Pictured above: Move over, mozzarella sticks! A new, cheesy, kid is going to take your milk money.

Fry the cheese, if you please.

OK, so it’s not “Fry-day”, but there’s no reason we can’t all be a bit of a Wisconsinite a few times per week. I was actually born in Milwaukee, lived in Sussex, Lannon, and West Allis, and I have a lot of family in Wisconsin. So even when I can’t revisit my relatives, I can go visit a little of the dairy goodness for which the state is so revered.

Frying cheese is my Valentine! I am kissing it and hugging it.

I only just bought some recently at my new favorite organic crack outlet— I mean Sprouts— and just used it yesterday for the first time ever.

I then immediately swooned across three fainting sofas and fanned myself with the empty plastic cheese wrapper. And then, as is perfectly in keeping with my charms and with my femininity, I ended up sticking my elbow in the cheese while taking a picture. Welcome to my world.

An example of a grilling cheese, labeled, ironically enough, “Grilling Cheese.”

What is frying cheese?

Queso blanco (white cheese, typically from cows) or queso fresco (fresh cheese, typically from cow–and sometimes with goat’s milk) are natural, creamy, soft, unaged cheeses that don’t melt into the long, lugubrious, stringy masses you’re likely used to when you make a grilled cheese sandwich from a more aged cheddar or a mozzarella.

Melting ever so slightly, grilling cheese largely retains its shape when frying, for so many possibilities. But more on that in a second.

Brands? Where can I find it?

I find queso blanco and queso fresco at most grocery stores, so ask your grocer. It’s refrigerated, but you won’t always spy it with the standard cheeses, so be sure to look near the Latino/ethic foods in the cheese/dairy section, too.

If you can’t find frying cheese, halloumi will also work.

Above is the picture of the label from Sprouts. I love the creativity: Yanni Grilling Cheese. It’s like they knew I’d be looking and tend to take things literally…

Make your own

You can make your own grilling cheese easily! Click for the recipe from The Kitchn.

How do you use it?

Now we get to the good stuff! I love the haloumi out of this cheese.





Plain frying cheese, pan-grilled and ready for whatever you want to do with it. Go a little crazy. I won’t tell.

As plain, fried slices (pictured above):

Cut the cheese into 1/2″ slices. Heat a tablespoon of butter or ghee in a skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add the cheese and flip every 2 minutes, until golden brown on both sides (about 4 minutes). (Be careful to not wander away from the stove; the cheese goes from a lovely, golden brown to charred in a matter of seconds.) Serves 8 (or 8, 1-ounce servings)

As Gluten-Free Bruschetta (not pictured):

Cut the cheese into 1/2″ slices. Heat a tablespoon of butter or ghee in a skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add the cheese and flip every 2 minutes, until golden brown on both sides (about 4 minutes). (Be careful to not wander away from the stove; the cheese goes from a lovely, golden brown to charred in a matter of seconds.) Allow slabs to cool. Top with sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, fresh onion, and fresh basil leaves. Serve with garlic-infused olive oil. Serves 8 (or 8, 1-ounce servings)



Paired with a store brand pizza sauce, you have cheap and easy (also quite possibly the names of your dorm-mates at college).

As Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks (above):

Cut the cheese into 1/2″ slices, and then cut each slice lengthwise in half to form two sticks. Heat a tablespoon of butter or ghee in a skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add the cheese and flip every 2 minutes, until golden brown on both sides (about 4 minutes). (Be careful to not wander away from the stove; the cheese goes from a lovely, golden brown to charred in a matter of seconds.) Serve cooled sticks into a no-sugar-added pizza sauce (Store brand pizza sauces are not only more flavorful and cheaper, they tend to contain no added sugars). Serves 8 (or 16, 1/2-ounce servings)

As Gluten-Free Croutons (below):

Cut the cheese into 1/2″ slices. Heat a tablespoon of butter or ghee in a skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add the cheese and flip every 2 minutes, until golden brown on both sides (about 4 minutes). (Be careful to not wander away from the stove; the cheese goes from a lovely, golden brown to charred in a matter of seconds.) Let fried slices cool. Cut into cubes. Add to salads. (Each ounce makes roughly 8 croutons.)



Frying cheese cooled and delightfully employed as chewy, crusty croutons on this spinach, basil, tomato salad.

Nutritional Information

Per ounce of queso fresco (typically 1/8 of the package): Calories: 80, Carbohydrates: 0 g, Protein: 6 g, Fat: 6 g

The back labeling, so you can check out the fabulosity for yourselves.

If you haven’t tried frying cheese yet, you positively must!

You’ll never miss grilled cheese sandwiches or mozzarella sticks ever again.

Ever.

Never ever.

Now on to how I’ve been doing with my weight loss and continued sussing out of foods to which I’m intolerant or allergic to… Be sure to do your thing. I am thrilled share my progress and thoughts, but I’m not the person you should necessarily look to for dieting advice (I’m not a paid nosh-a-titian). Click the tab up top that says Mid-Year Resolution for regular updates.

Wednesday, February 6

I ate this:

Breakfast: Green olives on my way out the door

Lunch: Frying cheese in a spinach salad + frying cheese with marinara

Dinner: Pizza toppings and salad



Notes: I have been so busy today, but I love it! I am back in ketosis after my Sunday Madness, and my “end zone” is getting smaller again. Thankfully, water weight gain through inflammation is temporary. Whew.

Other Stuff:

I am working to combine posts so your inboxes aren’t filling up.

Please let me know what you think! Are posts that combine more helpful?