When I first moved to New Jersey in 2003, I would often visit my sister, who’d been living in NYC for years and still does today. She lives in the East Village and there used to be the best restaurant on the corner near her home called Ovo. They served brick oven pizza and delicious authentic mediterranean meals! They were so good. We’d pair our food with red wine and the ambiance of the restaurant was perfect, set in a comfortably dark candlelit atmosphere, in NYC. One item off the menu my sister always ordered was warm goat cheese with beets and pine nuts over mesclun mix. One bite… it had a different taste to it. Then another bite, and another, and damn, I was hooked! You no doubt probably see goat cheese everywhere nowadays, it’s a staple on salad menus and now I love to include it in my omelets and appetizers. Soooo good.
(We also went to Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes too!)
Curiosity had me wondering what the health benefits are of goat cheese. Turns out, there’s a lot! It’s packed with minerals and nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Vitamin K, calcium and iron. And it’s also high in Protein! A serving of about an ounce of goat cheese has 5g of protein. Another great quality about goat cheese is that it’s more often served with no additives, preservatives, or growth hormones that is more often found in cheeses made from cow’s milk. Something also great in comparison to cow’s milk cheeses is that goat cheese is easier to digest! And the best part, the taste is DELISH! Goat cheese is The GOAT of cheese!!
I love it when a great tasting food is good for me because I like the food I eat to do work for me!
Goat cheese pairs well with salad greens and fruits like apple or cranberries and nuts such as walnuts or pecans. Lately I’ve decided that I just don’t need the other stuff when I’m craving that goat cheese nutty flavor. I just enjoy it with walnuts and there I have a deliciously high protein snack! Walnuts are nutrient dense just as well! They increase metabolism, have anti-inflammatory properties and help mood! I’m already in a good mood with my yummy snack now the food I’m eating is actually going to enhance that! Yayyyyyyy!!
Let’s make our simple goat cheese and walnut snack! It’s a healthy alternative to chips and dip! Just get yourself some walnuts, preferably ones that are still rather whole, not chopped.
Then goat cheese. Here are a few that I have tried and think they’re the best tasting. Only one is organic, from Organic Creamery.
The next one comes with herbs de provence (marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano) which do add a very nice extra flavor to the snack! This goat cheese is from Vermont Creamery and might be my favorite it tastes so good!
This last one uses vegetable rennet and has a nice drawing of the Eiffel Tower. Classique. This one is super delicious!!! Kali could eat that entire block! I wouldn’t even be mad, I’d be impressed!
Place on pretty plate together, then simply use a walnut as you would a cracker or chip and scoop up some delicious goat cheese… and eat! Simple!
Considering about 12 Walnut-halves will equal a serving and only 100 calories, combined with the goat cheese of about 70 – 100 calories, this simple snack of walnuts and goat cheese awesomely packs anywhere from 10 – 15 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbs and only about 1 gram of sugar!