I'm welcoming you to my new series called, "We Have Food at Home" because we should learn to use up the food in our fridges before grabbing more groceries or eating out. As a content creator I do get overwhelmed sometimes trying to figure out what recipes to make for you guys, so I thought to myself, why not start making recipes on a whim that way the recipe is naturally made and I use food that's sitting in my fridge, instead of going out and buying things just to make one or two recipes. This way you also get to see how I come up with recipes for myself that are still balanced and nutrient-dense.
This second recipe of this series is my Lentil and Halloumi Chopped Salad and it's so easy to whip up since you only need to prep the lentils and halloumi. This recipe was inspired by a food content creator that I love, Kalememaybe aka Carina Wolff because I saw her make a chopped halloumi salad and thought to myself, why the hell have I never chopped up my halloumi before? Then, since I had no "bake-able" veggies in my fridge, I had to opt for making a fresh, raw salad. So, I first prepped the halloumi by searing them in a frying pan and chopping them up. Then I cooked my beluga lentils and when they were done, I roasted them in the oven to get a crispier taste. Lentils are a great source of non-heme iron (aka plant-based iron) so I love incorporating them into meals when I can. Then the rest of the salad is just tomato, cucumber, parsley, and radish. The dressing is a simple lemon dijon vinaigrette. This recipe was a 10/10 and it's great to make to prep for school or work. This recipe is also enough for 2 people, so you can share it or save the rest for later.
Yields: 2
Portion: 1 bowl
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
This recipe is gluten free and vegetarian.
Ingredients:
5 ½ inch thick slices halloumi
1 cup beluga (black) lentils
3 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
2 cucumbers, finely chopped
1 radish, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
Juice of 1 ½ lemons
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp (or less) Dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Cook lentils: add lentils into a mixing bowl and cover with water. Rinse the lentils until the water turns black, then drain and rinse until water is clear. Grab a pot and place it onto the stove top. Bring lentils to a boil on high heat then turn heat to medium and allow lentils to cook without a lid for 20-25 minutes. Lentils should not be too soft or too crunchy.
2. Prep veggies: while lentils cook, prep cucumber, tomato, parsley, radish and add them to a mixing bowl.
3. Roast lentils: drain the lentils and add them onto a baking sheet. Evenly distribute the lentils onto the sheet and roast in oven on 375 for 10 -15 minutes.
4. Prep halloumi: chop halloumi and add to a frying pan on high heat. Sear on both sides each for 2 minutes or until medium brown on each side. Remove from frying pan and gently chop up the halloumi (use a fork because the halloumi will be hot). Add to the mixing bowl.
5. Serve: add roasted lentils to the mixing bowl. Create vinaigrette in a small bowl. Add in the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon, salt, and black pepper. Mix well and pour onto salad. Mix salad. Taste test for salt or lemon. Add if necessary. Enjoy!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.
xoxo,
Jasmin D the RD
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