Cauliflower Rice and Halloumi Lentil Salad : Vegetarian

Don't throw away the leaves of a cauliflower! Use them in this recipe where they are drizzled with oil and roasted until crisp, thus making sure that you use the whole vegetable and nothing is wasted. The rest of the cauliflower is blitzed into cauliflower rice, mixed with lentils and topped with tasty fried halloumi for a great vegetarian salad.

Ingredients

Serves Two
1 small cauliflower with leaves
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
150g halloumi, cubed
390g tin green lentils, drained and rinsed
30g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
½ lemon, juiced
100g cherry tomatoes, quartered

Method

1. Preheat the grill to medium. Peel off the cauliflower leaves, breaking up any large ones if needed, and set aside. Coarsely grate the cauliflower florets and the stalk, then spread out on a large baking tray. Sprinkle with the cumin seeds, 1 tbsp oil and some seasoning; toss to coat evenly.
2. Grill for 6 mins, then stir. Rub the cauliflower leaves with a little oil, add to the baking tray and grill for 6 mins.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the halloumi and fry, stirring occasionally, for 2 mins until golden and crispy.
4. Remove the tray of cauliflower leaves from the grill, then mix the cauliflower rice on a serving plate with the lentils, parsley and lemon juice. Serve topped with the crispy cauliflower leaves, halloumi and tomatoes.
Tips

Choose a cauliflower with small green leaves that don’t cover the whole head, so you won’t have to break them up before roasting. Halve any larger leaves.

If you don't have cauliflower try using broccoli.

Nutrition Per Serving

Fat 27g Carbs 27.1g Fibre 5.5g Protein 32.5g

Recipe from an original idea here

Have you heard of Halloumi? It's pronounced ha-loo-mee. It's a semi-hard chewy, white cheese originating from Cyprus and made from cow's, goat's or sheep's milk, or a combination. It has a mild salty flavour and lends itself beautifully to cooking due to its firm texture which is retained even when cooked and exposed to high temperatures. It has become a firm favourite in our household and sometimes we just cook a couple of slices and enjoy them as a snack!

As an alternative to Halloumi you could consider Paneer, Kefalotyri, Queso Para Freir, Manouri (or feta).

Dear reader, this blog offers a wide variety of articles/recipe/food ideas, and not all may be suitable for YOU. If you may have any food likes / dislikes, allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. 

All the best Jan