Archives for April 2012

We took a road trip down to Newport on Sunday and it was amaaaazing. Zan and I decided if the weather was nice, we would take a drive somewhere for the day, and well, the weather was beautiful so off we went to Rhode Island– the Ocean State!

On our way we passed a farm, and I was so in awe by all the animals that I made Zanner turn around so I could snap some photos.

GOATS!!

This animal alone made me more excited than any other. They are too cute, plus I am absolutely 100% in LOVE with goat cheese, so this just seemed like fate for me to run into these little cuties. You could tell they got fed by tourists a lot because they literally came right up to the fence, put their hooves up and stood on their hind legs.

This made me half scared, half in love.

Is this even possible? Well, it happened to me, so I guess it is possible.

Do you like goat cheese? For me it is like the cheese to end all cheeses. Delicious beyond delicious. A blend of creamy, tangy goodness that is like no other. You following me?

Anyways, I thought I’d share three of my go-to recipes with my all time favorite cheese. The first two are a cinch, the last one is a full-on project, but absolutely worth it.

Spinach Salad with Homemade Raspberry Vinegarette

Bag of baby spinach

Handful of craisins (or in the summer I like to use fresh strawberries!)

Candied walnuts

Quarter log (4 oz.) of goat cheese

Mix all the dry ingredients together and top with my favorite homemade raspberry vinegarette recipe.

SO GOOD!

Goat Cheese Mac and Cheese (via Rachel Ray)

Ingredients

3/4 pound macaroni pasta

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 9 ounce bag  spinach

Salt and pepper

6 ounces goat cheese, broken into chunks

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, spinach and the reserved pasta water and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir into the pasta along with the goat cheese. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the walnuts on top.

YUMMM-O.

Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Goat Cheese Enchiladas (sent from Zan’s cousin Cassidy)

This recipe makes approximately 10 enchiladas

For the filling:

1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed, drained (refried is good for creamy-ness- add hot sauce for extra kick and/or garlic)

2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes (mashed or cubed into small chunks- can add hot sauce here if desired, I add a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar to boost sweetness)

1/2 cup chopped roasted green chilies (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1 average-size package goat cheese or cream cheese

To Assemble:

1 can green enchilada sauce (I mix in 1-2 Tbsp sour cream, but that’s optional)

2-4 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, as needed

10 small corn tortillas

1.5-2.5 cups Shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar (depending on how cheesy)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Choose a baking dish that would hold 10 enchiladas.

Using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and hot sauce (if using). Toss to coat the beans and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the lightly smashed sweet potatoes with the chopped green chilies (or hot sauce and maple syrup); add the spices.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the Enchilada Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Grab a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them – one at a time – as you stuff each one.

Lay the first hot tortilla in the sauced baking dish; wet it with the sauce. Spoon 1/10 of the sweet potato mixture down the center. Top with 1/10 of goat cheese. Top with 1/10 of the black beans. Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce. If you like, top with shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Serve with sliced lettuce, sour cream, and hot sauce.

Serves 5.

Super, Suuuuper DELICIOUS.

One of these days I hope to do a whole blog post dedicated to the enchiladas (photos and all).

They are A-MAZING.

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A bit of goat cheese, on or in anything, is a little slice of heaven. This I am sure. Do you agree with me? Have any special recipes I should know about? If so, pass them along s’il vous plait– share some goat cheese love!