Tasty Halloumi and Quinoa Salad

Are you sick of tasteless, bland, unfulfilling salads? Me too. That’s why I’ve created this healthy spin that has both warm and cold ingredients and is packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy oils and fibre. Oh and guess what? It’s meatless too!

By now I’m sure you’ve heard that you should try to incorporate meatless meals for optimal health but it can be a bit overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you know you’re getting the protein your body needs? Is it going to taste bland? On and on our excuses go until we leave feeling defeated and just go back to what we know best, creating a meal centred around meat. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, I felt the same way until I talked to every vegetarian and vegan I knew and went through some trial and error to learn the tips and tricks. So now you don’t need to worry, I got you!

This amazing salad was inspired by a little cafe in Australia where I decided to make the decision to expand my tastes and start ordering food without meat. To me, it was a big step at the time, and since then I’ve learned that vegetarian food can be EVEN BETTER than our traditional meaty meals.

This salad is tasty, filling, healthy and packed with protein. Never tried halloumi before? Oh, you can thank me later. This chewy, high melting point cheese is made from a mix of goat’s and sheep’s milk and is packed with 21g of protein per 100g and oh so good! When assembling your salad feel free to make it as big or small as you want, this is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibre. All the good stuff! Trust me, you won’t go hungry after this.

Tasty Halloumi and Quinoa Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

Salad: 

• 1/4 cup Quinoa
• Halloumi
• Arugula
• Spinach
• 1 whole Tomato
• 1 whole Red Pepper
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 1/8 Kent Pumpkin (if not available where you live, substitute 1 medium yam)

Dressing:

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp Whole Grain Mustard
• Big Pinch Oregano
• Small Pinch Garlic Powder (or finely chop 1 clove)

Directions

• To make the dressing, add all ingredients together and whisk. Set aside.
• Cook the quinoa according to directions on the package and set aside.
• Warm up your oven to 350F. Cut pumpkin lengthwise into 6 1/4 inch slices, lightly brush each side with cooking oil and place on baking sheet. Bake in the oven, turning halfway for 10 minutes or until you can poke a fork through and is lightly browned.
• While you wait for the pumpkin to cook, assemble your salad by laying out the arugula and spinach in equal portions, cut up the tomato, red pepper, red onion and sprinkle on top.
• Cut 6 slices of halloumi into 1/2 inch thick slices, and warm up a frying pan on medium-high heat. Cook each side of the halloumi for 2-3 minutes or until it is light golden brown.
• Lay the cooked quinoa, pumpkin, and halloumi on each prepared salad, add the dressing and enjoy!Tip: you can add avocado for an extra dose of healthy fats or whatever other veggies you like in your salads!