Healthy Halloumi Quinoa Salad with Garlic Vegetables

This Healthy Halloumi Quinoa Salad with Garlic Vegetables and a fresh tzatziki sauce has everything you need in a healthy, nourishing meal. The halloumi is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, the quinoa is cooked in a lot of flavor and the vegetables are roasted with olive oil and garlic. Drizzle with a fresh tzatziki sauce and it's complete. And guess what, all this can be done in 40 minutes or less!

 

 

As winter is blazing outside, I'm combining comforting flavors such as garlic, roasted sweet tomatoes and cumin with fresh ingredients like spinach, mint and greek yoghurt. I wanted a healthy salad that is not boring, because who has got time for boring salads when this healthy halloumi quinoa salad exists. I'm telling you - no one.

 

What You Need to Know About Halloumi

 

Halloumi is a semi-hard salty cheese originating from Cyprus, but is also quite popular in the Middle East. What is so great about this cheese is that it is supposed to be grilled/cooked/baked. I mean - YES! That way it gets crunchy on the outside, while tender on the inside. But it needs to be cooked right.

 

 

1. It needs to be cooked on high heat

   Then you quickly get the crispy crust, while the inside is melting. If you however go for low heat, it will actually be quite unpleasant. The halloumi will be rubbery and not good at all. So remember - high heat.

    

2. It needs to be eaten ASAP

   So, I really do mean ASAP. As soon as possible. Everyone should be seated and the rest of this halloumi quinoa salad should be ready and plated. Then you can begin cooking the halloumi. When it's done, place them on top of each plate and dig in.

 

That's it. High heat and eat immediately. I just wanted to get that out of the way before showing you the rest of this healthy halloumi quinoa salad!

 

And if you want more ways to eat your halloumi, try the harissa halloumi in this harissa chicken and butternut squash recipe!

 

 

Healthy Halloumi Quinoa Salad with Garlic Vegetables

 

This halloumi quinoa salad can be made in no time and very little effort. What we begin with is pre-heating the oven to 230C (450F) and finding a 9 x 13 inch pan (or a baking sheet, who cares today!).

 

Prepare the tomatoes and zucchini. Chop the small tomatoes in half and slice the zucchini in ½ inch thick slices and then cut in half. Thinly slice a red onion. Add all these vegetables into the pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and minced garlic. Give it a mix. Bake until veggies are tender, approximately 25-30 minutes.

 

 

Cook quinoa in vegetable broth, cumin and a minced garlic clove. See package instructions for how long to cook it. Cool for at least five minutes.

 

Meanwhile, tear up spinach to desired size and place in a bowl. Mix with the chopped mint, if desired. To make the tzatziki: grate and squeeze the water out of the cucumber (discard water), mix all the ingredients together and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

 

 

Once the quinoa is done and has cooled at least 5 minutes, fluff it with a fork and mix with the spinach. Top the quinoa spinach with roasted garlic vegetables.

 

Before you cook the halloumi, make sure everyone is seated and the salad is plated. Pat the Halloumi block dry with a paper towel and cut into potato fry sized pieces. Brush lightly with olive oil. Fry in a dry non stick pan on high heat until golden. About 1-2 minutes on each side. It will smoke a little, but don't worry.

 

Immediately after frying, serve them with the salad and drizzle with Tzatziki sauce. Serve with warm pita breads, if you'd like. 

 

 

Other Healthy Dinners

 

• Strawberry Arugula Summer Salad (add some protein to complete the meal!)
• Skinny Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Fried Bananas
• Curry Coconut Chicken Satay with Mango Cucumber Salad
• Mexican Mango Salad with Avocado Herb Salad and Quinoa
• Chicken Shawarma

 

I hope you'll like it! Tell me what you think, either in the comment section below or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don't forget to Pin it for later!

 

 

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