four ingredients and five minutes is all it takes to put together this delicious Cottage Cheese Grapefruit Bowl. This is so delicious it actually satisfies the occasional dessert craving in a very healthy way!

My Story

The inspiration for this recipe lies in a small second hand cook book on salads. Purchased by my mother at a sidewalk sale in New York City in the early 1980's, the book belongs to an era where salad molds were very popular. The original recipe called for a gelatin mold with grapefruit set in it. The cottage cheese, banana and walnut dressing was served as a topping for the mold.

For years this salad featured in its original form at many family dinners and lunches. The original was an elaborate centerpiece that looked beautiful. However, the quick and easy version that I'm presenting here today, is just as delicious!

I make it often as it's a healthy breakfast, or at times even a light lunch, option. Prompted by a friend's request for the recipe I'm sharing it with you today.

The Recipe

Not only is the recipe easy, but it's a wonderful way to use slightly overripe bananas. It makes a refreshing change from the usual smoothies and banana bread that one normally jumps to.

The Bananas

I recently read on the media franchise eatthis.com that the riper the banana the greater its nutritional value. Bananas are of course loaded with potassium, vitamin A, C and B6 and a plethora of other minerals. In addition to this, they are rich in prebiotics.

 All of this assists with building lean muscle, aids with digestion and helps reduce bloating. In addition to this they contain "resistant starch" so are great for weight loss. What a great way to start your day!

The Cottage Cheese

Cottage Cheese is an often neglected dairy meal option due to its bland taste. This recipe allows you to add the flavor without any added sugar as ripe bananas are super sweet. As opposed to some milk based products, cottage cheese production removes the whey leaving behind only casein. This is digested slowly and as such aids with satiety.

In addition to this, cottage cheese has less calories than traditional yogurt. With ¼ of our daily phosphate requirement and 60% of our daily vitamin B12 requirement it's a great way to start the day!

The Grapefruit

Grapefruits, which came to the United States Of America in 1823 from the West Indies, now grow here proliferously and are available year round. Being high in Vitamin C they are a great addition to our daily diet at any time but especially during Covid and near the start of Flu Season.

Low in calories, high in fibre and antioxidants and an excellent aid in iron absorption this juicy fruit is a refreshing and healthy addition to our weekly, if not daily, meal plan.

The Walnuts

Last, but not least, the walnuts add a crunchy texture and being high in omega 3 fats give our heart and brain a great boost first thing in the morning.

You will feel so full and energetic all day with this breakfast that you'll definitely be adding it to your weekly meal plan! Let me know how it turned out with a rating and a comment below!