Last week I made my Grilled Halloumi and Lentil Salad at a demo here in Kilkenny and since then I've had more than a few messages from people who were at the demo and who tried the salad when they went home. For most of them, it was their first time having halloumi and they loved it (yay!). I definitely think we have a few more halloumi fans knocking around Kilkenny now.
So with that in mind and for all of you who love halloumi as much as I do, I thought I'd share another halloumi recipe. This time it's for a Mexican style Black Bean, Halloumi and Avocado Salad. I think blackbeans are my favourite of all the beans so I'll take any excuse to add them to a salad. To go with this salad I made a yogurt and jalapeno dressing that packs quite a punch in the heat department so just watch out for that when serving. Best bet is to mix a little through the salad and then serve the rest in a little bowl on the side so people can add as much or as little as they like.
On a personal note, can I just say THANK YOU so much to everyone who messaged me about last week's demo. It's so great to be back blogging regularly and doing the odd demo here and there too. It's also great to meet people in person and to chat all things food and healthy eating. Because alot of my work is online based, I can get a little comfortable in that bubble, but it felt relly good to step outside of that comfort zone and challenge myself. Resolution made to do this more often!!
Now, for all you newly converted halloumi lovers out there, keep scrolling for another winner of a salad for you to try.
Black Bean, Halloumi & Avocado Salad
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
75g brown rice
1 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
250g halloumi
2 ripe avocado
1 lime
1 red onion
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
For the dressing
1 cup greek yogurt
1 tbsp jalapeno slices (from the jar is fine)
Juice of 1 lime
Small handful coriander leaves
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Sea salt and black pepper
Method
Cook the brown rice according to the instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and add to a large bowl. Add the black beans. Slice the red onion into thin slices and add it to the rice and black beans.
Cut the halloumi into slices about 1 cm thick. HEat the olive oil on a pan over a medium heat. Place the halloumi on the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes each side, until golden brown and beginning to crisp. Once cooked, remove from the heat and add to the black bean and rice mixture.
To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Spoon about a tablespoon of the dressing over the rice, black beans and halloumi and mix to combine. Pour the remaining dressing into a bowl to serve alongside your salad.
To serve, spoon the rice and black bean and halloumi mixture into the centre of your serving dish. Cut your avocado into slices and place on top. Scatter the sunflower seeds on top and add a few lime wedges for people to add lime juice to their serving if they wish. Serve with the extra dressing on the side.
