May 19 – Goat’s Milk

Proverbs 27:27

And there will be goats' milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and sustenance for your maidens. (NASB)

I love goats’ milk cheese. It is tangy and tasty on a salad or even on pizza. Now my mouth is watering, wanting a taste of good goat cheese. Goats have a reputation for eating everything in sight, but actually they will not eat inedible material like tin cans. Goats are raised in countries around the world. In reviewing various websites with goat production statistics it was interesting to note that China is the country with the most goats, although apparently they use the animals for meat more than for milk production. Bangladesh produces the most goats’ milk for any one country. Since goats’ milk is similar to cows’ milk in lactose (sugar) it is unfortunately not valued as a replacement for those who are lactose intolerant. So although I’d rather have a cheese and milk that is good for the lactose intolerant, the goats’ milk cheese still is tasty.

In the Proverbs 27:23-27 passage Solomon talks about paying attention to knowing and raising flocks of sheep and goats. They are valuable animals that will provide the shepherd’s family and household with milk, food and monetary income. God provides.

Sheep and goats are symbolic of the righteous and the unrighteous people that God deals with in the end times. See Matthew 25:32-34, 41. “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’” “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels’…”  I want to be among the sheep when the Lord calls us to Heaven. How about you? Will we have goat’s milk cheese in Heaven? God is so creative that we can be sure that whatever He serves, it will be exemplary. Below is a good spring salad recipe. I hope that God serves strawberries in heaven…and goat cheese, too.  

Lord, as shepherd of the human sheep and goats please guide and direct our paths that we would be pleasing to you. Thank you for providing all that we need.

Spring Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients – Serves 8

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 lb raw turkey breast, cubed (about 2 cups cooked meat)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and dried
• 1 pint strawberries, sliced
• 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
• ½ cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions

1.      Place the meat into a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette over medium heat; cook and stir until the meat is browned, no longer pink in the center, and the juice has nearly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove the meat to a bowl and let cool.

2.      Place the spinach into a salad bowl; scatter the strawberries, goat cheese, and nuts over the spinach. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar over the salad and top with the meat. Serve slightly warm or chilled.

3.      For variety, instead of chick or turkey, you may want to try using a pound of ground lamb---season with snipped fresh thyme and basil. Enjoy!

© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.