Stuffed Mushrooms for Annie’s Virtual Baby Shower! February 2, 2011
Posted by elly in appetizers, goat cheese.22 comments
I’m sure you remember Annie, who hosted our very recent virtual holiday party and who was also nice enough to make cupcakes to announce my pregnancy last October. Well, of course when Courtney emailed me to ask if I wanted to be part of a virtual baby shower for Annie, I said yes! Annie is expecting her second child, a baby girl, in just 10 short weeks. I could not possibly be any more thrilled for her. This little girl is going to have some great parents, not to mention one insanely cute big brother!
(If you’re not sure what that awesome sign is all about, it’s a play on an Office episode, which happens to be one of Annie’s favorite shows. Pillow or TV? I’m sure at this point in time, Annie would definitely choose pillow.)
I wanted to make something savory for Annie’s shower, and decided on stuffed mushrooms. To make them a little more special, I added some pancetta in addition to the goat (and cream) cheese. Stuffed mushrooms typically tend to be a crowd please (except for those crazy people who don’t like mushrooms), and these are no different. I know my husband and I did not have any problems inhaling them.
Plenty of other great food bloggers also contributed to Annie’s shower, and you would be remiss if you did not check out their posts! Be sure to look at Courtney’s blog, Cook Like a Champion, as well as Annie’s blog, Annie’s Eats, for the round up of all the delicious shower goodies we virtually shared!
Goat Cheese and Pancetta Stuffed Mushrooms
8 oz. stuffing mushrooms (about 12 mushrooms)
2 tsp. olive oil plus additional for drizzling
2 oz. pancetta, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. goat cheese, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
~1 Tbsp. breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 400.
Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Dice and reserve about 1/3 of the stems and discard the rest (or save to make some stock!).
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and once hot, add the pancetta. Cook until crisp and then remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic and reserved mushroom stems, cooking until tender. Add to the bowl with the pancetta and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Stir the goat cheese, cream cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste into the pancetta mixture. Fill each mushroom cap with the mixture, and top with about 1/2 tsp. breadcrumbs per mushroom cap. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.
Lentil Goat Cheese Burgers January 13, 2011
Posted by elly in beans and legumes, goat cheese, healthy, sandwiches, vegetarian.11 comments
I’m always looking for new vegetarian dishes to make during the week, and as soon as I saw these burgers Cara made, which include both lentils (yum) and goat cheese (love), we were in business.
Lentils are a great option for going meatless, because they are hearty and have a nice dose of protein, too. I did make some changes to the original recipe (of course). I had about 2-3 oz. of mushrooms in the fridge, and a leek that was supposed to be devoted to a dish that never got made. Both of those got thrown into the burgers, and were welcome additions. I didn’t have Italian seasoning and I don’t use egg substitutes, so I adjusted those ingredients accordingly. The mushrooms contributed a little extra moisture, so I upped the amount of panko so the burgers wouldn’t fall apart (although, I will admit that one of them was still a casualty; sorry, husband.)
Though I’m not much of a condiment kinda gal, I do like them with burgers and next time I think I’d add a roasted red pepper relish or perhaps a sundried tomato ketchup to these burgers.
My only complaint about these was purely user error on my part, and that was undersalting them. Typically, I am more heavy-handed with salt than anything but this time around I was a bit shy and it was evident. If I were a Top Chef contestant, I would have had to pack my knives and GO!
These burgers cook up in no time, but do benefit from being refrigerated for a while so the flavors can meld and they are easier to shape. I made the mixture the night before we had these so dinner took me about 10 minutes the day of. Can’t beat that!
Lentil Goat Cheese Burgers
Serves 4
Adapted from Cara’s Cravings
3/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 leek, sliced
1/3 cup diced onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, grated
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 oz. goat cheese
6 Tbsp. panko breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. basil
1/8 tsp. thyme
1 egg
Place lentils in a saucepan with water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the lentils and remove the bay leaf.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions, mushrooms, garlic, and carrot for about 5 or 6 minutes or until softened. Add balsamic vinegar, increase the heat, and let the vinegar reduce.
Combine the lentils, sauteed vegetables and remaining ingredients in a food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse several times to combine.
Place the mixture in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate 45 minutes or overnight. Divide the mixture into 4 patties.
Heat the remaining 1 tsp. olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium. Place the patties in the skillet and cook for about 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad August 6, 2010
Posted by elly in beans and legumes, goat cheese, healthy, salads, vegetarian.23 comments
Lentils may seem like an odd choice in the summer, but quite honestly, I’ve been eating a lot of them lately. You saw I braised them with vegetables here, and I had some lentil soup the other day, even though it was quite warm out. But if you’re not into hot lentils during hot months, you may be a little more into this cool lentil salad.
This is a nice change of pace from the usual potato and pasta salads of summer. It’s heartier, full of fiber, and healthy. It’s great as a dinner side or as a stand-alone lunch. I’ve used Mediterranean ingredients here, all of which are pantry staples for me. This would be equally great with fresh tomatoes in place of the sundried ones and some roasted red peppers, too.
This salad is best served at room temperature, but cold leftovers are just as good.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Serves 6-8
Printer Friendly Recipe
1.5 cups lentils
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup sliced sundried tomatoes
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 shallot, minced
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. good quality extra virgin olive oil
3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Bring a pot of water and the bay leaf to a boil. Rinse and pick over the lentils, and then add them to the boiling water. Cook until soft, about 20-25 minutes.
Drain the lentils and set aside to cool slightly. Toss with the sundried tomatoes, olives and parsley.
Whisk together the shallot, red wine vinegar and dijon. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking constantly until the dressing emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the slightly warm lentils and mix to combine. Top with goat cheese crumbles. Serve at room temperature.
Chipotle Beef Tacos with Caramelized Onions August 2, 2010
Posted by elly in beef, goat cheese, mexican/tex-mex.19 comments
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Rick Bayless recipe. It’s also been a while since I’ve posted anything but chicken lately, apparently. Two birds, one stone!
Mexican Everyday has easily become on of my favorite cookbooks. Tom’s never used it, but he claims it’s one of his, too, since he’s really enjoyed every recipe from it. I do have one small qualm about the book, and that is that several of the recipes ask you to make a significant amount of marinade and “save the rest for another time” rather than just having you make a smaller portion or simply telling you to use, say, 1/2 cup of the marinade found on page 24. Similarly, this recipe calls for a can of chipotles in adobo, asks you to puree them, and then save what you don’t use for later. Instead, I just pureed about 4 chipotles and a little adobo sauce.
At any rate, these tacos were delicious and could not possibly be easier. Who doesn’t like a 1-ingredient marinade? Well, I guess technically this isn’t even a marinade, but I made it one. The chipotle was nice and smoky and spicy and paired wonderfully with the caramelized onions. I topped our tacos with some goat cheese because really, what’s a taco without cheese? The goat cheese was a tangy, cool counterpart to the spicy beef & onions. Quite honestly, I don’t think you need extra salsa or hot sauce because the tacos are flavorful enough, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
These are also fairly healthy. I don’t think I used a whole 3 Tbsp. of oil to be honest and even if you do, it’s less than a tablespoon per person with no other major calorie bombs. Flank steak is quite lean and corn tortillas are perfectly healthy, when they aren’t fried. :)
Chipotle Beef Tacos with Caramelized Onions
Serves 4
Adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
4-5 chipotles in adobo
1 lb. skirt or flank steak
3 Tbsp. canola, divided
2 medium onions, sliced 1/4″ thick
12 warm corn tortillas
sea salt
goat cheese (optional)
Smoky chipotle salsa, bottled salsa, or hot sauce for serving
Puree the chipotles in a small food processor until smooth. Brush each side of the steak with a light smear of the chipotle (go a little heavier on flank steak). Marinate for an hour or two in the fridge or for up to 20-30 minutes on the counter.
Turn the oven to the lowest setting.
Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden but still a little crunchy, about 5 minutes. (I took them a little further, because I prefer my caramelized onions to be a little softer). Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and set in the heated oven.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat, and add the remaining Tbsp. of oil. Once hot, lay in the steak, and cook until it’s done to your liking (3 minutes per side for medium-rare skirt steak, 5 minutes per side for medium-rare flank steak). Let the meat rest (it’s best to do it on a wire rack over a plate or dish in the oven) for 5-10 minutes before slicing against the grain.
Toss the meat with the onions, and season to taste with the salt (about 1 tsp.).
Serve with the warmed tortillas, goat cheese, and salsa.
Pasta with Bacon, Peas, and Goat Cheese March 28, 2010
Posted by elly in goat cheese, pasta.16 comments
A few weeks ago, I realized it had been an absolutely ridiculous amount of time since I’d had goat cheese. Me – Mrs. Goat Cheese herself. Unacceptable. So when I got off the train one evening after work, I walked to a local market, and picked up a log of chevre. I didn’t want anything fancy and I definitely didn’t want anything time consuming (meal prep has been getting shorter and shorter, as you’d imagine), so I decided on a very simple pasta dish that would really make the goat cheese come through.
I love using creamy cheeses for pasta sauces. They give you that luxurious, rich feel, but they aren’t *quite* as bad for you as using heavy cream. And, of course, using a tasty cheese will yield some tasty pasta. This pasta is done in about the same time it takes you to cook the cavatappi, so it couldn’t be any easier. I always have frozen peas on hand, and love tossing them into pasta dishes. I’ve never been one to enjoy a side dish of peas (only if they are made the Greek way with tomato and dill) but I adore them when mixed with pasta, rice, etc.
I’m submitting this over to Ruth at Once Upon a Feast, who’s hosting (and is the original mastermind behind) Presto Pasta Night.
Cavatappi with Goat Cheese, Peas, and Bacon
Serves 2
Printer Friendly Recipe
4 oz. pasta (with some of the cooking water reserved)
3 strips bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup peas
2 oz. goat cheese
2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts (the easiest way to toast them is in a dry skillet until fragrant)
freshly ground pepper and salt if needed
Cook the cavatappi in boiling, salted water until al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking liquid and drain.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and then add the bacon. Once cooked, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a towel. Leave about 2 tsp. of bacon grease in the pan and discard the rest.
Add the garlic to the bacon fat and stir, just until fragrant. Add the pasta, peas and some of the tarchy cooking water (start with just a little bit of the water; you can always add more). Once the peas have warmed through, add the goat cheese and stir until it coats the pasta, adding more pasta water if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with pine nuts and serve.
A Mediterranean Twist on Quesadillas with Salsa and Sour Cream September 24, 2009
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry, goat cheese, healthy.11 comments
Did you know I like this little cheese called goat cheese? Probably not. I mean, it’s not like I *ever* post recipes about it or anything like that…
I know that most people (myself included) think of quesadillas as Mexican, but it’s nice to switch up the filling or accompaniments every once in a while to create something different. I was feeling Mediterranean food one night, and was originally going to make myself a grilled chicken salad, but that sounded boring. Then I was thinking a tahini yogurt dressing would be slightly less boring, but I didn’t have any pitas (and I love my carbs). I remembered I had these tortillas sitting in my freezer, and decided I would do a spin on quesadillas with salsa and sour cream.
The quesadillas are filled very simply with chicken breast and goat cheese. The salsa is a cucumber-tomato-olive-onion relish with a really simple-and-not-too-liquidy olive oil and balsamic dressing. You can cut the cucumbers and tomatoes into a smaller dice to make this more salsa-like, but I didn’t really have the patience that night. The sour cream is a tahini-yogurt sauce that I like on pretty much everything.
These are a bit sloppy to eat (and cutting the relish into a smaller dice would help), but they are delicious. The flavors are pretty simple but they play off each other well, and the relish and tahini sauce are so cool and refreshing. This is a great twist on your standard quesadilla, without being much more time consuming or difficult to make.
Mediterranean Quesadillas
Serves 4
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2 small or medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced cucumber (I don’t bother peeling)
6-8 large kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. tahini
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 large clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 large chicken breast (about 8-10 oz.), cooked and shredded or cubed (I just seasoned mine with salt, pepper, oregano and cooked it on the stove in a little olive oil)
4 oz. goat cheese
4 large flour tortillas
a little olive oil for toasting tortillas
To make the tomato-cucumber relish, mix together the first 7 ingredients (through oil) and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
To make the yogurt-tahini sauce, mix together the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little olive oil to the skillet, or brush the tortillas lightly with oil. Divide the chicken and goat cheese between two tortillas. Place the remaining two tortillas on top, to form a quesadilla. Add the quesadillas to the pan, one at a time, cooking until golden brown on one side. Flip and cook until golden brown on the remaining side. Cut the quesadillas into wedges and serve with the tomato-cucumber relish and tahini-yogurt sauce.
Baby Greens Salad with Roasted Figs, Bacon, and Warm Goat Cheese September 10, 2009
Posted by elly in goat cheese, salads.23 comments
Oh! It has pine nuts and balsamic, too, but the title was already verging on a little longish, don’t you think?
The lovely people at Ile de France were nice enough to send me another sample of cheese, as they’ve done before. Their cheese really are delicious, and I would definitely recommend trying them if you haven’t already. The goat cheese is especially great because as you are prepping dinner, you can eat all the crumbs that fall off the log and/or get stuck to your fingers. And everyone knows that, even if you accidentally eat half the log, calories don’t count when you’re prepping dinner.
I had the idea to make a goat cheese-bacon salad earlier in the week but then I thought it sounded kind of boring. At that point, I was instead going to crust the goat cheese in cornmeal, make a poblano dressing, and add some pepitas (which I’m sure I’ll still do at some point…). But, the day I was actually going to eat the salad, my mind started wandering to thoughts of bacon, as it often does. I mean, really, how could I ever think of bacon and goat cheese, in any shape or form, as boring?
I decided the fate of the salad would rest on whether or not my husband found fresh figs at the market after work. If not, it was back to the southwesterny salad. I crossed all appendages, and I think it worked, because he came home with a small crate of figs.
This salad was so good. I certainly don’t claim to be the first to combine goat cheese and figs, or bacon and greens, but, dammit if I’m not awesome for combining all of those things plus toasty pine nuts into one great salad. Salty bacon, warm cheese, slightly sweet figs, crunchy pine nuts. How can you go wrong, really?
Baby Greens Salad with Roasted Figs, Bacon, and Warm Goat Cheese
Serves 4 as a first course/hefty side
Printer Friendly Recipe
4 ounce goat cheese log
1 egg white
1/3 cup bread crumbs
olive oil (optional)
8 black mission figs, stemmed and cut in half
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar + extra for drizzling
4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
8 cups baby greens
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Season the bread crumbs with a few grinds of pepper. Slice the goat cheese into 8, 1/2 oz. slices. Dip each slice into the egg white, and then into the breadcrumbs, lightly patting to make sure the crumbs adhere all around. Refrigerate or freeze for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, roast the figs. Preheat the oven to 400. Lay the figs cut side up on a baking sheet/pan and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 6 minutes or until soft and slightly caramelized. Reserve any additional balsamic/drippings. You can bake the goat cheese medallions at the same time, if you want, or pan-fry them in a little olive oil, at about the same time you are making the bacon.
Cook the bacon in a clean, dry skillet (you might as well use this pan for toasting the pine nuts, before you cook the bacon). Remove the bacon to some paper towels to drain, leaving behind the fat (drain some if it’s more than 2 Tbsp.). Crumble the bacon.
Off the heat, but while the pan is still hot, add 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar and any drippings from the fig pan. Scrape up anything that may be left on the pan.
Plate your greens, top with the figs, hot goat cheese medallions, crumbled bacon, and pine nuts. Drizzle with the balsamic/bacon dressing.
Bulk up your pasta with some zucchini (and goat cheese, of course) August 6, 2009
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry, goat cheese, healthy, pasta, vegetables.18 comments
Zucchini ribbons.
FINALLY. A reason to dust off my mandoline. I’m the first person to tell you not to buy a kitchen gadget you won’t use very often and yet, I’m also the person who has to stash half my kitchen gadgets in the guest bedroom closet. I got this mandoline…umm, about 2 years ago. I think one time I took it out of the box and pretended like I was going to use it but then…I didn’t.
And I’m not going to lie…using it was kind of a pain. The zucchini did not exactly stay attached to that gripper/slider thing they give you. I think it’s meant more for potatoes and tomatoes than zucchini. So I ended up using my hand and then throwing away part of the zucchini for fear I would grate half my hand into the mix. But I will certainly say that the ribbons were much nicer and more uniform than when I have made similar dishes to this before and I’m going to try to keep the dust off the mandoline.
Zucchini ribbons (or other vegetables sliced thinly) are a great way to bulk up pasta. You can fool yourself into thinking you are eating more pasta, and of course there are the added health benefits. Combined with some chicken sausage for protein and some sundried tomatoes and goat cheese (because both are awesome), this is a great, easy pasta dish. This pasta is done in the time it takes the spaghetti to cook, so it’s perfect for a weeknight, too.
I’m going to submit this over to Ruth from Once Upon a Feast, the lovely creator of Presto Pasta Night!
Zucchini Spaghetti with Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes & Goat Cheese
Serves 2
Printer Friendly Recipe
4 oz. spaghetti (I use whole wheat) with a scant 1/4 cup of cooking liquid reserved
1 Tbsp. olive oil or oil from sundried tomatoes
2 links spicy Italian sausage (I use Trader Joe’s chicken sausage), sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup sliced sundried tomatoes, drained
1 medium to large zucchini, sliced thin julienne
2 oz. goat cheese
fresh basil, to taste, torn or chopped
freshly ground black pepper
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a hefty pinch of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a scant 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, heat the oil and add the sausage. Cook for a couple minutes to brown (I use fully cooked sausage; if you don’t you’ll obviously want to cook until it’s done) and then stir in the garlic and crushed red pepper until garlic is fragrant.
Add the sundried tomatoes and zucchini, tossing and cooking for another minute or two. Add the pasta, goat cheese, reserved cooking liquid, and ground pepper to taste. Toss until everything has combined and the goat cheese and water have made a sauce for the pasta. Scatter the basil over the pasta and serve.
Shrimp Risotto with Goat Cheese, Asparagus and Lemon July 10, 2009
Posted by elly in goat cheese, rice and grains, shrimp/seafood.18 comments
We’re pretty much at the end of asparagus season now and I wanted to make at least one more thing with the gorgeous spears I found. I made this risotto a week or two ago (why yes, I am behind on my blogging…), and it was the perfect way to use up the last bit of my goat cheese and a lemon that had been sitting on my counter with no clear use in mind.
Plus, every time I make anything with shrimp, Tom always says, “mmmm, I love shrimp.” It could be stir-fried in Windex and I’m pretty sure he’d still proclaim, “mmmm, I love shrimp.”
I suppose I am suffering a bit of writer’s block here, but really, sometimes there is not much else to say about food. Here are the basics: the risotto was really delicious, easy to make, and used fresh, seasonal ingredients. I will say this again and again (and again. and again): you don’t need to be complicated; you just need to use good stuff. There is some stirring/watching over the pot involved, of course, so you may not want to make this on a really hot day, but otherwise it’s a great spring or summer risotto.
Oh wait, here’s something – if anyone has any tips for minimizing reflection in white plates, let’s hear ’em. I try not to keep the plates in a direct light source, and it happens with both artificial and natural light. These low bowls are particular nemeses of the non-reflective photo.
Shrimp Risotto with Goat Cheese, Asparagus and Lemon
Serves 2 (but you will probably want a side or an appetizer)
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4-6 asparagus stalks, tough parts removed and the rest cut into 1-2″ pieces
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup diced onion or 1 large shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup vermouth or dry white wine
2-3 cups chicken, shrimp or vegetable broth, kept warm on the stove
2/3 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 oz. goat cheese
Heat a pot of water to a boil, and then drop in the asparagus pieces. Boil for approximately 3 minutes before draining and adding the asparagus to ice cold water to shock it. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a heavy saucepan/skillet. Add the onion or shallot and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic until just fragrant and then add the rice. Stir the rice around for a couple minutes in order to “toast” it.
Add the vermouth/wine. Cook until it’s almost completely evaporated, and then add 1-2 ladels of the broth. Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the broth has been absorbed, and then add another 1-2 ladels. Keep stirring. Just before your rice is cooked al dente, add the shrimp and the lemon juice. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through and the rice is al dente (tender but with a firm bite in the center). Your risotto should be a bit loose – that is, ALL of the liquid should NOT be absorbed like regular rice.
Off the heat, stir in the lemon zest and goat cheese. Stir to combine and season to taste. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 389 / Fat: 10.4g / Saturated Fat: 6.9g / Carbs: 46g / Protein: 26.5g
Buffalo Chicken Salad (sort of) with Goat Cheese Dressing June 21, 2009
Posted by elly in goat cheese, healthy, salads.21 comments
I have moments where I definitely question my foodie status. I hope I’m not shunned from the food community by mentioning these moments, but a few include a preference for milk chocolate over dark (though I like both), liking truffles enough but not being blown away by them, hating cilantro except in incredibly small doses, and not eating blue cheeses.
Are you still with me? Phew.
I guess it goes without saying that I don’t really like blue cheese dressing. Buffalo chicken salads usually come with blue cheese dressing (or the occasional ranch) so I never really order them in a restaurant. But, I was thinking that with the little leftover goat cheese & buttermilk I had in my fridge, I could take the concept of blue cheese dressing and apply it to a goat cheese dressing. If you’ve read my blog at all, you know I have a major love of the goat cheese.
Now, a lot of blue cheese dressings are made with mayo, which I also despise. I decided to use some Greek yogurt instead. It’s still creamy but it’s better on my palate, and healthier, too. Besides the fact that I made goat cheese dressing insead of blue cheese, the reason I say “sort of” in my post title is because I think a buffalo chicken salad usually has things like carrots & celery and not much else, besides lettuce. I did use celery (no carrots), but I also used tomatoes and cucumbers.
Making buffalo sauce is incredibly easy. It’s just a mixture of a red pepper sauce (like Frank’s) and butter. The most common ratio seems to be 1:1 but I like spice (and, conveniently, am not that crazy about saturated fats) so I use more like a 2:1 ratio. It’s really your preference. You just need to heat those two ingredients to your liking in a small saucepan and then just slather on the cooked chicken (which, in this case, was seasoned very minimally with salt & pepper and just cooked stove-top with a little oil).
This was great! The cool, creamy, slightly tangy dressing paired well with the spicy buffalo chicken. Plus, I am all about minimal cooking in the summer.
Goat Cheese Dressing
Enough to dress 2 dinner-sized salads
Printer Friendly Recipe
1 oz. softened goat cheese
2 Tbsp. lowfat buttermilk
3 Tbsp. fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
seal salt & freshly ground pepper
Combine all ingredients with a fork, breaking up the goat cheese to mix it in.
Nutrition Per Serving: Calories: 60 / Fat: 3.1g / Saturated Fat: 2.1g / Carbs: 2.2g / Protein: 5.5g
elly says opa! 