Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

Years ago, my husband went to a little restaurant in Atlanta that had a salad I adored.  Peppery arugula, luscious grapes, red onion and walnuts all tossed in an amazing Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing that had just a hint of sweetness.  The crowning jewel was little patties of fried goat cheese.

I could have lived on that salad.

I’ve thought of it often since going gluten free.  It is the simple things like that dining out that I miss the most.

Since it is the time of year to create special in our homes, I thought I’d try to make a gluten-free version of this salad as a special treat to myself.

Hello, yummy….

I’m not sure what took me so long to find you.

To make this special salad, which is perfect for a holiday gathering, I reached for my trusty Udi’s Gluten Free bread.

I’ve written about Udi’s products a lot.  The truth is that even when I’m not writing about them, they are still in my pantry and my freezer.  I love that not only are Udi’s products gluten free they are also GMO-free.  Even my boys and husband (who aren’t gluten free) eat them happily!

I make breadcrumbs with Udi’s white bread at least once a month.  They store beautifully in the freezer so that I have them on hand whenever I need them.  You can check out how I make breadcrumbs without adding any additional oil in the first step of the recipe below.

Although this recipe is something special, it comes together so easily!  You can bread the goat cheese ahead, and even fry it ahead of time and reheat it in the oven!

Make sure you join the Udi’s Community for amazing support for your gluten free lifestyle! Also check out their Facebook page!

Print

Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• Goat Cheese
• 10.5 ounces goat cheese
• 1 cup gluten free breadcrumbs from Udi’s Gluten Free Bread
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 large egg
• Avocado Oil for Frying (or other high heat oil)
• Balsamic Maple Vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salad
• 5 ounces baby arugula
• 1 cup seedless red grapes halved
• 1/2 red onion sliced thin
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts chopped

Instructions

1. To make gluten free breadcrumbs, process Udi’s Gluten Free bread into your food processor. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place crumbs on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Turn oven off and allow to sit in the oven for another 45 minutes. If desired, process in your food processor again for a finer breadcrumb.
2. Slice goat cheese and form into rounds. In a shallow bowl combine breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder salt and pepper. In another bowl whisk egg. Dip the cheese rounds in egg and then toss in breadcrumbs to cover. Transfer to a parchment lined plate. (May be done ahead of time. Refrigerate until ready to cook.)
3. Heat just enough avocado oil to cover your pan to medium high heat. Add goat cheese and cook until browned, 1-2 minutes per side. Removed from heat and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
4. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining balsamic vinegar, red onion, maple syrup, dijon mustard, garlic and sea salt in a blender. Process until smooth and then add oil in a steady stream.
5. In a large bowl toss arugula, grapes, onion and walnuts with the desired amount of dressing. Transfer to serving plated and top with warm goat cheese rounds.

Learn more about living gluten free! Visit http://udisglutenfree.com/community

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.