Low-Carb Roasted Strawberry & Goat Cheese Salad

Just like my previous recipe, I was planning to post this salad for more than a year. Roasted strawberries, balsamic vinegar and goat cheese are amazing flavours to combine. I also added some bee pollen which gives it a fabulous honey taste!

Here is why I like bee pollen:

• It's a super-food high in protein (30-40%), B, C, D and E vitamins, calcium, magnesium, potassium and selenium
• Studies showTrusted sourceNational Center for Biotechnology InformationNCBI's mission is to develop new information technologies to aid in the understanding of fundamental molecular and genetic processes that control health and disease.Open link that it lessens the negative effects of chemotherapy and it's great for boosting immunity.
• May help with allergies. However, if you have pollen allergies, you have to be careful, as bee pollen may cause severe allergic reactions. It is also not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

"Research reported by Dr. Airola has found that bee pollen is good for prostate difficulties, hemorrhoids, asthma, allergies, digestive disorders, curing intestinal putrefaction, chronic bronchitis, multiple sclerosis, gastric ulcers, arthritis, and hay fever, and possesses anti-aging properties. According to Dr. Alain Caillais, in Le Pollen, 35 grams of bee pollen per day would satisfy the total nutritional needs of the average person." (PDF)

Low-carb and paleo diets are already high in nutrients so you won't need to consume the 35 grams of bee pollen as recommended above. Also, bee pollen contains too many carbs for those following a keto diet, so you should use it sparingly. 1 teaspoon / 9 g / 0.3 oz contains 3.8 g net carbs. Make sure you use high quality organic bee pollen free of chemicals.

Tips and Substitutions:

I used homemade pork rinds from pork skin I get from my local farmer. When I don't have any left, I sometimes get pork rinds from here. These must be the only pork rinds made with pure pork skins (no additives) here in the UK.

Step-by-step

1. Place the pork rinds into a blender and pulse briefly until crumbled or powdered.

   

2. Cut each goat's cheese round in half widthwise and cover in the powdered pork rinds. You can brush some olive oil on the dry side to help them stick to the cheese.

3. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper with the cut side up and put in the freezer for about an hour. This will prevent the cheese from melting when grilled.

   

4. After an hour, place the tray under a grill preheated to 220 °C/ 430 °F (fan assisted), or 240 °C/ 465 °F (conventional) and cook for just about 5 minutes. The longer you leave it, the more likely it will start melting. (Note: Make sure you freeze the cheese before grilling. Here is what happened to my cheese when I didn't freeze it. Even with the cut side up, it melted it the oven in just a few minutes.)

   

5. Meanwhile, wash the strawberries and place them on a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Spray or drizzle with balsamic vinegar and transfer into the oven.

6. Cook at 225 °C/ 450 °F for just 7-10 minutes. The strawberries will release its juices and mix with the vinegar creating a delicious caramelised vinaigrette.

   

7. Wash the lettuce and place in a salad spinner to dry or pat dry with a kitchen towel. Place in a serving bowl and add the pecans. You can use roasted or raw pecans. Roasting the pecans will add depth to both texture and flavour.

   

8. Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil.

   

9. Add the strawberry and the strawberry juices. Optionally, sprinkle with the bee pollen to add a honey kick!

   

10. Enjoy while still warm.

    

Recipe

Low-Carb Roasted Strawberry & Goat Cheese Salad

★★★★★4.6 (19 ratings)

A tasty summer inspired salad made with roasted balsamic strawberries, grilled goat's cheese all served on a ...

Hands on

20m

Overall

1h 15m

Servings

2

7.4 g

Net carbs

28.1 g

Protein

57.1 g

Fat

679

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 2 servings

• 1 cup strawberries, ideally fresh but frozen work too when thawed (144 g/ 5.1 oz)
• 2-3 packages goat's cheese rounds (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup pork rinds, powdered (25 g/ 0.9 oz) - you can make your own
• ¹/₂ cup pecans, raw or roasted (55 g/ 1.9 oz)
• 4 cups fresh lettuce, green, red or mixed (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (30 ml)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (15 ml) - avoid sweet syrupy types of balsamic
• Optional: 1 tsp bee pollen

Instructions

1. Place the pork rinds into a blender and pulse briefly until crumbled or powdered.

2. Cut each goat's cheese round in half widthwise and cover in the powdered pork rinds. You can brush some olive oil on the dry side to help them stick to the cheese.

3. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper with the cut side up and put in the freezer for about an hour. This will prevent the cheese from melting when grilled.

4. After an hour, place the tray under a grill preheated to 220 °C/ 430 °F (fan assisted), or 240 °C/ 465 °F (conventional) and cook for just about 5 minutes. The longer you leave it, the more likely it will start melting. (Note: Make sure you freeze the cheese before grilling. Here is what happened to my cheese when I didn't freeze it. Even with the cut side up, it melted it the oven in just a few minutes.)

5. Meanwhile, wash the strawberries and place them on a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Spray or drizzle with balsamic vinegar and transfer into the oven.

6. Cook at 225 °C/ 450 °F for just 7-10 minutes. The strawberries will release its juices and mix with the vinegar creating a delicious caramelised vinaigrette.

7. Wash the lettuce and place in a salad spinner to dry or pat dry with a kitchen towel. Place in a serving bowl and add the pecans. You can use roasted or raw pecans. Roasting the pecans will add depth to both texture and flavour.

8. Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil.

9. Add the strawberry and the strawberry juices. Optionally, sprinkle with the bee pollen to add a honey kick!

10. Enjoy while still warm.

Nutrition per serving, 1 salad

Carbs 4%Protein 17%Fat 79% of calories

Net carbs

7.4 g

Total carbs

12.1 g

Fiber

4.7 g

Sugars

6.4 g

Protein

28.1 g

Fat

57.1 g

Saturated fat

19.5 g

Calories

679 kcal

Sodium

334 mg · 14.5% RDA

Magnesium

73 mg · 18.4% RDA

Potassium

511 mg · 25.5% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 1 salad	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Strawberries, fresh	4.1 g	0.5 g	0.2 g	23
Goat cheese (semi-soft)	0.1 g	16.2 g	22.4 g	273
Pork rinds (pork skins), dry, plain (for "breading")	0 g	8.1 g	1.3 g	61
Pecans, nuts	1.2 g	2.5 g	19.6 g	188
Lettuce, mixed leaf salad	0.7 g	0.8 g	0.1 g	8
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	13.5 g	119
Balsamic vinegar, dark (excludes sweet, syrupy vinegar)	1.4 g	0 g	0 g	7
Total	7.4 g	28.1 g	57.1 g	679

Serving size 1 salad

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nightshade free
• Avocado free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Low FODMAP