Halloumi Salad with Couscous | Halloumi Cheese

The following recipe features halloumi, couscous, lots of fresh vegetables and  mint with a delicious balsamic vinaigrette. Oh yes, it is healthy and easy. It is also ideal for a quick main course or as a side dish. If your diet is gluten-free, you could just replace couscous with quinoa.

Salads are a most refreshing, healthy and easy choice for summer, when high temperature calls for a light meal, simple to prepare, but rich in nutrients.

The salad we propose today composes a complete meal, which offers your body exactly what it needs: vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The vegetables will provide you with the necessary fiber, the vinaigrette with the good fats, the cheese the protein and couscous energy (due to carbohydrates).

Ingredients

• halloumi
• couscous or quinoa
• arugula
• cucumber
• cherry tomatoes (or tomatoes)
• beetroots (steamed, pre-packaged)
• strawberries
• avocado
• fresh mint

For the balsamic vinaigrette

• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• honey
• garlic powder

How to prepare couscous

1. For different kinds of couscous you may need to follow a different water-couscous ratio and cooking time. Make sure that you follow the guidelines on the packaging or the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. In order to prevent the couscous from being sticky, you should add salt and a little olive oil to the water before boiling.
3. If the couscous feels sticky after cooking, just add a little olive oil, as you do with pasta. You can also stir the couscous gently with a fork, without pressing too hard.

How to prepare halloumi

You can grill the halloumi on the grill, the barbecue or the oven grill. You can also use leftover halloumi from another recipe.

To fry the halloumi:

1. Cut into slices of about half a centimeter.
2. Heat your pan over medium heat.
3. When your pan is hot enough, place the halloumi slices, without olive oil or any other fat.
4. Let it cook without moving it for 1-2 minutes on each side, until it looks golden and crispy.
5. Remove and add to the salad.

Experimenting with other ingredients

1. Whether you avoid gluten or not, you can replace couscous with oatmeal, quinoa, or even pastina.
2. Instead of arugula you can use other green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale or beetroot leaves.

Experiment with adding any other vegetable you like, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, eggplant or radish.

What you will definitely have to add is halloumi!

Preparation and storage

If you want to prepare your salad from the previous day:

1. Boil the couscous and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator after it is sufficiently cool.
2. Cut all the vegetables into cubes and add the arugula. You can store them with the couscous, as long as you let it cool first.
3. It is best to cook the halloumi just before adding it to your salad. However, if necessary, fry the halloumi and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Do not reheat it, because it will lose its pleasant texture and become like rubber.
4. You can also make the vinaigrette in advance, by mixing all the ingredients in the blender, and store it in a separate jar. Caution: You should add it to the salad just before serving.