Tag Archives: goat cheese

Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta With Roasted Beets

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Polenta is just the best. You can really eat it for any meal, and there are so many ways you can cook it. Some days I’ll make it creamy like I did here, and other days I’ll cook it in the pan to crisp it up. It’s definitely one of my favorite go-to items! I bought this great organic polenta from Whole Foods which cooks in a minute or two, a lot faster than the usual 30-40 minute polenta. Then I mixed in some garlic and herb goat cheese (also from WF Market) which gave it a nice creamy texture. Then for the beets I just simply roasted them in the oven with olive oil. An easy and delicious meal!

Ingredients: (serves 4-5)
1 cup polenta
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons herb goat cheese (plus more for topping)
3 large beets, peeled and cut into small chunks
Fresh herbs for topping (optional, I used some mint I had on hand)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss the beets in some olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until fork tender. When the beets are just about done, make the polenta per the box instructions. The particular brand I bought had me simmer the chicken stock, then add the polenta in a slow stream. Then mixing constantly for a minute or two until it thickened and started to stick to the sides of the pot. One it was done, I turned off the heat and whisked in my goat cheese.

To serve, simply fill up your bowl with polenta and top with the roasted beets, some additional goat cheese, and fresh herbs!

Lemony Goat Cheese & Mushroom Ravioli

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I have a secret to share with you! Two words…. wonton wrappers. Not everyone has time to make pasta from scratch, but still wants something a little more homemade then the stuff you pick up at the grocery store. I love using wonton wrappers as my ravioli pasta, it is so easy and tastes delicious! This time I stuffed them with pan roasted mushrooms and scallions, goat cheese, ricotta, and lots of lemon. This ended up being one of my favorite pasta dishes I have made in a while! I promise they taste better than they photographed…

Seeing the ravioli was so flavorful, I just warmed up some olive oil, lemon, and red pepper flakes to drizzle something simple over the top.

Ingredients (makes about 20 ravioli)

Filling:
Wonton wrappers
7oz goat cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
8-10 baby bella mushrooms, stems removed, chopped
1/3 cup freshly chopped scallions
Juice and zest of (1) small Meyer lemon
Fresh black pepper
Olive oil
Small bowl of water

Sauce:
Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Squeeze of fresh Meyer lemon juice

Cook the mushrooms and scallions over medium heat with some olive oil for about 5 minutes. Once finished, place in a food processor with the goat cheese, ricotta, lemon juice/zest, and a good crack of fresh black pepper. Mix until fully incorporated.

Place the wonton wrappers on a flat surface and top half of them with about a teaspoon of the mushroom filling. You don’t want to over fill them otherwise the filling will leak out. Next, one by one wet the edges of each ravioli with the water, then wet the edges of a (non) filled wonton sheet and place on top. Seal the edges by pressing/pinching firmly. I like to use a pastry cutter to make the edges pretty! Place all the ravioli on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel to help them not dry out until you’re ready to boil them. In a large pot of boiling salted water, drop in half of the ravioli and let cook until pasta is soft, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

For the topping, just cook the olive oil, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes for 1-2 minutes on the stove, and pour over top the pasta when serving. I also added some fresh shaved Parmesan cheese and a little more black pepper.

Beet Carpaccio With Oranges, Goat Cheese & Chive Vinaigrette

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I normally roast beets when I eat them, but chioggia beet are just so beautiful when you slice them raw, that I wanted to make something a little more special with them to showcase the gorgeous colors and patterns they have. I decided to slice them very thin with my mandolin and make a vegetarian “carpaccio” with a tangy chive vinaigrette to go with it. It was delicious! The sweet oranges, creamy goat cheese, and tangy dressing were great together. And the whole meal only took about 15 minutes!

Ingredients: (serves two)

Chive Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
Pepper

Other:
2 medium beets, sliced very thin
2 medium oranges (I used tangelos) sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
4 tablespoons goat cheese

Start by making the vinaigrette. Add the chives, mustard, vinegar, honey, and pepper to a food processor and blend well. With the motor still running, slowly add in the olive oil. Set aside. Next, thinly slice your beets, preferably with a mandolin if you have one. Place them on a plate slightly overlapping each other. Peel the oranges down to the flesh, (removing all of the white) and cut them crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Add those to the plate as well as the shaved carrots. Drizzle with chive vinaigrette and top with rumbled goat cheese!

 

Potato Kale & Goat Cheese Galette With Spiced Honey

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You can pretty much turn any ingredients into a yummy galette! I’ve used a variation of root vegetables in the winter months, and fresh berries in the summer. You can’t really go wrong! The hardest part I think is the crust- it’s important that the butter is very cold when you’re working with it, otherwise the dough will just crumble when you’re rolling it out. A great trick which I recently learned, is to roll the dough out on a large piece of saran wrap then simply flip it over onto your baking sheet when ready! It really helps it from breaking on you.

This one recipe that I threw together tonight was really delicious, but I do think I will add more cheese next time to make the inside gooey-er. I’m thinking if I mix the goat cheese with a 1/2 cup or so of ricotta cheese then it will add a nice texture. I also added some spiced honey which I bought at Bedford Cheese Shop in Brooklyn (or you can buy here) which I thought added a fun kick to it. You could always use plain non-spicy honey as well.

Ingredients:

Dough-
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup semolina flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
3 tablespoons ice water

Other:
3 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 small bunch kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
2 ounces goat cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Spiced (or regular) honey, to drizzle

To make the dough, place the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and salt into the food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter (make sure it is cold!) and pulse until the mixture is combined and the texture resembles small peas. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time while pulsing, you will know it is done when it sticks together without crumbling. Beware of over mixing! Place dough on a lightly floured surface and form into a disk shape. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sliced potatoes on a baking sheet with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. In the meantime, toss the kale in some olive oil and saute for about 5 minutes.

Remove dough from the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface until you have a 12 inch circle. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and put back in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes. Assemble your galette by starting with a layer of potatoes, leaving a 1-2 inch boarder around the edges. Next add the kale, followed by the goat cheese. Repeat with 3 ingredients. Gently fold the sides of the dough over the edges. Place in oven for 30 minutes, then remove and drizzle with honey. Let cool for 5 minutes before eating!

Kale Pesto Pizza With Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese

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I make pizza at home a lot, but I have never tried adding beets before! It wasn’t what I expected, and I loved it. I think it especially tasted great with the kale pesto and goat cheese. I had also never used whole wheat dough before, and was actually a pretty big fan! It added a nice flavor that complimented the rest of the ingredients. Overall a pretty delicious (and healthier than usual) pizza!

Ingredients- (Adapted from A Passionate Plate)

Kale Pesto:
1 small bunch of kale
3 garlic cloves, roasted
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Other:
Whole wheat pizza dough
4 small beets, roasted and sliced
2 small Yukon potatoes, sliced
Goat cheese
Small handful pine nuts, toasted
Olive oil, for drizzle

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice beets in half and place in an aluminum foil “pouch” with the garlic and drizzle with some olive oil. Cook for 20 minutes in the oven or until the beets can easily be pierced with a knife. I used small candied beets so they cooked faster than say a regular size beet which could take 40 minutes or so. While those cook, thinly slice the potato and simultaneously cook those in the oven for 10 minutes, or until slightly browned. In the meantime, de-stem the kale and blanch it for 30 seconds in boiling water, then transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Squeeze out the excess water and place in a food processor with the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, lemon juice, and roasted garlic from the oven. Blend until you have a pesto consistency, then salt and pepper to taste.

Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface. Spread some of the kale pesto, then top with the roasted potatoes, beets, and goat cheese. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until the crust is slightly browned. Top with some fresh pepper and toasted pine nuts. I also drizzled a little olive oil to finish it off, but this is optional. Enjoy!

Potato and Shiitake Tart With Truffled Goat Cheese

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Pretty much anything you put on puff pastry is going to be great- it’s buttery, flaky, and delicious! So when I got some potatoes and mushrooms in my bag I thought I would experiment a little. This tart took about 30 minutes from beginning to end and was delicious. I think next time I will add more mushrooms and use some colorful purple potatoes as well. I actually thought I had purple potatoes because the skin had a purple tint, but they were white when I cut them open so not sure what type they were! Either way they were good. Next time I make this I think I will also roast the sliced potatoes in the oven first so they get a little browned before adding them to the tart. Th potatoes will look prettier that way. In the end I topped it with some fresh miner’s lettuce to add some nice color, but you could use other greens such as arugula.

Ingredients:
1 box puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 large potato, thinly sliced
1/2 large shallot, chopped
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and cut into chunks
5 ounces truffled goat cheese (I used half)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Truffle oil, for drizzle (optional)
Handful of pretty greens- such as miner’s lettuce or arugula- for topping

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the thawed dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment. I sprinkled a little flour to help the dough from sticking. With a knife, make a 1/2 inch border around the tart, without going through to the other side. Poke some holes in the center of the tart with a fork to let the heat escape while cooking. Brush with the egg and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden. You will see that it puffs up a lot when it cooks, but don’t worry! When you remove it from the oven, poke a few additional holes with a sharp knife then while wearing oven mitts, gently press down on the dough to release the air- it will flatten.

In a pot of boiling water, cook the potatoes until fork tender. Careful not overcook them! Alternatively, you could also drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until they start to brown- which is what I will try next time. Remove and set aside. Add some olive oil to a pan and cook the shallots for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue for another 5 minutes until softened and cooked through. When the dough is ready, top with the potatoes, followed by the mushroom and shallot mixture. Break up the cheese and add as much as you like. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Once removed, drizzle with some truffle oil, fresh ground pepper, and a small handful of greens. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Kale Salad with Peaches, Tomato, and Goat Cheese

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This was one of the best kale salads I ever made! I was inspired when my sister made a peach and tomato salad over the weekend, it was perfect for summer and absolutely delicious. I had some fresh kale, tomatoes, and peaches, so all I had to pick up was the goat cheese. It took about 15 minutes to make and was the perfect mix of sweet and sour.

Ingredients: (makes 2 small salads)
2 large kale leaves, stems removed and julienned
1 large peach, chopped
1/2 large tomato, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
Goat cheese
Salt and pepper

Start by removing the thick stems from the center of the kale. Lay the leaves on top of each other, roll it up, and cut thin slices. Add to a large bowl and set aside. Next make the dressing- add the olive oil, cider vinegar, and maple syrup to a small bowl and whisk well. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the kale and massage it into the kale with your hands for a minute or so- this will help the dressing to soak into the kale and also break down the kale a little so it’s not as tough. Chop the peaches and tomatoes, add it to the bowl of kale, and set aside for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, cut a few slices of goat cheese and add it to a pan over medium heat. You’ll know it’s done when the bottom of the cheese starts getting a little golden brown (about 3 minutes.) Also chop a small handful of almonds and toast those in a separate pan until golden as well. To serve, place kale in a dish and top with the warm goat cheese and toasted almonds!