If you like creamy, rich cheese and are looking for a healthier alternative, goat cheese is your answer. Compared to cream cheese made from cow’s milk, cheese made from goat’s milk contains nearly forty percent less fat, thirty percent less cholesterol, twenty percent less calories, fewer carbohydrates and a lot more calcium and proteins. In fact, most lactose intolerant people who can’t have cow’s milk can digest goat milk products due to their ‘naturally homogenized’ nature.

Here are some interesting recipes for you to try this summer and don’t forget to let us know how they turned out.

Goat Cheese Pakora

Ingredients

20 one inch cubes of Goat Cheese

Pakora Mix (Shan or National). If not available in your area you can find several recipes to make pakora batter on the net

½ Teaspoon blended mint leaves

4 green chilies

Olive oil for deep frying

Salt, pepper and mustard powder to taste

Directions

1. For the batter prepare the pakora mix, add mint paste, and add salt, pepper and mustard powder to taste.
2. Chop the chilies into fine pieces and coat goat cheese cubes with them.
3. Place the olive oil in a deep pan and heat on a medium flame. Dip each cube individually in the batter, coating it generously and fry in oil till golden brown.
4. Strain the cubes when removing them from pan and serve hot with your choice of chutney.

 

Chili Poppers with Goat Cheese

Ingredients

10 large chilies, seeded and sliced in half, lengthwise

1 cup goat cheese

3 eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

salt, pepper and mustard powder to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Add salt, pepper and mustard to the breadcrumbs as per taste.
2. Beat eggs in a bowl.
3. Stuff sliced chilies with goat cheese, coat lightly with flour and egg and roll in bread crumbs.
4. Place the olive oil in a deep pan and heat on a medium flame. Place the peppers into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.
5. Serve hot with your choice of chutney or as a side dish.

 

Goat Cheese and Tomato Pizza

Ingredients

4 ounces goat cheese

6-ounce tomato paste (canned)

1/4-cup olive oil

1 tablespoon seasoning of choice (ready made seasonings like Italian seasonings are available at large departmental stores)

3/4-cup water

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Garlic powder to taste (1/2 teaspoon should be adequate)

6 salad tomatoes (you can substitute with 3 small tomatoes), thinly sliced

2 salad tomatoes (you can substitute with 1 small tomato), diced

2 ready made pizza crusts (Salman’s has pizza base available at large supermarkets)

Directions

1. Mix water, olive oil and tomato paste in a pan and add the diced tomatoes. Add garlic powder, pepper and seasoning to the mixture and heat over low flame for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Prepare pizza base as per directions. Lay the base on a greased pizza pan or any other non-stick tray and spread prepared sauce over the dough. Put the sliced tomatoes with small chunks of goat cheese over the sauce.
4. Place the pan in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the pizza base is golden brown.
5. Slice and serve while hot. You can cut the pizza into bite-sized squares if you want to serve for starters. Sprinkle some olive oil on the pizza before slicing.
6. Feel free to add other toppings like mushrooms, onions and herbs before you bake the pizza.

 

Grilled Steak and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients

1 ounce goat cheese

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 ounce beef undercut (or of your choice)

1 small Iceberg lettuce, shredded

1 carrot, peeled into thin strips

Directions

1. Preheat grilling pan over medium flame.
2. Marinate steak with enough balsamic vinegar to coat the meat evenly. Leave for 15 minutes.
3. Grill the steak on both sides as desired. Remove and let it cool for 5 minutes.
4. Add the lettuce, carrots and remaining vinegar in a suitable bowl and mix well. Place the ingredients on a plate.
5. Slice the steak into thin strips (about as thick as your finger) and place on top of the salad. Add small cubes or chunks of goat cheese and serve.

Bon Appetite! Let us know how the recipes turned out.

Tags: Cooking, Food, Health, June 2009, Lifestyle, Recipes