I love scheduling posts ahead of time. Especially during the holidays and when we are traveling. Since we were in SANTA FE for Christmas, I pre-posted/scheduled many things. Now that we are home, I am able to sit down, read my favorite blogs and see what everyone else did for the holidays. I LOVE Christmas vacation.
We just got back last night, so I knew I needed to check out the green house and water this morning and see what had been growing in the hoop house.
More about this contraption later.
I hoped to have a salad for lunch. (I LOVE Christmas vacation!)
Green house was good and I even picked one ripe tomato and some micro-herbs. Hoop house greens were luscious so I picked enough baby kale, baby beet leaves, spinach and lettuces for lunch.
Lettuces
Kale
Various spinaches
I thought I would just eat a plain old salad.
Then, I read Kate’s Kitchen.
Love Kate and all of her and Connie’s culinary undertakings! I was reading Salad with Baked Goat Cheese and Rosemary Infused Honey right after I got back from picking fresh greens. You absolutely know what I was having for lunch now! I adapted her recipe just a bit to accommodate a salad for two.
Baked Goat Cheese for a Fresh Salad
1/4 c. Panko bread crumbs
1 two-inch sprig fresh rosemary, minced
1 two-inch sprig fresh thyme , minced
good olive oil
4 rounds of soft goat cheese log (cut in 1/3″ slices)
dash of fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepperPreheat oven to broil. (I used convection broil at 550 degrees.)
Mix together bread crumbs and herbs. Coat an oven proof baking dish with a good olive oil. (This is a generous coating because you will coat each round in the olive oil.)
There was just really me for lunch so I actually did three rounds because I LOVE goat cheese. Two rounds would be plenty for the normal person.
Coat each side of the goat cheese round in the olive oil and then coat with bread crumb mixture. Place back in baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
Broil for 2-3 minutes per side or until ‘s golden brown. Let cool to warm before serving.
Place on salad and serve.
I just did a simple salad of mixed greens from the hoop house—spinach, baby lettuces, baby kale, beet leaves—with some herbs from the green house—a bit of dill, parsley, and basil. I simply drizzled this all with some good balsamic! (I LOVE Christmas vacation!)
OK---I ate the salad before I previewed my photo op. Not good pic but excellent salad!
This excellent local salad would have cost us $17.50 in New Mexico! (I’m just sayin’.)
The only thing I might try next time would be to add one minced clove of garlic to the olive oil in the baking dish. It might burn, but it might scent the olive oil nicely. Who knows?
I love reading my favorite blogs (like Kate’s), making spontaneously inspired recipes for lunch and dinner, and being amazed at all the blogg-ey talent out there! I LOVE Christmas vacation! (Wish I could do this every morning!)
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Wow, talk about a perfect salad! You know me, I could be a mouse, I love cheese so much. I’m so jealous of your green house, can I be your neighbor? Maybe you could use garlic infused oil next time (you wouldn’t have to worry about the garlic burning). Can you tell I’m catching up on my reading?
Kate—
Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Rhonda—
Great idea with the infused olive oil. I was catching up today too!
Thank you 🙂 I’ve wanted to make that salad again since the night we made it!! Just wish we had all the fresh goodies in our yard. But, at least I do have all the ingredients. Glad you made it home safe and sound. Happy New Year! Kate
Baked goat cheese does sound great along with all those fresh greens. I just would like one hour in your hoop house to snatch up all those goodies. Hey-I do not want to see any posts from you that you are overrun with veggies–sadly I have no garden, too dry out here. Have a wonderful New Year!
I doubt we will be over-run. If we are, I will keep the gloating to a minimum!
Oh, I’m green with envy over your fresh produce!!! This salad sounds amazing…and Kate does have the best recipes! Happy New Year!
What a beautiful salad! I’ve had baked goat cheese in restaurants, but I’ve never tried it at home…I’d LOVE to hear more about your greenhouse!
Baked goat cheese – that’s brilliant! Panko makes it so delicate instead of fat bread bread crumbs.
I would love to hear more about the greenhouse. That’s something I toy with getting or building (with help) but I know I need to educate myself first on growing veggies in one.
Tina and Ann–
If you go back to the archives (“Eats from the Past”) at the top of the page to November and December 2009, you can see the beginnings (and finishing) of our green house. I will post some soon on that hooped contraption in the garden.