You know what goes perfectly with tomato soup? Cheese. Usually grilled cheese sandwiches. But really, any cheese will do. You know what goes great with roasted tomato soup? Goat cheese.
Believe it or not, there are people out there who don’t like cheese at all! Lactose intolerance I can understand. Dislike of cheese, on the other hand, I just can’t wrap my head around. If I could, I would live on bread and cheese for the rest of my life. My mom used to be one of those people. She’s told me a few times that if it weren’t for my dad (and his love for cheese) she probably wouldn’t be a cheese eater at all. Shocking. (more…)
I mentioned last week that we could start eating healthy again this week … but these Goat Cheese and Herb Popovers are just too good to pass up. What’s another week? Also, it’s just too cold to think about going outside, let alone going outside to the gym.
Since New Year, and actually just a few days before New Year, we were hit with some seriously freezing temperatures. I’m talking highs in the teens, and morning and nights below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Bomb Cyclone is what they called it – how do they even come up with these names? Seriously. In any case, it’s been miserable. (more…)
It’s T minus 4 days until Noninna, my dearest friend’s Paris wedding. I cannot wait! It’s going to be one of the most magical weddings, I just know it. With her big day just around the corner, I’m struggling to stay away from all the leftover Halloween candy and chestnut praline latte’s – it’s been rough – and getting more greens and protein in. It’s kind of hard to want veggies when .. BREAD! (more…)
A week or so ago, I was told we may have some friends over for dinner. So, of course, the planner that I am I made a menu and a list then went grocery shopping. It was the week before their wedding, so they weren’t able to make it – so I had some herbed goat cheese and Endives laying around which I had planned to use for an appetizer.
Not really sure what to do with endives, other than slip them in with some mixed greens on a salad, I made my appetizer anyway and served it while dinner was cooking in the oven.
Endive and Herbed Goat Cheese Appetizer Recipe
Ingredients
1 Endive (or more if you’d like)
3 Tablespoons Herbed Goat Cheese
¼ cup Chopped Walnuts
Directions
Wash the endives, peel apart carefully and dry on paper towels.
Mix together chopped walnuts and herbed goat cheese until mixed well.
Arrange endives on a plate, place a small piece of goat cheese on the end of each endive leaf.
Using the goat cheese walnut mixture, form a loose ball with your hands and place in the middle of the plate. Serve with crackers.
After an afternoon of errands, and mostly shopping – and let’s not forget the ridiculously huge Burger Joint burger and side of fries, oh yea and a strawberry milkshake – I thought I should probably take it easy for dinner tonight. It was definitely one of those let’s pretend all the junk I ate today didn’t have any calories kind of day. Salad is light, depending on the ingredients you use, so I went for a salad. I don’t really have salad items, however I had an unopened package of mixed greens, some smoked salmon and a brand new package of herbed goat cheese I knew I’d be able to put to use. From there, I created the salmon salad. For dressing, I added a couple swirls of lemon juice.
Salmon Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Mixed Greens
Smoked Salmon
Capers
Herbed Goat Cheese
Pine Nuts
Lemon Juice
Directions
Mix together mixed greens, salmon, capers, goat cheese and pine nuts. Add lemon juice.
The other day, as I was rummaging through the fridge for a snack, I came across a package of goat cheese that was only ¼ eaten. Since we don’t keep many salty snacks in the house – because I’d be tempted to eat them, all in one sitting – I decided to snack on some goat cheese and a mix of saltines/Triscuit crackers. I had only eaten a bit more before I realized that this huge package of goat cheese that’s been sitting in my fridge for more than a month will be expiring on September 26.
What to do with a little less than half a package of goat cheese expiring in two weeks? Make a goat cheese inspired dinner, of course!
On the Menu
Spinach, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad – one of my own creations with olive oil, rosemary, lemon vinaigrette
Rosemary Goat Cheese Chicken– my own recipe
Mini Goat Cheese Pizzas– my own recipe
Spinach, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad
Spinach, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad
Ingredients
2 handfuls of Baby Spinach
2 tablespoons crumbled Goat Cheese
2 tablespoons Walnuts (whole or chopped)
1 large Roma Tomato, chopped
2 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons Lemon Pepper
2 tablespoons Pine nuts (sautéed in olive oil)
2 tablespoons Rosemary (fresh and dried)
¼ packet Goat Cheese
½ cup Chicken stock/broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
Rub chicken breasts with lemon pepper
Sear in a skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil until browned
Place in a baking dish
Sauté Pine Nuts in olive oil until lightly browned
Cut Goat cheese into ½ inch thick pieces
Place pieces of goat cheese over each chicken breast
Sprinkle with fresh rosemary and pine nuts
Add chicken stock
Cover baking dish with aluminum foil
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
Mini Goat Cheese Pizzas
Mini Goat Cheese Pizzas
Ingredients
1/8 packet Goat cheese, chopped
Tomato sauce
½ onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mushrooms (canned)
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated biscuits
1 cup shredded Mozzarella
Directions
Sauté onions in olive oil until caramelized,
Sauté pine nuts in the same oil, drain extra oil
Lay biscuits out on baking sheet, and flatten with your fingers
Spoon tomato sauce on each biscuit
Add onions, mushrooms, shredded mozzarella
Top with goat cheese and pine nuts
Bake at 350 degrees for 14-17 minutes
For two people, we have a lot of left overs. That means, I’ll be having pizza and salad for lunch tomorrow. Yum!
What culinary creations have you come up with that involve a surplus or close-to-expriation of a food item? Share your stories in the comments.
