Quinoa Goats Cheese Peach Salad Food

SUMMER PEACH SPINACH SALAD WITH AVOCADO, TOASTED ALMONDS + GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinaigrette: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, dijon and salt and pepper. Add a sweetener here if you'd like here too. I always prefer to!
• In a large bowl, add the spinach. Drizzle with desired about of balsamic vinaigrette and toss together to combine. Top salad with peach slices, diced/sliced avocado, red onion, goat cheese crumbles and toasted almonds. Toss very gently again. Serve immediately. Salad serves 4.

QUINOA SALAD WITH BAKED GOAT CHEESE ROUNDS

Steps:

• For the quinoa and goat cheese rounds: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the quinoa with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the hull is visible, about 12 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and set it aside to cool slightly.
• While the quinoa cooks, slice the goat cheese log into eight rounds.
• Add the olive oil to a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the panko and toast, stirring, until golden. Remove the breadcrumbs to a shallow baking dish and let cool slightly.
• Press the goat cheese rounds into the toasted panko, coating them on all sides, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until softened slightly, 4 to 6 minutes. While the goat cheese is baking, make the salad dressing.
• For the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Season with additional salt and pepper.
• For the assembly: Combine the cooked quinoa, salad greens, sliced almonds and dried cherries in a large bowl. Add all or a portion of the dressing, tossing to combine. Plate the salad topped with baked goat cheese rounds and serve immediately.

QUINOA SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, GOAT CHEESE AND BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette: Combine the vinegar, honey and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse a few times to incorporate.
• For the quinoa salad: Bring the salted water or vegetable stock to a boil and add the thyme. Stir in the quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Preheat the grill. Brush the asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on all sides until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl, fold in the asparagus, olives, goat cheese, basil and parsley. Add just enough vinaigrette to moisten the salad; don't make it too wet. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with more of the vinaigrette.

QUINOA SALAD WITH SWISS CHARD AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Remove stems from Swiss chard and chop in 1/2-inch pieces. Chop leaves and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium. Add onion, garlic and chard stems. Sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in quinoa and mustard. Add broth, stir, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and cook on low 15 to 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, uncover and let sit 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining oil on medium-high in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add chard leaves and continue cooking until greens have wilted and no more liquid remains in the skillet.
• Fluff quinoa with a fork. Fold mushrooms and leaves into it.
• The cooked quinoa can be set aside at room temperature for several hours and then served, or reheated to warm or hot. Crumble goat cheese and scatter on top just before serving.

TOMATO AND PEACH SALAD WITH WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir in the red onion and set aside.
• Crumble the goat cheese into the bowl of a food processor and whip until creamy, scraping down the sides of the work bowl as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and lemon zest and whip just until fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste with salt.
• Spread the whipped goat cheese on a large serving platter or in shallow bowl, distributing it evenly using the back of a spoon. Add the tomato wedges, peach wedges and purslane to the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place on top of the whipped goat cheese and serve immediately.

ARUGULA SALAD WITH PEACHES, GOAT CHEESE AND BASIL

Steps:

• In a small sauté pan, toast the pine nuts over medium heat, tossing often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a small liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
• Place the arugula in a large salad bowl. Pour just enough dressing over the greens to moisten, and toss to coat. Add the peaches, basil, goat cheese and toasted pine nuts and toss to coat. Add more goat cheese and dressing if desired. Toss gently and serve immediately.