Grilled Chicken with Pear and Goat Cheese Salad

Sweet pear, tart cherries and goat cheese, and perfectly grilled chicken. What combination could possibly go better for a summer salad?

Ingredients:
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 Red Pear (Anjou), quartered and thinly sliced
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
2 Tbs. chopped walnuts
3 oz. spinach (i prefer stems trimmed)
1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
2 Tbs. dried cherries, chopped
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with non stick cooking spray. Spread out the sliced onion on the prepared sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the balsamic, 1 Tbs. olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Set aside. Meanwhile, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Set a grill pan on medium heat. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil (about 1 tsp. each) and place on the grill. Cook for 5 minutes on each side and let rest while gathering the salad ingredients.

In a small skillet, toast the walnuts on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Place the spinach in a bowl and add 1 Tbs. of the balsamic mix; toss together. Divide the spinach onto two serving plates. Top with the sliced pear, chopped walnuts and cherries, and crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle with more fo the balsamic dressing. Slice the chicken into strips and place next to the salad. (Serve with a small bowl of the dressing instead of drizzling if you are worried about the spinach wilting.)

The G.A.B. Sandwich (Goat Cheese, Avocado, Bacon)

Ingredients:

4 Slices of bread (I used wheat)
Herbed Goat Cheese
1 Avocado, sliced
6 slices of bacon, cut in half and cooked

Toast the bread in a toasted. Spread goat cheese on each piece. To assemble the sandwich, place half of the sliced avocado on top of the goat cheese. Add six 'half' slices of bacon on top (or 3 full slices), and then place the other slice of toast goat cheese side down on top. Slice in half and serve!

(Makes 2 sandwiches, 11 WW points per sandwich. If you use less avocado, it will be substantially less points. Avocado is 4 points per 1/4 an avocado.)

Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs

Herb Goat Cheese

Dried Figs

Prosciutto

Take a dried fig and slice in half almost going all the way through. Take a small piece of goat cheese while still cold from the refrigerator and form into a ball with your fingers. Place inside the cut open fig. Garnish with a small slice of prosciutto. This recipe is so easy, has elegant flavors, and tastes great! 

Pear with pancetta and goat cheese

I found this recipe in a magazine, and it looked SO GOOD! I made it for my college graduation party. They turned out great!

2 pears, cored and sliced sideways so they make thin rings. 

4 oz. goat cheese, spread out and crumbled on top of pears.

Pancetta, baked for 10-14 minutes at 375 degrees and are crispy, then crumbled on top.

Honey to drizzle on top of the stacks.

Garnish with a thyme sprig.