Hunza

I'm fairly certain I was a picky eater as a child. I don't think my mother has ever come right out and said so, but when I think back, there were a lot of foods I turned my nose up at. And I'm not just talking about the obvious gross foods like liver and lima beans that took me hours to eat because of the strict "clean plate club" I reluctantly belonged to. I'm talking ketchup, beans, peas, bananas, sweet potatoes, chili....

But I did like cottage cheese with pineapple. Turns out, not everyone grew up on that unusual combination. For some, it was applesauce and cottage cheese - which I thought was totally weird. Anyway, I remember the first day my mother introduced this Hunza recipe to us kids. She laid the plate down in front of me and there was my cottage cheese, only instead of pineapple, there was a combination of several different fruits on top. That was cool.

What was not cool for the picky eater who lived within me as a child, was the layer of seeds she snuck between them. I moaned and whined that she "ruined a good thing" by adding seeds to a perfectly good dish and I made it very clear that I wouldn't be eating any of it.

Whatever! I soooo lost that fight and eventually I decided to try a bite. And when I did, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. How incredibly good it tasted. How was it possible that crushed pumpkin seeds actually tasted good between cottage cheese and sweet fruit?

I was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to think. All I knew was that every single bite tasted better than the one before. As an adult, this dish is still a great surprise every time I sit down to eat it. It can be served on a large plate where everyone takes their own serving, or better yet, each person gets their own plate and assembles the amount of seeds and fruit they want. Not many rules with Hunza, which is another reason to love it!

Hunza

Cottage Cheese
Pumpkin Seeds
Fruit such as Strawberries, Cherries, Blueberries, Apples, Bananas

On a plate, spread a layer of cottage cheese as big or small as you wish your portion to be. Using a chopper or processor or knife, chop up enough pumpkin seeds to create a nice layer to cover the cottage cheese. For the fruit above, I chose frozen organic strawberries, raspberries, and black raspberries. I placed them in a pan on the stove over low to medium heat. I mixed a small amount of water (1/4 cup) with a tablespoon of cornstarch and a tablespoon of sugar together and stirred well. I added it to the fruit and stirred occasionally until a beautiful sauce formed around the fruit. I let it chill in the fridge for about an hour, then I covered the cottage cheese and seeds with it.

As beautiful as it is, it tastes even better!

I do believe the original recipe called for grated apple on top of the seeds, not strawberries, bananas, or blueberries, so your options here are many. Do what feels right deep down in your bones, and it will turn out fantastic!


Coming Soon....Vodka and Magic Beans!