Halloumi Mediterranean Salad

Written by on in Appetizer, Brunch, Dinner, Salad, Side Dish, Snack

Someone told me about the Jennifer Aniston Salad that combines chick peas, feta, quinoa, and some vegetables with lemon juice and herbs. I tried it, and while good, I decided it needed more protein and vegetables. Also, I decided since the salad called for mint, what is better than halloumi cheese, a delicious, salty cheese that is infused with mint. So I give you my healthy, delicious Halloumi Mediterranean Salad.

Halloumi Mediterranean Salad
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Halloumi Mediterranean Salad

Recipe by The Cooking LawyerCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

45

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked bulgur wheat or quinoa

  • 3 cups vegetable stock

  • 1/2 cup lentils

  • 1 zucchini diced

  • 1 cucumber diced

  • 1 carrot diced

  • 1 bell pepper diced

  • 1/2 onion diced

  • 1 15 oz. can of chick peas, rinsed and drained

  • 1 TBS dried mint

  • 1 TBS dried parsley

  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced

  • 1/8 cup olive oil – see note

  • 2 TBS sliced Kalamata olives

  • 1 TBS capers

  • pinch of crushed red pepper

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  • Add bulgur wheat (or quinoa) and lentils to pot with a lid.
  • Add vegetable stock, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  • Turn heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Zest the lemons into the large bowl you will use to assemble your salad.
  • Juice the lemons.
  • Add the lemon juice to the olive oil.
  • Whisk together and add the crushed red pepper, mint, parsley, and black pepper.
  • Once the bulgur wheat/quinoa, and lentils are cooked, add the lemon juice mixture and the drained chick peas while hot so that the mixture is absorbed into the bulgur wheat/quinoa. Let cool.
  • Dice the cucumber and zucchini, and add to the salad bowl.
  • Salt the cucumber and zucchini.
  • Dice the onion, carrot, and bell pepper.
  • Dice the cheese and add to the bowl.
  • Add the olives and capers.
  • Add the cooled bulgur wheat/quinoa mixture to the vegetables.
  • Mix well. Serve at room temperature, or cool from the refrigerator.

Notes

  • If you buy olives from an olive bar, some olives are sold in a briny olive oil. Save that olive oil! It goes great in this recipe. It usually has some heat and seasonings. It goes great with the bulgur wheat. You can use plain olive oil if you can’t find it.
  • If you don’t know where to find Halloumi cheese, check out the gourmet cheese area of your grocery store. It is a Cypriot cheese. It has a unique texture, but it is salty like feta. If you can’t find it, substitute feta cheese – but trust me, it’s worth hunting around to find Halloumi! I have found it at Greek specialty stores, Wegmans, and Shop Rite.
  • Instead of using vegetable stock, you can also use a teaspoon of Better than Bouillon Vegetable.

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