Pear and Goat Cheese Salad

This salad was a hit on Christmas day.  The Bosc pear with the Goat Cheese and simple, simple lemon viniagrette, tossed lightly with mixed greens was the perfect way to start our large family gathering.

Pear and Goat Cheese Salad

1 Bosc Pear, pitted, sliced thin wedges
6 oz plain goat cheese, crumbled small
1 head butter/bibb lettuce, or mixed mesclun
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
9 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste





I'm a huge fan of the Costco mesclun mix, which includes several delicate varieties of lettuces, and also has a really nice color and texture variation.  If you can't find that, one to two small heads of delicate lettuce varieties work well (butter and bibb lettuce are two really nice options).

Rinse and spin or blot lettuce dry.  In a large serving/salad bowl, place lettuce.  If lettuce is in larger leaves, tear into 2-3" pieces for a more rustic presentation than chopping.  These smaller varieties of lettuce often don't require chopping, however, so if you can leave it in its original state - all the better. 

At this point, season lightly with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.  In a small bowl, combine fresh lemon juice with olive oil.  This should be a 1 to 3 ratio of lemon juice to olive oil.  Then add a little salt and pepper, and using a fork or small whisk, mix the dressing into an emulsion, whereby the lemon juice and olive oil are not separated but fully incorporated. 

Drizzle about 1/2 of the dressing over the lettuce, and toss lightly to incorporate.

Top salad with Bosc pear slices and crumbled goat cheese.  Serve remaining dressing on the side.  I also served extra cheese crumbles in a small ramekin so that my guests could further dress their salad.

This salad got high praises from all of the guests.  The subtle sweet of the pear against the acid of the lemon viniagrette and savory goat cheese was a really nice balance.

Flank Steak Fajitas Adobo on Black Bean and Goat Cheese Tostadas

We celebrated my dad's 63rd birthday last weekend.  My dad is from south Texas, so Tex-Mex food is in his blood.  What better way to celebrate than to make everyone some healthy, super yummy Fajita Tostadas??

Flank Steak Fajitas Adobo

1 large flank or skirt steak (1.5 - 2 lbs)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup lime juice (3-4 limes)

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp ancho or new mexico chili powder

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

ground black pepper

Blend all ingredients but steak in a blender until a smooth paste.  Coat all sides of steak, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight, turning 1-2 times.

Place flank steak on direct high heat, searing for 3 minutes per side.  Spoon 1-2 tbsp of leftover marinade on meat when flipping over.  Grill one more minute for rare or 2 minutes per side for medium rare.  Let steak rest under foil for at least 5 minutes on a cutting board or in a baking dish.

Thinly slice steak across the grain in thin strips (about 1/8"), and place in warmed serving dish.

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Tostadas

I think I have covered these before, but the final product was dressed more for this occasion, so I'll repost and add what changed.  This served 7 adults, so I will put in the quantities that fed our number of people.  Generally, 1 to 2 tostadas per person is a good estimate.

12 8" whole wheat tortillas

2 tsp olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

8 oz plain goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 head romaine lettuce, thin chopped

4 roma tomatoes, diced

6 scallions, thin sliced

2 limes, cut in wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover oven rack with foil, to provide optimal area for tortillas to cook quickly.  If you're only making a few, you can use a baking sheet, but this is a great idea for larger quantities.

Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with cooking spray, and place in oven.  Bake until lightly puffed and brown, about 10 minutes.

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Stir in beans, and heat until warmed through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, and turn off heat.

Top tortillas with beans and cheese crumbles; bake until cheese is melty, about 5 minutes.  Remove from oven, and set out for guests.  Make lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, lime wedges and Fajitas Adobo available for each person to create their own tostada.

Enjoy!

Turkey and Goat Cheese Lasagna - aka Mouth Nirvana

If I had to choose one recipe that was a favorite, especially a crowd favorite, indelibly inked in people's food memory...this one would be at the top of the list. I have altered this recipe over the last 4 to 5 years in several ways, but hands down, this has the balance of acidity to cheesiness, and a decadence and aromatic quality from the goat cheese that while "there" doesn't scream its presence. I just LOVE this recipe. Thank you, Ina Garten, you're a genious, and carry the key to my culinary heart.

Turkey and Goat Cheese Lasagna

Here's what I used:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (recipe calls for sweet italian sausage)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
kosher salt
black pepper
2/3 box lasagna noodles (the amount I end up using)
15 oz ricotta cheese
4 oz goat cheese (plain or seasoned)
1 cup grated parmesan
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Here's what I did:

Preheate oven to 400 degrees.

Fill a glass baking dish (wide enough for lasagna noodles) with hot, hot tap water. Add lasagna noodles, and allow to "par boil" for about 20 minutes. This allows you to skip the step of boiling the noodles...

In a large skillet over medium heat, I cooked the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Then I added the garlic, allowed to cook for 1 minute, and then added turkey meat. I cooked this until the pink was gone from the meat, and then added the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 1/2 the parsley, 1 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of pepper. I then allowed the sauce to simmer while preparing the other portions.

Combine ricotta, goat cheese, parmesan, egg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and remaining parsley together, and allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes (this will make it easier to spread).

In a 9x12 baking dish, ladle 1/3 of the sauce, and then lay 1/2 of the noodles. Follow with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, 1/2 the mozzarella slices, and then another 1/3 of the sauce. Finally, add the remaining noodles, spread with the remaining ricotta, mozzarella and sauce. At this point, I sprinkle another small amount, maybe 1/4 cup of parmesan overtop.

Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling and cheese is melted.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts & Mashed Turnips

Life has been crazy lately. Work has blown up, and so creative meals have lately become slim in my home. BUT, this past Saturday I DID put together a recipe and shopping list completely comprised of recipes from my South Beach Cookbook.

The one I made last night was easily one of the most tasty and succulent chicken recipes I've ever made. Sooo juicy and oozing melted goat cheese. YUMM.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Here's what I used:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz goat cheese
1/2 lb. fresh spinach, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp olive oil

Here's what I did:

Preheated oven to 400 degrees.

First I rinsed my chicken breasts and patted them dry. Then I cut a pocket into the side of each breast with a sharp paring knife, 1" from the back and sides of breast, but deep enough to fit my filling. I seasoned the inside and outside (both sides) with salt and pepper.

Next, I added 2 tbsp of olive oil into a skillet, and added my garlic. I let the garlic cook for about a minute on medium heat, until fragrant, and then added the spinach leaves. I allowed the leaves to wilt and turn dark, about 6-8 minutes, stirring regularly to allow all leaves to heat up.

Once my spinach was wilted, I brought my skillet over to the counter and divided it into two portions. Using my kitchen tongs, I added 1/2 of the spinach to each chicken breast pocket. Then I cut the goat cheese into several 1/8" or so slices, and added that on top of the spinach in the pocket. Finally, I pressed the top of the pocket down firmly over the filling to meld the ingredients together.

Reusing the same skillet as before, I added the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium-high heat. I carefully added the chicken breasts to the skillet, careful to keep ingredients together in the chicken. Cooked the chicken for 3 minutes per side, and then placed them on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Then placed the sheet in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

If you like to use a thermometer, the chicken breast should register at about 160 degrees. Allowing it to rest outside of the oven, it will still cook a few more minutes, and the juices will remain in the bird.

Mashed Turnips

Here's what I used:

3 turnips, skinned and cubed
1/4 cup mexican cheese blend
1/4 cup fat free (or regular) sour cream
S, P & Garlic Powder

Here's what I did:

Added cubed turnips to large pot of boiling water. Allowed to cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes or so. Drained and set back on stove top to evaporate any remaining water off turnip cubes. Added cheese, sour cream and seasonings and then mashed liberally with a potato masher. Alternately, you could mash with the bottom of a drinking glass or use a food processor to reach desired consistency. I like a slightly chunky texture, so I did about 15-20 good mashes, and then allowed more liquid to cook off. After about 10 minutes on low heat, most of the turnip liquid had cooked off.

I didn't tell my husband what this was. I think he assumed lumpy potatoes. I KNEW if I told him they were turnips he wouldn't eat them!! So instead he said "what is this? its good!" I laughed and told him turnips. He didn't even know what they were - but that would have been enough for him to NOT eat them.

Review wise, this one was strong. We both commented that the moisture in the chicken easily rivalled a great restaurant, and definitely beat most. There is such a fear of undercooking chicken that it is often overcooked, stringy and dry. Not these bird boobs. They were awesome. And the goat cheese oozed out with the delicately garlic flavored fresh spinach. Very, very good.

Chicken Chevre with Creamy Basil Polenta

This chicken recipe is soooo SIMPLE. It packs a gourmet punch without the effort or skill required. Sounds perfect to me. Also, I have never tried to make my own polenta, but its so inexpensive (corn meal and chicken stock, basically) and a very yummy, different starch to serve. It only takes about 15 minutes to make, too!

The original Barefoot Contessa recipe requires skin-on chicken breasts (which is the BETTER way to do this), but another way to do it, is to cut, lengthwise, into the top 1/3 of the chicken breast (skinless) and stuff it that way, being sure to smooth the flap back over the stuffing when finished and before oven time.

Chicken w/ Herbed Goat Cheese & Basil

Here's what I used:

3 skinless chicken breasts
4 oz Herbed Goat Cheese (Chevre, en francaise)
6 large, fresh basil leaves
3-4 tbsp good olive oil
S&P

Here's what I did:

Preheated oven to 375 F. Cut 1/3 lengthwise slit into chicken breasts to create a pocket for my stuffing. Seasoned entire chicken breast with S&P. Sliced the Chevre (cheese) into 6 or so pieces, and laid them inside pocket, followed by 2 basil leaves each. Smoothed top flap of chicken back over top of stuffing. Drizzled generously with olive oil. Let bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

ALTERNATIVELY:  Carefully separate three sides of the skin off of a bone-in, skin-on breast, and place cheese and basil leaves underneath.  Replace skin overtop the cheese and basil, and season.  Amazing.

~

Creamy Basil Polenta

Here's what I used:

1 cup cornmeal
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
1 tbsp julienned basil (roll into cigar shape, and cut widthwise)
S&P

Here's what I did:

Brought chicken stock and garlic to a boil in large nonstick stockpot. Once boiling, brought down to med/low heat, and slowly added cornmeal, whisking constantly to break up lumps. I then turned my flame down to low, and stirred constantly for 7 minutes. If you leave it, the polenta will burn/stick to bottom of pot, so you really have to watch it. Then, with a spatula, I mixed in the parmesan, cream cheese, basil and S&P.

I served the polenta immediately. Its not something that you can easily reheat, so make sure you time it towards the end of your meal preparation, and once your protein is nearly done. I added a large dollop to each plate, and then set my chicken breasts on top. I think this also would have been great with some sort of drizzle, so I might try that next time.

For reviews, my husband liked the chicken, as always. It is a meal favorite of ours. On the polenta, I don't think he's ever had it before. He did say it was a lot like mashed potatoes, but could have used a bit of a kick. I suppose I could add red pepper flake or maybe a touch more black pepper next time. I have no review from Sydney, due to the fact that she passed out cold at 6pm...about 20 minutes after we arrived home. I'm guessing growth spurt or missed 2nd nap. We missed her last night.

Black Bean & Cherry Tomato Dip with Goat Cheese

My husband was playing golf last night, so it was just the girls. Sydney, myself, and our two dogs, Jazmyn and Madison. Since it was just us, I made snacks, which is something I love to do. I'm a grazer by nature; I love the variety that snacks offer. That said, I'm in dire need of FOOD, I haven't shopped for this week, so the kitchen is "running on empty". I still found a way to have a yummy snack AND satisfy the picky Ms. Sydney.

Sydney got baked Sweet Potato Fries. Yes they came from a bag in the freezer. (gasp). Sue me, it was easy, she'd eat it, and we HAD it.

I made a variation of an Ina Garten recipe, her's was entitled "Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes". I had fresh cherry tomatoes from my neighbor's garden, and a can of black beans, so this recipe fit the intent of my ingredients. I also had some left over goat cheese. YUMM.

Here's what I used:

2 tbsp good olive oil
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12-14 cherry tomatoes, rough chopped
1/3 cup chicken stock
S&P

Here's what I did:

I added the olive oil to a sauce pan and put on medium heat. Once hot, I added my shallot, and allowed to soften for about 5 minutes, added garlic, and cooked for 1 minute. Then I added my black beans, tomatoes and chicken stock. I was going for a dip-like consistency, so took out my potato masher, and gave the whole mix about a dozen mashings. I let this cook down until it reached the consistency of hummus. At this point, I added S&P to taste and adjusted accordingly. I'm not shy on flavor, so I probably added a good tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper...but adjust to your liking.

I then used a spatula to transfer all my hot yummy dip to a bowl, and crumbled about 2 oz. of goat cheese on top. I enjoyed my dip with some whole grain flatbread crackers w/ the little seeds on top. It was SO YUMMY!!!

No reviews for this one other than mine. I loved it. It hit the spot. Sydney was not a fan, but I didn't expect her to be. It was mine, all mine. I think I'll have some for lunch wrapped in a spinach wrap. Ooooh, the possibilities. It would also be AWESOME as a burger topper, for those that like to add, add, add to their burgers.