Fried Goat Cheese Croutons

I set out to make a great side salad for last night’s dinner. Nothing too complicated, though. A mix of greens, of course. Topped with sliced roasted beets (a favorite in our house!). Next, I needed croutons. Oh, but not the ‘usual’ croutons. Not dried crunchy bread croutons. Nope. Cheese croutons. Glorious fried goat cheese croutons, to be exact! Oh, what wonderful little bites these are. Decadent. Delicious. Dangerous.

Fried Goat Cheese Croutons

I wouldn’t make these fried goat cheese croutons every day, but I could. They’re very tempting. The only way I kept from eating more of them was to convince myself that by being ‘good’ I could have them again tomorrow.

If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.

Also try my copycat of Ruby Tuesday’s croutons, my favorite thing on their salad bar.

Fried Goat Cheese Croutons
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5 from 1 vote

Fried Goat Cheese Croutons

 I needed croutons. Oh, but not the ‘usual’ croutons. Not dried crunchy bread croutons. Nope. Cheese croutons.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword cheese, croutons
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 croutons
Calories 67kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • To make them a bit easier to slice, place the goat cheese logs into the freezer for 30 minutes. Then slice into 1/2″ thick slices.
  • Heat 1″ of oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 375 F.
  • Place flour in a small bowl.
  • Place beaten eggs into another small bowl.
  • Place breadcrumbs in another small bowl.
  • Working in batches, dip the cheese slices into the flour.
  • Shake off the excess then dip them into the eggs.
  • Finally, roll the cheese in the breadcrumbs.
  • Add to hot oil and fry 2-3 minutes per side, flipping once.
  • Remove to a paper-towel lined plate to cool and drain.

Nutrition

Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups

I have to admit, zucchini isn’t something you often see around our kitchen. But now that I’ve discovered grilling and wrapping them around cheese, they are going to be seen and seen often.

These grilled zucchini roll-ups are stuffed with a wonderful mixture of feta, plain crumbled goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, chives and basil, and red pepper flakes. You can omit them, but the sun-dried tomatoes are what makes these bites really delicious.

Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups

Don’t omit the red pepper flakes when you make these grilled zucchini roll-ups. They don’t make the roll-ups particularly spicy, but just add enough heat to compliment the creamy sweet goat cheese.

I used a very sharp Wusthof knife to cut the zucchini into thin strips, but you could also use a mandolin (you might have to cut the zucchini into halves so they aren’t so long). Make sure you sharpen your knives regularly. Not only will they obviously work better, they’re safer when sharpened. I recently picked up an electric sharpener that I absolutely love. I found that my manual sharpening skills weren’t doing the job. This sharpener does an amazing job, and it works on 20 degree (European) and 15 degree (Asian) knives, so it handles everything in my knife block without a problem.

I recommend that you use a grill basket when making these roll-ups. It makes cooking easier and you don’t have to worry about anything falling through the grates. And cleanup is easier too!

Also check out my very popular cucumber roulades. They don’t require grilling, are easy to make, and taste fantastic. Ditto for my Greek salad bites.

Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups
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4 from 1 vote

Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups

I have to admit, zucchini isn’t something you often see around our kitchen. But now that I’ve discovered grilling them and wrapping them around cheese, zucchini are going to be seen and seen often.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword grilled, zucchini
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Servings 30 rolls
Calories 44kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 large zucchini cut lengthwise into 1/4″ strips
  • 2 ½ tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes chopped, plus 2 tablespoons of the oil from the jar
  • 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
  • 6 ounces goat cheese crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon chives chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 1 tablespoon basil chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • ½ tablespoon dried red pepper flake

Instructions

  • Fire up a grill for direct cooking.
  • Brush both sides of the zucchini strips with 1/2 tablespoon of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes.
  • Place onto grill and grill until slightly tender and you get good grill remarks. Remove to a cooking rack and let cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, remaining oil, the cheeses, chives, basil, and red pepper flakes.
  • Spread 1 teaspoon (or maybe a bit more depending on how big your zucchini are) of the cheese mixture onto the zucchini strips. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.

Nutrition

Calories: 44kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 224IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.