Monday, January 23, 2012

Herbed Goat Cheese Ball


Herbed Goat Cheese Ball
Over the Christmas holidays I got together with some of my girlfriends from high school. I brought a spread of finger foods food for everyone. I made some Rosemary Flatbread and served it with caramelized onions, garlic, and ginger, and roasted sweet potato - this was inspired by my Flatbread with Roasted Squash and Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger. We also had some smoked salmon (store-bought, I admit), a green olive tapenade (recipe to follow soon), and the favourite of the night - Herbed Goat Cheese Ball. It was a serve-yourself affair, all of the dishes laid out before us. This way everyone was free to take a bit of this, and a bit of that to make their own combination of flavours. A great combination is caramelized onions, garlic, and ginger alongside the Herbed Goat Cheese Ball on some Rosemary Flatbread. SO delicious!

Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger

I realize that my blog usually does not include recipes with casein, so I never use dairy, but I have just been able to re-introduce goat cheese and yogurt with some success. It is possible that goat milk is giving me migraines, but I am going to see if my holistic allergist can help with that. I have heard that some people with dairy sensitivity, or digestive problems, can tolerate some goat milk products, while they cannot tolerate cow's milk. I'm going to look into this further. As always, be sure to check with your doctor before introducing anything new into your diet. If you are casein or dairy-free, I'm sure this recipe would work well with any non-dairy cream cheese.

This recipe is dead simple, so I feel a little silly for posting it. BUT, my friends insisted that I include it on my blog, so that they could make it to impress company. I thought this was quite a compliment. I hope that you and your guests enjoy it too!


The Perfect Lunch: Apple Slices and Rice Crackers Topped with: Herbed Goat Cheese Ball, Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger
Herbed Goat Cheese Ball

This cheese ball takes only a minute to make. If you have time, try to make it the day before you wish to serve it, as this allows time for the flavours to meld nicely together. If you cannot make it in advance, it is also delicious served right away.

About 1/2 cup soft, unripened goat cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
Pinch of pepper

In a small or medium bowl mash goat cheese with a fork until it is a bit softer and broken up. Add the spices and pepper and mix thoroughly to combine. Once combined, take cheese in your hand and gently form into a ball.

You could serve this cheese ball as mentioned above, as an addition to a cheese plate, or with your favourite bread or crackers and some apple slices for the perfect lunch. Alternatively, instead of making this into a ball, you could crumble the goat cheese and herb mixture over a salad, pizza, or pasta. Yum!

Alterations: (updated, I forgot to include this in the original post)


- As mentioned above, if you are dairy or casein-free you can try making this recipe with dairy-free cream cheese. I haven't tried this, but I'm sure it would be equally as delicious.

- If you are allergic to any of the herbs in this recipe simply omit them, or create your own spice blend.  

I have linked this post to Allergy Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Health 2day Wednesdays. Check out the other great recipes there!

*Please Note* These recipes are part of my personal allergy diet. Please remember that everyone's allergies are different.  If you are unsure about any ingredients listed in these recipes please check with your doctor before introducing.

7 comments:

  1. As a guest during the Holiday get together and one of the samplers...or indulgers I guess I should say...Because we definitely indulged that night :) The caramelized onion with the herbed goat cheese was my top pick on the flatbread, and my second most favorite combination was the caramelized onions with the roasted squash. All the dishes were all great options for finger foods as they can all be paired together, or seperate. The herbed goat cheese was also impressive in my eyes and versatile like Sheena said, on a warm or cold pasta or a spinach salad with some fresh berries.

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    1. Thanks Anonymous! Let me know if you make the cheese ball and if you manage to "wow" your guests. PS, I know who you are :)

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  2. I LOVE goat cheese. It really is the one I eat all the time. Your comment about goat's milk tolerance vs cow's milk is a valid one. Growing up my brother did not tolerate cow's milk but had no issues with goat's milk. Which was a relieve for my mother. I hope your allergist can help with the migraines.

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    1. Hi Maria, thanks so much for your comment! I love your blog, and have been reading it for a couple of weeks. Your recipes look so delicious. I hope that you try out this cheese ball, it really is super easy and so delicious. I'm very interested in the goat's milk vs. cow's milk argument, so I'm happy to hear that it worked for your brother. My holistic allergist has been very helpful with my allergies and migraines so far, so I'm hopeful that she can help this time :)

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  3. This sounds really yummy! I love goat cheese. My son is allergic to dairy and reacted to goat's milk as a baby, but now that he's older (3) and doesn't react to milk so strongly, maybe I should try goat milk with him again and see what happens. Thanks for sharing with Healthy 2Day Wednesday!

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    1. Thanks Anne, it is really yummy, and so, so easy too! Please let me know if you try it out. I hope that your son ends up being OK with goat milk. I do know that if someone has a serious allergy to milk, then all dairy is off limits, so ask your son's doctor before introducing goat milk if you are concerned. I'm so pleased to be able to share on Healthy 2Day Wednesday, so thank you for the opportunity!

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  4. Thanks again Jill for hosting Fat Tuesday!

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