I live for Sunday brunch. I like to experiment and try different things, and Sunday feels like the perfect day to do just that. So, today, let’s go for goat cheese with an apple and beet salad.

There are a couple of ways you can do this. Here is simply the goat cheese over top of a baked apple beet salad. You can also save time by keeping the apples and beets raw, and just mix it all together in a light, fresh “salad”, sans lettuce.

Either way, this is a delicious combination that is super simple to make. First off, the goat cheese comes basically as shown in the top picture, so there’s no real “art” other than cutting it in half, but it looks divine! And for the 2nd preparation, you just crumble it. Again, simple. As for the apples and beets, cut them any way you like, thin slices or chunky cubes, whatever you fancy. Have fun with it, and don’t worry – they definitely do not have to be “perfect” cuts.

What You’ll Need

Goat Cheese

Apples (1 red, 1 green)

Beet

Raisins (golden, brown, or green)

Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinegar

Raw Sugar or Stevia

Cinnamon (optional)

Walnuts (optional)

Sea Salt (optional)

Let’s Do It

I like to start by making the apple and beet salad. You can chop, cut, or cube your apples and beets, and sprinkle with cinnamon. If you want them warmed, set the oven at 375 and bake for about 30 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, and a pinch of raw sugar or stevia. Whether warmed or raw, mix the apples and beets with the raisins, the olive oil mixture, and a dash of sea salt. You can either place a large cut of goat cheese right on top of the warmed salad or crumble goat cheese over top of the raw preparation.

Be creative, add a hint of mint leaf, bake up some apple chips for garnish, make a light beet foam by reducing the juice of the beets for five minutes on the stovetop.

Bonus Benefits

Goat Cheese – It’s about 20% lower in fat than regular cow’s milk cheese and have 5 grams of protein per ounce. It’s more digestible, with a gentler effect on the stomach. Although it’s lower in fat and calories as compared to cow’s milk cheeses, it is an excellent source of bone preserving calcium. It also has riboflavin to boost energy, potassium for heart protection, and copper to help immune system.

Apples – The flavanoids in apples help protect against many things including osteoporosis, and even have been shown to reduce the risk of lung, breast, colon, and liver cancers. The pectin helps lower the body’s need for insulin, and may offer benefits to those who are diabetic. They have antioxidants and fiber, so they are key for heart health.

Beets – Contain phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium, as well as fiber, vitamins A and C, niacin, and biotin. They also contain folic acid. They are blood building food known detoxify blood and renew its minerals. It has health benefits galore, including anemia, digestion, blood circulation, skin disorders, gall bladder, heart disease, even dandruff! Of course, beets have a high sugar content, so moderation is key.