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.
Almond Crusted Goat Cheese Salad
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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:
3Serving Size:
2 cups with 2 goat cheese slicesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 507Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 381mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 5gSugar: 15gProtein: 15g