Grilled Halloumi, Beetroot & Pumpkin Seed Salad with Zesty Dressing
Grilled Halloumi, Beetroot & Pumpkin Seed Salad
Halloumi cheese, Cypriot of origin but popular throughout the Middle East is traditionally made from goat or sheep’s milk. Halloumi made from cow’s milk is popular locally and easily available in most supermarkets and delis.
The cheese has a higher than average melting point (due to fresh curd being heated before being shaped and placed in brine when it is made), and as a result it is the perfect cheese to grill. It releases a warm, nutty aroma when heated, similar to semolina frying in butter and is relatively high in protein.
*You will find a few more pics in this post than usual- I was playing a bit with positioning and lighting *
This post was featured on Huffington Post feature on Halloumi on 18 June 2012:
Beetroots are in season here, and paired with halloumi, spinach and pumpkin seeds, the salad makes a nutritious, healthy meal high in anti-oxidants. I made a zesty dressing to lift the ingredients, complimented by a scattering of mint leaves.
Please feel free to substitute the beetroot with a few spears of blanched asparagus or cooked artichoke leaves for an equally beautiful salad.
Ingredients
Serves 2
2 cups baby spinach leaves (greens of your choice)
1/2 cup julienned beetroot (or cooked and sliced)
120 g halloumi sliced
2 T pumpkin seeds
6 mint leaves, torn
For the Dressing
1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced
40 ml extra virgin olive oil
1/4 t sugar
salt, to taste
Place all dressing ingredients in a jar with the lid on and shake well. The dressing will emulsify. Set aside
Method
In a teflon coated pan, on low heat toast the pumpkin seeds for a 30 seconds or until they start to brown. Remove and set aside.
Cut the halloumi into two- bite sized pieces and heat in the same pan, without any oil until browned on both sides.
Arrange spinach leaves on a plate, followed by beetroot and warm halloumi.
Top with pumpkin seeds and mint leaves, torn up.
Shake dressing and drizzle over. Serve immediately.
A wonderful and colorful salad. Halloumi cheese is sensational on all kinds of dishes and I love using it regularly. Love beets too so this is a “must-make-soon” salad!
Mmmm, I do love halloumi. It makes any salad super-fab! Not usually a fan of beetroot but I do quite like it like this in matchsticks on salad. And I love your dressing jar!
This looks marvelous! My husband loves beets and I’ve got a lot of pumpkin seeds lying about, so you’ve given me some inspiration for dinner sometime this week!
Hi – Thanks for recommending using a Teflon® non-stick pan while roasting your pumpkin seeds. I represent DuPont and it’s always a pleasure to see people recommending our products in their recipes.
If you are interested in some other recipes or great cookbooks to look at for your blog, drop me an email and I would be glad to help you out! Thanks. Cheers, Sara