Pan-Fried Halloumi Salad

So, I’ve been on a bit of a healthy eating kick recently. It’s no secret that while travelling, you’re more prone to eat terribly, just because it’s more convenient (bad excuse, but there it is).

Also, because you’re travelling and it’s exciting and new, you tend to treat it like one extended holiday. And everyone indulges when they’re on holiday, right?

Except, I’ve been on “holiday” for over 18 months now. And you definitely can’t justify overindulging for 18 months.

So every time Scott and I have an apartment for a little while, we cook as many meals as we can and try and eat as healthily and cleanly as we can. Healthily and cleanly = salads. 

I don’t really like salads. I love all of the toppings, but there’s just something about cold, boring lettuce that gets my goat. It’s just so….meh. Hence why I very rarely eat salads. I would rather eat a plate of cooked vegetables than a salad.

But when you need a nice, light lunch with very little hassle, salad is definitely the way to go. And what if I told you you could make this halloumi salad with only 3 ingredients in less than 10 minutes and have a totally yummy meal that even lettuce loathers like me can love?

Wouldn’t believe me?

Well, it’s that easy.

All you need is some halloumi cheese, a jar of sundried tomatoes (plus a little of the wonderful garlicky, herby oil that they come in) and some mixed green salad leaves. Simple.

I only tried halloumi for the first time a few years ago when my sister made it for us for dinner. I remember loving the deliciously salty taste and slightly chewy texture. But I forgot all about it and have eaten it very little since then, much to my disappointment.

Then we came to Turkey and I spotted loads of the stuff in the supermarket and just knew that I had to make something with it. Something that wouldn’t totally compromise our healthy eating (it’s still cheese, after all). The result was delicious, and I even managed to turn Scott into a halloumi salad obsessive lover. Good times.

Pan-Fried Halloumi Salad

Recipe by Julia

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 125g Halloumi cheese

• 8 sundried tomatoes (from a jar), chopped

• Pack of mixed salad greens

Directions

• Slice the halloumi cheese into six thin, long slices.
• Arrange the salad leaves on two plates, along with the sun-dried tomato pieces. Drizzle with some of the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes.
• Add a little oil to a frying pan over a medium heat. Place the cheese slices into the pan and cook until golden brown on each side.
• Remove cheese from the pan and lay over the salad leaves.

Notes

• If you have never cooked halloumi cheese before, you may be worried by the amount of liquid which comes out of the cheese once it’s cooking in the pan. A little patience is needed before the cheese will start to brown – the cheese will become very fragile when it first starts to cook, so try to avoid flipping it until all of the liquid has disappeared, otherwise your slices will split. The cheese will brown, but only once the liquid has evaporated – you can even pour it out of the pan or scoop it out with a spoon if you want to speed up the browning process.