If you are looking for an easy, elegant and healthy appetizer for a holiday meal or a party, I’ve got a recipe for you!

Crisp belgian endive filled with creamy goat cheese, crunchy honey-toasted walnuts, sweet orange sections and a balsamic reduction. A little sweet, a bit of tang, a hint of bitter, a touch of brightness and citrus – it really is a lovely bite! Also, your gluten free and/or vegetarian guests will appreciate you for serving these tasty starters 🙂

Sounds fancy and looks fancy but it’s simple to prepare and your guests will be impressed!

I ran across this recipe in an old copy of a Cooking Light Holiday cookbook and knew I would give this a try. I didn’t stray far from the original but slightly adapted the recipe using a few ingredients I had on hand, reduced the amount of honey by 2 tsp and I toasted the nuts in a skillet instead of the oven.

Stuffed Endive with Orange and Goat Cheese (inspired from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
4 tsp honey, divided
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons orange juice
16 Belgian endive leaves, washed and dried (about 2 heads)
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese (or you can use blue cheese)
16 small orange sections, each section chopped into 3-4 pieces (about 2 oranges) OR 2 cups mandarin oranges in 100% juice
1 Tbsp finely chopped green onion (about 1-2 stalks)
freshly ground cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Stir chopped walnuts in small nonstick skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Drizzle 2 teaspoons honey over the nuts and stir until honey thickens and coats nuts, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Stir to loosen nuts from skillet, transfer to a bowl or plate to let cool.
2. Combine remaining 2 teaspoons honey, vinegar, and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, and cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 4-5 minutes).Watch carefully so you do not over-reduce.
3. Fill each endive leaf with 2 Tbsp chopped orange. Top each section with 1 teaspoon cheese and 1 teaspoon walnuts; arrange on a plate. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over leaves, and sprinkle evenly with green onion and black pepper. Enjoy!