Yummy Dip!
It might have been the curly ivory locks that sway carelessly from their chins as they perpetually chew their oats. It also might have been their reptilian-esque eyes from which a sideways slit of a pupil stares mysteriously like an ominous minus-sign… but for one reason or another, there was a rather long period where I had a complete and ill-founded fear of goats.
Needless to say, when I found out about goat milk and goat cheese, there was a resounding “no way” that had chiseled itself into my face in the shape of a scowl whenever one or the other were mentioned.
Until I began working at Lassens, I had no idea that people milked goats. Why would anyone even touch these beasts? How could anyone get close enough to one to milk it?
Eventually I realized I was being ridiculous. I don’t know what came first but at some point I realized that not only are goats sweet, friendly and unbelievably cute, but goat cheese is creamy, tangy and unbelievably delicious! Yes, they still have sort of crazy eyes, but now I find them fascinating rather than frightening (it turns out that the near rectangular shape of goats and most hoofed animal’s pupil enables them to have a vision of 320-340 degrees, allowing them to see virtually everything around them). The moral of this story is to never (and this goes for all facets of life) judge something at first glance.
It has come to pass that I incorporate goat cheese into every meal whenever possible. Talk about a complete 180! Goat cheese is so versatile, you can pretty much put it into anything; hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, salads, pasta, and surprisingly dessert. It’s even amazing simply spread on an apple slice. It also turns out that goat cheese is leaner than cow cheeses and actually helps your body absorb nutrients like calcium and iron more effectively.
Since it’s Saturday and more often than not, weekends yield parties and get-togethers,
I present to you a delicious goat cheese dip with the hopes that you will be doing something exciting this weekend.
Goat Milk Blue Cheese & Green Onion Dip
You’ll Need:
- 1 – 2 wedges of Mountchevre’s Chevre in Blue goat milk blue cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly diced green onion
- 8 ounces Horizon organic original cream cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- paprika to taste
Instructions:
- Mix first 4 ingredients together in a bowl, leaving a few pinches of green onions for garnish
- Sprinkle desired amount of paprika and place remaining green onions on top in a decorative manner.
- Serve cold and with your favorite cracker (We recommend Wisecrackers spicy pepper low-fat crackers) or vegetable platter.
This recipe comes lovingly from the mind of Vanessa, our Lassen’s Regional Cheese Manager.
Vanessa is always coming up with creative and easy ways to assemble savory masterpieces using the many varieties of gourmet and specialty cheeses that we offer here at Lassen’s. Be sure to check out the cheese department for samples and new recipes.
Have a beautiful weekend and if you happen to meet a goat, make sure you give him a friendly pat and a thank you for making such wonderful and delicious cheese!
Love,
Lassen’s
Gotta try it! Randy (Valley Vegetarian)
nice