Minted Goat Cheese Salad Food

WATERMELON-CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Soak 1/2 thinly sliced red onion in cold water. Pat dry 4 cups diced watermelon and 1 seeded and sliced cucumber; toss with a handful of thinly sliced mint. Drain the onion, squeeze dry and add to the salad along with some chopped cashews. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and the juice of 1/2 lemon; season with salt and toss. Top with crumbled goat cheese.

GOAT'S CHEESE & BEETROOT SALAD

Steps:

• Thinly slice the beetroot, either with a very sharp knife or on a mandolin. Arrange overlapping slices over four dinner plates.
• Put all the dressing ingredients into a jar, replace the lid, then shake well to mix. Drizzle a little over the beetroot. Slice the goat's cheese into 12 and put 3 slices on top of each serving of beetroot. Toss the salad leaves in a little dressing, then put a small pile of leaves on top of each serving of cheese. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

WATERMELON GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• In a large bowl, gently toss spring mix and watermelon together with vinaigrette.
• Top with goat cheese and hazelnuts to serve.

MINTED SUGAR SNAP PEA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add peas; cook, uncovered, 2-3 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately place in ice water. Drain and pat dry. Cut in half crosswise; place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with goat cheese., In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients. Pour over pea mixture; toss to coat.

BEET, MINT, AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• 1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add beets; return to a boil then reduce heat and cook gently until tender, approximately 15 to 25 minutes. (Miniature beets will take as little as 10 minutes; large beets could take 30 minutes.) Remove pan from heat and allow beets to cool completely in the cooking liquid before draining. (This can take up to one hour, and can also be done up to 1 day in advance - just refrigerate.) Discard the water and slip the beets out of their skins using paper towels to grasp the beets. Trim curly ends, cut beets into wedges; set aside. (Some beets peel more easily than others. Do the peeling over the sink, as it's a messy job. Always slice on a cutting board so as not to stain the countertop.)
• 2. Cut the goat cheese log into disks, about 1/2-inch thick, yielding 8 to 10 rounds. Place the flour on a small plate. Lightly beat the eggs in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the chopped parsley and breadcrumbs. Line up the three plates next to each other. Dip each goat cheese round first in the flour, turning to coat, then in the egg, then in the bread crumbs.
• 3. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. (a nonstick skillet is best for ease in clean-up.) Add the breaded goat cheese rounds and lightly brown both sides. Use tongs to carefully flip rounds. Drain on paper towels.
• 4. Warm the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the beets and cook 3 minutes, stirring to coat. Stir in mint, then lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• 5. To serve: Place salad greens on plates, top with several wedges of beets and 1 or 2 rounds of warm goat cheese. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.

CUCUMBER MINT SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Combine cucumbers, mint, garlic (if using fresh), green onion, and cheese in a bowl.
• Combine olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, and salt (if using) in a screw top jar. Shake until well combined. Pour over salad.
• Enjoy at room temperature or chilled.
• Note: excellent with pita crisps.
• Note: When made for the blog, the dressing was omitted and only half the goat cheese was used (where most of the calories are hiding). Instead, I just used a light olive oil mist, which may not have been necessary. Cucumbers are plenty wet as it is!

STRAWBERRY, AVOCADO, AND GOAT CHEESE SPINACH SALAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients. In a small jelly jar with a tight fitting lid, shake the dressing ingredients until well combined. Pour over the salad right before serving. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

MINTED-GOAT-CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Set aside.
• To make the salad, cut the cheese into 4 slices. Place the mint on a plate and roll the slices in it until thoroughly coated. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine any remaining chopped mint with the lettuce and tomatoes. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top each with a slice of minted cheese. Serve with toasted bread.