Kids Dish

It’s Easy as A-B-C Monday! This week, we’re giving something new a try on the site. I’m going to focus on recipes throughout the week that incorporate the A-B-C Monday ingredient. This week, it’s a love fest all about cheese. Mmm.

When I was younger, I believed that there were two kinds of cheese: white and yellow. And I didn’t like white cheese.

As an adult, I can’t get enough cheese. No, don’t start on me with the weight issues… The French eat lots of cheese and they’re fine.

Besides, this isn’t about me. It’s about kids. And kids need calcium. Yes, you can get calcium from green veggies - and I love green veggies, too - but cheese offers some other goodies like protein. In fact, the USDA’s new MyPyramid for Kids ages 6-11 recommend 3 daily servings from the milk group (which includes cheese, obviously) to build strong bones and ensure adequate consumption of important nutrients such as vitamin A, magnesium and potassium.

That said, there are some legitimate concerns about limiting the amount of fats in your child’s diet. Some cheeses can be really high in fat. So if this something that you worry about, or if your child’s doctor has advised you to cut the fat, look for low-fat or non-fat cheeses - they exist and they’re still delicious.

Not sure where to begin? Here’s a quick guide to some popular cheeses:

Soft Cheeses:
Boursin - creamy and buttery, often flavored with herbs, tasty on mild crackers like water crackers
Brie - buttery inside and an edible rind on the outside (many folks don’t like the rind); yummy baked and served with bread
Chevre - mild goat cheese, usually sold in logs or balls wrapped in herbs, excellent as a spread or in salad
Feta - salty and crumbly Greek cheese, serve in salads

Semisoft Cheeses:
Gouda - nutty Dutch cheese, terrific on crackers or in salad
Port Salut - buttery French cheese covered with edible rind
Provolone - Italian cheese similar to mozzarella, good in sandwiches or in baked pasta dishes

Blue Cheeses:
Gorgonzola - very sharp and creamy, sometimes smelly (which can make it appealing to kids!)
Stilton - English blue cheese, often sold in wheels, can be crumbly

Hard Cheeses:
Asiago - nutty Italian cheese, serve grated in salads or sliced on crackers
Cheddar - the classic “American” cheese in many parts of the US, taste ranges from mild to extra sharp
Gruyere - Swiss cheese, terrific for melting

Very Hard Cheeses:
Parmigiano Reggiano - Italian cheese, serve grated on top of pasta or salads, it’s the easiest way to teach your children that cheese doesn’t come from a can and per pound is typically cheaper than the canned variety, also referred to as Parmesan
Romano - similar to Parmesan

You can introduce your children to good cheese and not break the bank. Pick a handful of cheeses and buy them in small quantities, like 1/8 or 1/4 pound, rather than springing for a whole pound of a new kind. Let your kids sample all of them on crackers or bread. If your kids aren’t impressed, move on to the next kind (the appeal of small quantities is less waste, and you can eat the small portion of leftovers). We try to buy at least one new cheese at each big shopping trip for the kids to try. They often surprise us. I don’t like most blue cheeses on crackers (though I do enjoy them in a salad with fruit) but my oldest daughter is wild for Stilton. So, keep an open mind, you might be amazed at what your kids take a liking to.

Be sure to check in at Kids Dish throughout the week for kid-friendly cheese recipes!

For even more info, you can sign up to receive info about incorporating dairy into your kids’ lives, courtesy of the American Dairy Association.

And if you can’t find great cheese at your local market, try my favorite cheese shop - Dibrunos Cheese in Philadelphia!