I adore this salad. I adore halloumi to be honest, so anything with halloumi and I’m in !! This salad is subtle with flavours but it is one of those dishes that feels good for your body and soul as you enjoy it. It is the embodiment of this concept of satiety. There is the perfect balance of textures and flavours. The creaminess of the avocado and chickpeas and avocados work so well to balance the tangy sharp sweetness of the dressing and the slight bitterness from the kale. The punch of the red onion and the vibrancy of the fresh herbs makes this salad a very joyful experience.
My best advice is make a double batch and have the leftover for lunch tomorrow.
Enjoy every delicious bite.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 400 g cooked quinoa 125g uncooked
- 1 stock cube
- 1 avocado
- 1 bunch cavolo nero kale
- ½ can chickpeas drained
- ½ red onion
- 1 block halloumi
- 1 tsp oil
- Fresh herbs - handful of fresh mint parley, dill, chives & tarragon
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lemon (juiced)
- 2 heaped tsp dijon mustard
- 2 heaped tsp local honey
- Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
How To
- Quinoa: Bring the stock to the boil, add in the quinoa and boil for 12-15 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare the kale: There are 2 options here. Blanch and refresh or massage. Prepare the kale by removing the rib from the centre. If using blanch and refresh method, plunge the kale into a pot of boiling salted water for 4 minutes, drain and plunge into ice cold water for 2 minutes. Remove, pat dry really well and finely shred with a sharp knife. Alternatively if you are massaging the kale make the salad dressing and massage three quarters of the dressing into the leaves using your hands. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the remaining salad ingredients.
- Herbs: Bunch the herbs together roughly and finely shred. Set aside.
- Avocado: Slice the avocado in half lengthways, and scoop out the stone. Using a dessert spoon scoop out the flesh. Lay it flat on a board and cut it into slices.
- Red Onion: Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Drain the chickpeas.
- Halloumi: Heat one tsp oil in the frying pan. Add the slices of halloumi, fry on each side for about 3/4 minutes until golden brown and delicious.
- Assembly: To assemble the salad toss the cooked quinoa, onion, chickpeas and herbs in with the massaged / dressed kale. Add in the remaining dressing.Toss these together well. Spoon into serving bowls. Top with the avocado and halloumi and garnish with some fresh herbs.
