Instead of avoiding the ooey, gooey goodness of cheese because of its fat content, embrace it for its nutrients!

Canada's Food Guide measures one serving of cheese at 50 g -- or about the size of a lighter. If you're watching your weight, opt for a lower-fat type of cheese.

Either way, according to Dairy Farmers of Canada, "As with all other milk products, cheese is a source of several essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamin A, niacin and vitamin B12."

All over Switzerland, small or large tarts featuring local cheese are made. This recipe features the delicious and pungent cheese from my familial canton of Appenzell. Appenzeller cheese is a firm Alpine cheese, like Gruyère, whose rind is given regular bathings of Alpine herb-infused marc during the maturing process, giving the cheese a distinct flavour and aroma.

Soufflés seem to strike fear into many cooks. Yet a cheese soufflé is simply a cheese sauce with beaten egg whites folded in. Have everyone seated at the table when the soufflé emerges from the oven and serve immediately to avoid a fallen soufflé.

Serve this sinfully rich dip with crusty bread. For a version that's lower in fat, replace the mascarpone with regular or light softened cream cheese.

These attractive cheese balls are wonderful served with crusty bread. 

These crisps are lovely with a pomegranate martini before the meal. They are so irresistible, you might want to bake two batches. 

You can top this traditional North American cheese filling with drained preserved apricot or peach quarters, two for each pastry. Use block-style full-fat cream cheese.

Chiles rellenos, a Mexican specialty of fried, cheese-stuffed poblano peppers, are the inspiration for this lighter dish. Here Cubanelle, bell or poblano peppers are stuffed with a rich, smooth and soft cheese mixture, then baked quickly in a tomato sauce that gives a nod in its spicing to Mexican flavours.

This traditional Swiss cheese pie is typical of rustic Swiss recipes. 

The winning flavours of apples and cheese and a not-too sweet batter make this muffin a good choice for breakfast, a snack or even dessert. 

These biscuits are delicious spread with Orange-Cranberry Marmalade to simultaneously fulfill your need for something sweet and savory. They also make great sandwich bread when sliced in half horizontally. 

Tossing just sautéed vegetables over greens and blue cheese softens the cheese beautifully. If blue cheese is not your favourite, try chevre instead. Serve with crusty bread.

Make sure you find a well-aged firm provolone cheese for these delicious bites, because a moister and younger provolone will not hold its shape when melted. 

These flavourful cheese straws are tastier and easier to make than traditional ones made with puff or other pastry doughs. Use a well-aged Gouda, such as Beemster, or a Cheddar aged for at least 2 years. The Spanish manchego cheese can be replaced with any hard, aged sheep’s milk cheese, such as an Italian pecorino, of which Romano is only one example. 

Serve slices of this decadently rich loaf warm and accompanied by green salad dressed simply in vinegar and oil.

Oka is Quebec's first famous cheese (it was first produced in 1893 by Trappist monks in Oka), and it makes a tasty, creamy topping to the gratin, which pairs wonderfully with the apples and cider in the pork roast. Keep the cheese cold before slicing off the rind. You can substitute a couple of chopped onions for the leeks, if desired. 

A small bowl of this rich winter soup is a warming and convivial way to start the holiday meal. 

For extra convenience, you can use sliced mushrooms from the grocery store.

This layered pasta, which highlights the flavour of ripe in-season tomatoes, is an easy takeoff of a regular lasagna. Use ready-to-bake lasagna noodles because the moisture in the tomatoes will ensure that the noodles get cooked properly.

Rösti, a crispy fried-potato cake, is a national dish of the German-speaking part of Switzerland and is served plain as a side dish for almost anything.

Sicilian eggplants are large, round and a bit lighter purple than regular Italian eggplants. The skin is more tender, and the flesh sweet and not too seedy. Whatever eggplants you use, the simple fresh tomato sauce, basil and mild fresh mozzarella complement the grilled slices, like a match made in heaven.

A food processor makes short work of these savoury nibbles. They may be frozen baked or unbaked and cut into a variety of shapes depending on your preference.

This full-flavoured pasta dish can be made ahead, so it's appropriate for weeknight entertaining as well as for taking to potluck dinners. 

A generous amount of tender fresh spinach melds with rich Gorgonzola cheese in this satisfying risotto. 

Swiss chard with feta and ricotta cheeses make this omelette substantial enough to be a main dish for dinner. 

A lively filling is tucked into a rich dough for these small empanada-like pies you can eat out of hand.

Fully ripened cheese and good-quality wine make for the best fondue. This is my personal favourite combination of cheese; do go to a cheese store to buy the cheese and if they have cave-ripened Emmenthal or Gruyère cheese, it is worth the extra money. 

This updated version of the classic comfort, macaroni and cheese, will become a new family favourite. It is also ideal for a casual get-together with friends. 

We've dubbed these light and tasty cheese puffs "cheese marshmallows."

Easy to make, this colorful one-dish breakfast main course requires no last-minute attention.

This hors d'oeuvre is easy and always a hit with company. Serve it with sliced apples and pears or crackers.