Gorgonzola/Goat Cheese Walnut Salad
Vacation Food Find!!!
So while we were vacationing in Key West, FL we had lunch at a great place called Panini Schamini. It was probably the hottest day I've ever been in so I didn't want to eat anything warm or heavy. I got their gorgonzola and walnut salad.
Best salad I've ever ordered!!!
The gorgonzola and walnut combined with the balsamic dressing created this wonderful tangy and crunchy topping that works so well with salad. One thing I didn't like was the large amount of chopped tomatoes. I'm not a huge tomato person to begin with to having a large amount on a dish isn't super appealing to me. Especially if the tomatoes aren't seasoned. Their chicken wasn't anything special, but pared well with the rest of the dish (I mean who doesn't like chicken on salad!?).
The presentation of this salad. Wow. Just Wow. It looks a bit overwhelming at first but then it starts looking too pretty to eat. Then you take the first bit and stop caring about what it looks or doesn't look like because you want ten more.
My favorite part about this salad...Rick likes it! If you know my husband he's a meats and sweets kinda guy and salad usually isn't on his list of good dishes. Obviously I decided to start making this at home, especially since we want to start eating healthier. I did three alterations to this recipe. First I took out the tomatoes. Second I used balsamic vinegar not balsamic glaze (doesn't make a huge difference, it's just what I had on hand). Finally I used goat cheese instead of gorgonzola. I prefer the goat cheese because it takes away some of the overpowering flavor the balsamic can sometimes have.
What You Need:
> Bowl of your lettuce of choice (I use romaine)
> Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
> Drizzle of Italian dressing
> 1/4 cup goat cheese
> Handful of chopped walnuts
> Cold or hot cooked chicken (optional)
Prep Time:
5 minutes
Directions: The order of ingredients doesn't really matter. However, I usually toss my romaine in the Italian dressing first. Then I add the walnuts, goat cheese, and chicken. Lastly, I drizzle on the balsamic. I put this on last to allow the goat cheese and chicken to pick up some of the balsamic's flavor instead of it all running to the bottom. Enjoy!!!
