Yellow Tomato and Goat Cheese Ravioli

I picked up a large yellow tomato at the farmers market and used it to make this yellow tomato and goat cheese ravioli and a salad of yellow tomatoes on a bed of mixed greens.

Yellow Tomato and Goat Cheese Ravioli
Serves 4


1/2 cup diced yellow tomatoes
2 ounces goat cheese
1 package cheese ravioli
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Fresh basil
Salt and pepper

1. Cook ravioli according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper.
3. Toss ravioli with olive oil mixture, yellow tomatoes, and goat cheese. Top with cracked pepper and fresh basil.

Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

A little bit of goat cheese goes a long way in this unique bruschetta.

Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Makes about 15 pieces

1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
2 roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
2 ounces goat cheese
1 baguette
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Slice zucchini and yellow squash. Drizzle olive oil and top with salt and pepper.
2. Roast zucchini and yellow squash at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring once.
3. Meanwhile, cut baguette into 1 inch slices.
4. Bake baguette slices at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, dice roasted zucchini, yellow squash, and red peppers. Combine with red onion, crushed red pepper, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
6. Flip baguette slices over. Spread each piece with small amount of goat cheese.
7. Top baguette slices with vegetable mixture.
8. Bake for 5 minutes more at 375 degrees.

Goat Cheese Potato Salad

Goat cheese makes a tangy sauce for these multicolored potatoes from Trader Joe's. This is best served warm topped with fresh parsley.

Goat Cheese Potato Salad
Serves 4

1 bag multicolored small potatoes
2 ounces goat cheese
2 tablespoons half and half
2 tablespoons mayo with olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley

1. Cut potatoes into wedges. Place in salted boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile, mix together goat cheese, half and half, mayo, salt, and pepper. Add a few tablespoons of the water the potatoes are cooking in. Stir until creamy, adding more water if needed.
3. Drain potatoes. Immediately mix with goat cheese sauce. Serve topped with freshly cracked pepper and fresh parsley.

Mini Peppers Stuffed with Herbed Goat Cheese

I was first introduced to stuffed mini peppers at my godmother's wedding. They make an elegant appetizer. Be warned--these are a bit tedious and time consuming to assemble. I think they are definitely worth it.

Mini Peppers Stuffed with Herbed Goat Cheese
Makes 10

10 mini peppers, assorted colors
5 ounce goat cheese log
Fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, chives, thyme, or sage
Cracked black pepper

1. Let goat cheese sit out about 10 minutes to soften. Mix with herbs and pepper.
2. Cut top of peppers almost all the way through, leaving top slightly attached.
3. Carefully remove seeds from inside the peppers.
4. Stuff each pepper with 1/10 of the goat cheese mixture.
5. Press top back on pepper.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Honey Sweet Potatoes and Watercress Salad

Sweet potatoes make a great, unexpected salad addition. They pair best with dark green leaves, such as spinach, arugula, or watercress.

Honey Sweet Potatoes and Watercress Salad
Serves 2

1 sweet potato
1 bunch of watercress
1 ounce goat cheese
2 tablespoons walnuts
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut sweet potato into strips, leaving skin on. Toss with olive oil, red pepper, honey, salt, and pepper.
2. Roast sweet potatoes at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes. In last ten minutes of cooking, check frequently to make sure potatoes don't burn.
3. Combine sweet potatoes with watercress, goat cheese, and walnuts. Toss with lemon juice.

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli

I've encountered versions of this recipe at many restaurants, most recently at Feast in Wicker Park, Chicago. Feast serves this in a sage brown butter sauce, but I prefer sage and olive oil. This is a great dinner party recipe!

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli
Serves 2

10 medium ravioli
1/2 cup diced butternut squash
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons sage, dried or fresh
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cracked black pepper

1. Roast butternut squash at 400 degrees, about 30 minutes.
2. Cook ravioli according to package directions.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over low heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add sage and pepper and cook a few minutes more.
4. Mix ravioli, sage mixture, and remaining olive oil together. Add goat cheese and stir just to combine. Serve.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Pepper Crepes with a Bechamel Sauce

After I finished this recipe, I found myself wishing I'd made twice as much. The recipe that follows makes four crepes, but you may want to adjust based on how hungry you are. Making crepes from scratch is a time consuming process. Make this on a night you're feeling ambitious. It's worth it!

This recipe has three parts--the batter, the filling, and the sauce. Joy of Cooking, one of my favorite resources for basic recipes, inspired the batter and sauce recipes. The filling is my own. I replaced the butter called for in the Joy of Cooking with extra virgin olive oil for a unique flavor and reduced saturated fat.

Olive Oil Crepes
Makes 4 large crepes
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 eggs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for making crepes
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Combine in a bowl and mix until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.

2. Add about a teaspoon of olive oil to a medium non stick pan. (It's next to impossible to make crepes in a pan that isn't non stick.) Heat over medium heat.
3. Add 1/4 of batter to pan. Quickly tilt pan so that batter coats bottom of pan. Cook until crepe bubbles and bottom is slightly browned.

4. With a large plastic turner, flip crepe over and cook on other side for about 2 minutes more.

5. Repeat with remaining 3 crepes. Keep crepes warm in oven heated to 250 degrees.


Bechamel Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
Sprinkle of Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 thick slices of onion
2 bay leaves

1. Add olive oil to small sauce pan. Whisk in flour until well blended.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk in milk.
3. Return to heat and bring to a simmer. Add nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and bay leaves. Whisk frequently.
4. Remove bay leaves and onion before serving.

Crepe Filling
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 ounce goat cheese
1/2 a white onion, diced
2 roasted red and yellow peppers, diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add red and yellow peppers, cottage cheese, goat cheese, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat until warm.

To make crepes: place 1/4 of filling in each crepe. Roll up. Top with bechamel sauce.

Roasted Vegetables with Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Roasted vegetables are a great winter option. While this recipe is versatile enough to use with any vegetables you have on hand, I recommend always including onions to get the best flavor. Adding potatoes to the mix makes this substantial enough to be a main dish. I paired these vegetables with goat cheese bruschetta for a easy side dish.

Roasted Vegetables
Serves 4


5 small Yukon gold potatoes
2 small blue potatoes
1 medium white onion
2 carrots, pealed
1 green pepper
4 whole garlic cloves, pealed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper
Salt

1. Coarsely chop all vegetables except garlic.
2. Combine with olive oil, red pepper, whole garlic cloves, and salt.
3. Roast at 450 degrees 20-30 minutes.

Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Serves 2


2 small ciabatta rolls, cut in half
1/2 cup store bought bruschetta mixture
1 ounce goat cheese

1.) Spread goat cheese on ciabatta.
2.) Top with bruschetta mixture.
3.) Put in oven when the vegetables have 10 minutes longer to cook.

Creamy Pasta--Chicken Optional

When I'm trying to make a meal for my meat-loving husband, but I'm just not in the mood for meat, pasta with chicken is a great option. The chicken is easily prepared on a skillet and can be tossed on individual servings. That way, I can add chicken to his dish and keep mine vegetarian.

Creamy Goat Cheese Tomato Penne with Chicken
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups penne pasta
1 chicken breast
2 oz goat cheese
1/2 of an onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter, divided
Salt and pepper

1. Boil pot of water and cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon each into 2 skillets
3. In the first skillet, add chicken breast. Cover with salt and pepper.
4. Cook chicken in butter until golden brown and cooked through.
5. In second skillet, add onion and saute until translucent.
6. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper to onions. Cook until chicken and pasta are done, about 10 minutes.
7. Add goat cheese to sauce and remove from heat.
8. Toss pasta with sauce. Top with chicken.

Holiday Pomegranate Salad

This salad is a family favorite for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It also makes a great meal served with soup and crusty bread. Seeding a pomegranate is a time consuming process. For about twice the price of a whole pomegranate, you could buy pomegranate seeds ready to go. 

Pomegranate Salad
Serves 4-6


1 pomegranate, seeded with juice reserved
1 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup candied walnuts (recipe follows)
2 cups mixed greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Salt and pepper

1. Combine greens, goat cheese, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds.
2. Combine reserved pomegranate juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
3. Toss to combine

Use a liberal amount of pepper in the salad dressing for extra flavor.

These glistening pomegranate seeds are also delicious eaten on their own.

Candied Walnuts
1/4 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Melt butter over low heat.
2. Add sugar and walnuts.
3. Cook 10 minutes over low heat, until nuts slightly browned. Watch carefully to avoid burning the nuts.

Candied walnuts are a great addition to any salad that includes fruit and cheese.