I feel like I have some explaining to do. Everything I’ve brought to you since the beginning of the year has been savory and somewhat healthy. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I think my sweet tooth might be broken. Temporarily broken.
Everything I’ve wanted to eat lately has either been green, soupy, or French-fried.
In this, the latest installation of ‘Joy the Baker Has Lost Her Mind and Gone Savory’, I’d like to offer you an all-green salad. The gemstone about this salad is the pink-stained goat cheese hearts. You might consider this a healthful Valentine’s Day celebration tool. Yea… I said the V-word.
Speaking of Valentine’s Day (I’m sorry…)… yes it is a real thing, and yes you can totally ignore the holiday should you not be the pink and red and heart-shaped cheese sort. I made a Be My Valentine Pinterest Board just in case you need some clever pink and red holiday inspiration.
I’m going to go watch How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Cupcake Wars until I crave chocolate pudding. Thanks for your understanding. Ps. Fever ramblings? Maybe a little.
We’ll need a fork and a pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper along with our fresh goat cheese and raw shredded beets.
Welcome to the world of the smashbang. We mix and stir the crumbled cheese and beets until the cheese is stained pink. It’s crumbly yet satisfying.
We’ll dump this pink cheese mixture out in between two pieces of parchment paper and press it together into a flat, 1/2-inch disk. Allow it to rest in the freezer for 30 minutes, then the cold cheese will be easier to cut into little hearts with a heart-shaped cookie cutter.
A little bowl of hot water will help to clean the cookie cutter as the hearts are shaped and help to tame any oddly shaped hearts.
I’m not sure if I want to pat myself on the back or kick myself in the shin for making heart-shaped cheese.
Let’s talk about salad!
I know that you’re grown enough not to need a detailed recipe for green salad. You can pretty much just empty your produce drawer into a large bowl and call it a salad.
With this particular salad I chose a bright, light and leafy green called escarole.
This salad is an exploration in green with thinly sliced cucumbers, chopped pistachios, and chopped green olives.
Lemon and olive oil are the two ingredients that make up my favorite salad dressing. Keep things simple.
Salad. Getting all geared up.
Maybe you’re looking for some Valentine’s Day inspiration that isn’t leafy green, goat-cheesed, and annoyingly healthy. Last year I made these Pink Raised Doughnuts with Toasted Coconut inspired by my very favorite pale pink frosted doughnut house doughnuts.
Cream puffs are surprisingly easy to make. If you can wrap your mind around cooking a pastry dough, then cream puffs are in your future. Real talk: the dough cooking step was sort of a brain-bender for me, but once I got over that hump, Strawberry Cream Puffs with Milk Chocolate Sauce were my sweet reward.
So maybe Valentine’s Day is just an excuse to make doughnuts for the one you love. Is that so wrong? No… Chocolate Cream Filled Vanilla Sugar Doughnuts.
Because it’s pretty, pink, and as easy as putting water in the freezer: Strawberry Ice.
This salad is a simple meeting of greens. This salad is an elaborate excuse to make pink-stained goat cheese hearts. You’ll probably find some other awesome ways to use goat cheese hearts. I hope you do… and I hope there’s chocolate involved.
Green Salad with Pink Goat Cheese Hearts
serves 4
For the Pink Hearts:
11 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup raw shredded beets
pinch of salt and coarsely ground black pepper
coarse ground sea salt for sprinkling
For the Salad:
Four big handfuls of greens (I used sweet escarole)
Thinly spiced cucumber
Sliced green olives
Shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
lemon and olive oil for dressing
salt and pepper to taste
To make the Pink Hearts:
In a medium bowl mix together goat cheese and raw shredded beets. Add salt and pepper. Mix with a fork until the mixture is pink and beet-studded throughout. The mixture will be a bit crumbly, and that’s ok. Transfer pink goat cheese mixture to a piece of parchment paper and use another piece of parchment paper to press and flatten the goat cheese into a 1/2 inch disk. The goat cheese disk will be sandwiches between two slices of parchment paper. Place in the freezer to chill and harden for 30 minutes. This will make the hearts easier to cut.
While the goat cheese hardens, assemble the salad. In a large bowl, toss together greens, sliced cucumber, olives, chopped pistachios, lemon juice and olive oil, salt and pepper. Taste to make sure the mixture is seasoned to your taste.
Remove the goat cheese from the freezer. Peel off one piece of parchment paper. Use a 1-inch heart cookie cutter to cut heart shapes out of goat cheese. Have a small bowl of warm water on hand to rinse off the cookie cutter between hearts. Use a bit of water on your fingers to reshape the hearts should they need a bit of love. Sprinkle shaped hearts with coarse ground sea salt
Place goat cheese hearts on top of salad and serve. Hearts can be stored on a flat surface, covered with parchment paper, and refrigerated until ready to serve.
Mrs Deer
Your cheese heart is a super idea! Thanks!
LeAndra
I love these little pink hearts. They put a smile on my face as soon as I saw them.
Eliz. K
These are in the freezer as I type– not the patient-type, apparently :-) Thanks for the great idea!!!
Bernadette @ Now Stir It Up
I love how you stained the goat cheese with beets. So smart!
Kait @ ChickadeeSays
I love this idea! It is so cute. I also followed your Pinterest boards! Thanks!
xx Kait
ChickadeeSays.Blogspot.com
Joelle (on a pink typewriter)
What a cute idea! I love the pink goat cheese, salad or not!
anna
haha fever ramblings make for the greatest blog entries! i’m about to give it a go myself in a few minutes….this salad is gorgeous. i am always looking for ways to sneak salad into my man, and those beety goat cheese chunks just might be it.
Anne
What a pretty shade of pink! There are far too few foods that are healthy and pink. I love it:)
Katie @ Blonde Ambition
I totally approve of these pink cheese hearts! Sounds like a perfect match of flavors on top of the fact that it’s just, like, really cute.
Jodye @ Chocolate and Chou Fleur
This salad is so pretty! I love the beet stained goat cheese hearts. Whenever I’ve made cauliflower lately I’ve added some beets to dye everything pink. Pink food is just prettier!
Leigh
I love the goat cheese hearts! Such a perfect idea and only my favorite kind of cheese! I wonder if my husband would appreciate this as much as I would… Hmmm
Jaime
That salad is gorgeous.
Then I saw the donuts, and now I want donuts!
As long as I eat my salad first right?!
mary @ B&Gjournals
lovely salad…but MOST IMPORTANTLY: doughnuts and creme puffs, get in my mouth right now!!
Wilma
This comment has nothing to do with this blog post (which made me want to eat the pictures, as always), but I was checking out the goodreads website today. It just so happens that your cookbook is #4 in the results for best food & cookbooks of 2012. Yay! Someday soon I must get my hands on one!
Elaine@mortgagefreeinthree.com
These made me chuckle – and just for that I am going to make them. I am single this Valentines Day – but will have something girlie and heartshaped just for me LOL
Laura@Potpourri
Cheese shaped hearts deserve a pat on the back. Yum!
Laura@Potpourri
Heart shaped beetroot flavored cheese deserves a pat on the back. yum!
Edina
Hello Joy,
I found ur blog few days ago and I think its amazing! From now I will always look whats new there and enjoy all ur pics and recipes.
The idea with the pink hearts in the salad is great, like it verry much.
Have a nice day!
Edina
Tieghan
OMG I love this idea! So cute!
Mallory Brooks
How about I’m always craving fries with salads?! Sue me.
Alison Borgas
Those hearts are just a bit cute and funny! And yes, I had begun to wonder about the change from cake to salads… ;)
SM
Now that’s creative! Enough with the food-dyed cakelets, pink savory things are even more impressive. (Not that I’ve got a problem with raspberry donuts or anything.) Got any more ideas for pink Valentine’s Day savories? Pink peppercorns, red wine, and beets are all reliable pink-stainers… Thank you for your great ideas!
Sara {Home is Where the Cookies Are}
Aww! I love the goat cheese hearts! what a cute way to create a special valentines meal without all the sweet stuff!
A farmer in the dell
Love these cheese hearts!!!! Brilliant!
Arthur in the Garden!
Guess what my valentine is having for dinner?
Deirdre
The hearts are a cute idea!
I have noticed you are loving the savoury recently. Its good to detox from all the butter and sugar…. But I do miss chocolate-loving Joy!
taylor @ taylormade
oh my goodness, goat cheese + beets = a match made in heaven. and in the shape of little hearts? be still my beating heart.
Rocky Mountain Woman
I love goat cheese on salad and pink ones make it all the more special!
SusanF
This is adorable. Now I can’t wait or Valentines Day
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
Too cute, Joy! pink goat cheese hearts just might make valentine’s day bearable. possibly maybe. as long as i can eat a pink doughnut after. and a box of chocolates. that i buy for myself.
Kristi @ 30 Pounds of Apples
Pretty! I try to have at least 5 colors in my salads… I find I’m much more likely to eat them if I have a kaleidoscope of pretty, interesting ingredients to break up the greens. The little beet-cheeses would definitely fit the bill.
Eileen
While I don’t particularly care about V-day, I think mashing shredded beets into goat cheese is genius! GENIUS. It’s obviously a perfect combination with lots of crispy green salad. I can also see making the pinkest hors d’ouvres with crackers (or rounds of cucumber), beet goat cheese, a sprig of baby beet greens, and a sprinkle of pepper. Yay!
joythebaker
pink goat cheese on crackers!? yes!
Lauren
My valentines are four and six this year and only one of them likes goat cheese but I’m totally going to make this for me! And I’m going to roast the beets and substitute them for the green olives which I always think I should like but I just don’t.
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
OK this all looks SO good! I love the strawberry ice…heading over to see what that’s all about now :)
Katya
Is that a wooden cutting board in the picture? I love it! And I love those doughnuts. All I got out of this post is that now I just want to make doughnuts. Trouble trouble.
chelsea @ serves two
i’m feeling the same way! i haven’t had a desire to bake anything all month! the holidays burned me out. love the pink hearts, perfect touch :)
Grubarazzi (@Grubarazzi)
pure cuteness!
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen
I want to eat salad with pink goat cheese hearts everyday! Well, mostly just the pink goat cheese hearts.
chris
Pink goat cheese hearts!? LOVE! here’s my go to V~day cute, heart, salad thing….open a can of sliced beets…punch out lil hearts…different sizes…and you have “Heart Beets” to sprinkle on your salad!! :)
You can totally borrow them for the blog….would love to see your awesome photo of lil “Heart Beets: !
Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen
This salad looks so fresh and delicious, I love the pink heart idea (even as a definite non V-day fan!) Hope you start fancying chocolate pudding again soon :)
Packing Rainbows
Anything with goat cheese is a blessing – I love the healthy stuff and the sweet stuff! Feel better :)
Amy
This sounds so salty and delicious! I love it! I also totally blame Denis for your healthy cravings…that and free juice. I hope you’re feeling better, friend! xoxo
joythebaker
i’m feeling much better! thanks, amy! blame denis. good move!
Morgan
Love, love, love all of your recent recipes. While more healthy, they are still beautiful to look at and full of unique flavors. I am just dying over these pink hearts. I mean who could pass this up?
Angela Terry
Awwww, what a cute little V-day idea!
Iris
Aww all these Valentines ideas look lovely! And I like that food coloring isn’t involved in most of them <3
leslie @ and her little dog too
this recipe is so amazing, i love everything about it!
great photos too – thanks for sharing! :)
Kim d.
Anyone can make chocolate heart shaped desserts for valentine’s day…. But goat cheese, PINK hearts on a delicious looking salad. That’s talent, Joy! I am making this….looks divine!
marija
I have nominated you for Versatile and Very Inspiring Blogger award! http://oneaday34.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/ive-been-nominated-for-a-blogging-award/
Rachael
Joy! I made your pink raised doughnuts and they were amazingly wonderful. Now I might have to make this salad to even things out. We have the same moto about food: Salad today, cinnamon rolls tomorrow!
Seanna Lea
We love cheese with a white hot firey passion, so I’m pretty sure this will be on my list. It feels like Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, but it is more than 2 weeks!
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen
I have a heart shaped ice cube tray that would be perfect for this!
Ann
They all look so good but the Chocolate Cream Filled Vanilla Sugar Donuts have my name written all over them! Thank you!
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking
I want to eat these hearts alone on a nice piece of crusty bread.
Diane, A Broad
Dang girl dang! If anything is going to make salad it’s pink hearts.
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Those little hearts are the cutest thing I’ve seen! Feel better girl!
geo@geodoes
I too have been in the savoury rut! There is something seriously wrong with my sweet tooth, I need to sort it out now because it is definitely weirding me out. Doughnuts are most DEFINITELY the answer! After the pink goats cheese, duh!
Melissa
Fever ramblings? I hope you feel better!
Taly Conde (@Taly_conde)
Hey, sweets!
Loved the post as always and those pink cheese hearts! *sigh* :) Just cute and easy!
But I’d like to ask you…. In case you need a break up recipe… or at least a “give me strenght to finish it” recipe…. do you have one ?
I know I know… V’ days is just around the corner.. but to be fair, we celebrate Valentine’s day in Brazil on June 12 so… we are cool! =D
Xxxxxxxxx
Averie @ Averie Cooks
I’m totally in love with the pink food! And goat cheese….even better!
I remember those pink donuts…feels like ages ago but yet time flies!
Ellen
I’m exceedingly fond of colored foods….and I love beets. Those hearts need to happen in my kitchen.
Sarah
Hahahahaha. Cheese hearts. What every savoury girl wants this valentines right? I would like a box of these with a crusty baguette all tied up in a big red ribbon please. I will bring the wine!
Holiday Baker Man
Perfect for that upcoming special day!
Mary @ The Kitchen Paper
I’ll pat you on the back, not kick you in the shin, for making cute pink goat cheese hearts. They’re super adorable!
Also, last year I totally went through an unintentional January savory/health-kick month: I’d just way overdone my sugary December cookie consumption (I didn’t even think that was possible!). No worries, we’ll be patient while you get your sugary groove back.
In the meantime, I might need to make those chocolate filled doughnuts…
Julie
Love these beet and goat cheese hearts – totally brilliant! Every day can’t be all glittery donuts and pudding. Thanks for this!