Almond Crusted Goat Cheese Salad

I know, a salad for the first recipe of the new year. It may be cliche, but I’m all about the salads this week because I have been feeling so gross from all of the holiday indulgences and I’m SO ready to get back on track ASAP! If I see any more ham, roast beef, pasta, or pizza, I might just lose it.

I had a bit of a craving for goat cheese the other day and decided to use it on a nice winter salad. To make things a little fancier though, I sliced the goat cheese and rolled it in some crushed almonds and lightly toasted them. I tossed some packaged sliced almonds into the food processor for a minute or so until it was broken down into chunky crumbs and rolled the goat cheese in it and toasted them on the stove for a few minutes. It’s really super simple, but seems more elevated which is great if you are having any dinner parties coming up!

I saw a huge display of mandarin oranges outside my store and bought a ton of them. They are so perfect right now and along with those pretty pomegranate seeds, makes this the perfect winter salad! I mixed up an even simpler lemon dressing. If you want to make this more of a meal on its own, you can add grilled chicken and certainly other toppings like tomatoes or sliced avocados.

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Yield: 2-3 servings

Almond Crusted Goat Cheese Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

This perfect winter salad is made with almond crusted goat cheese medallions, mandarin oranges, and pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 large egg
• approx. 5 ounces plain goat cheese log, sliced into 1/3-inch thick slices
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 6 cups mixed greens
• 2 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 3 teaspoons honey
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Add the sliced almonds to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is mostly crumbs, with some larger pieces intact. Alternatively, you can also put the almonds in a bag and crush with a rolling pin.
2. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl. Add the egg to another bowl and beat with a fork. Roll each slice of goat cheese in the almonds, then the egg, and back into the almonds until well-coated.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a non-stick skillet. Heat over medium heat. Add the crusted goat cheese slices and cook for about 2 minutes, watching carefully not to burn. Gently flip each slice over and cook for another 1-2 minutes until lightly golden on the other side. Remove from the pan.
4.  To assemble the salad, arrange the greens in a bowl or salad plates. Divide the mandarin slices and pomegranate seeds evenly amongst each salad (if serving individually). Place the goat cheese slices on top (2-3 per salad).
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and salt. Drizzle over the salad(s) and toss. Serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

3

Serving Size:

2 cups with 2 goat cheese slices
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 507Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 381mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 5gSugar: 15gProtein: 15g

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