Halloumi and garlic dressed vegetables with quinoa
Haloumi is a great semi-hard, brined cheese made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk (occasionally cow’s milk). It can be easily dry-fried or grilled. It came from Cyprus originally but thankfully widely available in supermarkets now. It is a good source of easily-absorbable calcium and other bone minerals and its not that high in total and saturated fat, making it a delicious choice for lunch or a light meal.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 beetroots, peeled and sliced into chunks
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into same sized chunks
- 4 red onions, sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200g quinoa
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 2 x 250g packs halloumi, each block cut into 6 slices
For the dressing
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp clear honey
WHAT TO DO
Heat oven to 180C. Put the beetroot, sweet potato and red onion on a large roasting tray.
Cut the top off the garlic bulb and drizzle with a little of the olive oil. Pop it onto the roasting tray. You will be using this later for the dressing.
Season the vegetables and pour the remaining oil over them. Roast for about 40 mins, turning the vegetables halfway through.
Meanwhile, put the quinoa and stock in a pot over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins. Drain and return to the pot, off the heat.
When the vegetables are roasted, set the garlic bulb aside and stir the remaining vegetables through the quinoa. Put a cast iron griddle pan over a high heat. Add the halloumi and griddle for I minute on each side.
To make the dressing, squeeze the roasted garlic from the bulb into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, oil, honey and seasoning and mix.
Divide out the veggie quinoa into deep bowls and top with the halloumi and dressing.
IE-CH-729(2) Date of Preparation January 2023
