goat cheese

Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Roasted Tomatoes & Toasted Walnuts

| ellenfobrien
spinach salad

Spinach salad benefits from the tang of goat cheese, the bright acidic quality of the roasted tomatoes and the crunch of toasted walnuts. Add grilled chicken and make it an entree!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

ingredients
  • Bag of pre-washed baby spinach
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • 1 cup goat cheese crumbles
  • 3/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted
  • 1/2 purple onion, very thinly sliced
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp each, salt & pepper
  • 2 tbs each grapeseed oil, balsamic vinegar
cooking instructions
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Line a cookie sheet with foil and spread grape tomatoes in a single layer
  • Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
  • On a second lined cookie sheet spread out the walnut pieces
  • Toast the walnuts for 3-4 minutes until they darken slightly; remove the walnuts but leave the tomatoes in the oven
  • Roasting the tomatoes takes about 12 minutes; you want to see the skin begin to pucker slightly
  • In a small bowl mix the oil and vinegar; whisk until the vinaigrette emulsifies
  • Grab a large salad bowl, add the spinach and toss the leaves with the vinaigrette until thoroughly coated
  • Remove the tomatoes and allow to cool for about 3 minutes
  • Add the goat cheese, onions and walnut pieces and toss the entire salad to distribute the ingredients
  • Serve immediately

Variations:

  • Add grilled chicken for an entree presentation
  • Substitute feta cheese if desired (or you cannot find goat cheese crumbles)
  • Use fig balsamic to add a fruity note to your dressing

“Goat Toasties”

| ellenfobrien

Hungry and looking for a quick snack idea? Want to make a tasty and easy starter? Goat cheese toasties are one of my favorites — it’s a variation on bruschetta that is tangy and flavorful. These are also great paired with tomato soup!

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

  • Crusty baguette
  • Olive oil
  • Goat cheese crumbles
  • Roasted garlic (enough to smear toasted bread before covering with goat cheese and melting the cheese)
  • Sprinkle of paprika
  • Pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions:

  • Slice baguette into 1/2″ slices
  • Brush with olive oil (mix pepper and paprka into oil before applying to bread)
  • Toast bread at 350 degrees until golden brown; be careful to keep an eye on the bread–it can easily burn if left unattended!
  • Remove bread from the oven and smear rounds with a thin layer of roasted garlic
  • Cover the rounds with a generous layer of goat cheese crumbles
  • Place bread back into the oven until the goat cheese is toasted and slightly browned; this should take about 10 minutes
  • If desired, garnish with a thin strip of pimento, or sundried tomato (use the type packed in oil)

Note: Roasted garlic is easy to do and this recipe assumes that you have some on hand. Simply take several heads of garlic and slice off the top third–or pre-peeled cloves–drizzle with oil, place in covered, oven safe baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes, until the garlic is easily mashed. I keep roasted garlic on hand for use in recipes; it gives a much richer taste than fresh garlic in recipes and keeps well if kept in a sealed container