Warm Goat Cheese & Walnut Salad

This was such a creative idea to bread the cheese and bake it so you have these crispy bites of cheese throughout the salad. I would have added some fruit to this dish such as sliced pears, apples or dried cranberries to add a hint of tart sweetness to the dish as well. But really, it was a delicious salad and we both really enjoyed it.

Warm Goat Cheese & Walnut Salad        

Serves 2

Warm Goat Cheese & Walnut Salad

ingredients

• 2 oz goat cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/8 cup walnuts
• 4-6 cups salad greens (I used chopped Romaine)
• Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

directions

1. Slice the goat cheese into 4 disks, reshaping if they fall apart on you. Dredge in egg then the bread crumbs seasoned with thyme. Place on a plate and set in freezer for at least 15 minutes. I left mine in about 30 minutes give or take.

2. Preheat the oven to 450º. Line a baking sheet with foil coated with nonstick spray. Place the slices of goat cheese on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until golden and the cheese is soft. Remove from the oven and toss the walnuts on the baking sheet. Turn the oven off and toast the nuts just until you start to smell them and they are golden brown. Don't multi-task at this point, nuts burn fast so keep an eye on 'em!

3. Toss the lettuce with the vinaigrette and top the salads with the cheese and toasted walnuts.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
Place 1 Tbsp minced red onion, 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar, 1/4 cup EVOO, S&P in a small jar. Seal the jar and shake until all the ingredients are mixed well. Set aside until ready to toss the lettuce.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Cook This, Not That.