Baked Goat Cheese and Maple Balsamic Salad

I'm pretty sure you could put goat cheese on anything and I would eat it, so this warm goat cheese salad with maple balsamic dressing is perfect for me! What a delicious way to get your intake of dark leafy greens! The goat cheese adds a touch of warmth to the salad and the maple syrup in the dressing compliments to goat cheese wonderfully. I used regular bread crumbs this time around, but next time I would use panko bread crumbs (japanese bread crumbs). Panko is great for breading as it adds a great light and crispy texture. Panko bread crumbs are a great investment, as they are great for breading all kinds. They work particularly well for chicken strips! This salad also has a naturally beautiful presentation and would be great to serve as an appetizer for guests at a dinner party. This recipe is a variation on one from the cookbook Simply Soups, Salads, and Sweets a wonderful cookbook filled with lots of everyday recipes with simple ingredients.

Tip: For precision and a clean cut, use dental floss to cut the goat cheese.

Tip: For extra flavour, try a garlic and herb goat cheese.

Tip: Next time you reach for a bottle of salad dressing at the grocery store, ask yourself if you could make it at home. Most dressings are very simple and quick to make. If you make it yourself, you also know that there are no extra fat and preservatives hiding in it. And lets face it, do you really need another dressing bottle taking up space in your fridge?

Ingredients:

Baked Breaded Goat Cheese

4 round slices of goat cheese (1 inch thick)

dry bread crumbs (enough to coat the 4 slices of cheese)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

mixed salad greens

Maple Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp grainy mustard

pepper to season

Directions:

1. Place the vegetable oil in a dish that will hold the four cheese slices in one layer. Place the cheese in the oil and let sit in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, turning once.

2. Coat the cheese evenly in breadcrumbs and refrigerate for 10 minutes or until ready to bake.

3. Preheat oven at 400ºF, with a cookie sheet already in the oven while heating. When the cookie sheet is very hot, place the coated cheese slices on it. Brown the cheese on one side and then turn it over to brown the other side.

4. While cheese is browning prepare the dressing. Whisk dressing ingredients together and toss with salad. Arrange on 4 individual plates and place a hot round of goat cheese in the centre of each plate. Season with pepper.