LCHF Breakfast or Lunch Fry Up with Halloumi

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.

Availability:
In good supermarkets and speciality stores.

Choose the best:
Cut into slices - the halloumi should 'squeak' as it is cut into.

Store it:
An unopened packet of halloumi will keep in the fridge for up to a year. Once opened store in salt water in the fridge.

Cook it:
Fantastic fried, grilled or barbecued. Added to salads or served with vegetables. Halloumi is often served with chopped mint to add flavour. Also goes well with finely chopped chilli.

Alternatives:
Try mozzarella.

These facts from here

Now how about this wonderful breakfast or lunch fry-up, surely one of life's simple pleasures! You can take a 'normal' fry up to the next level by adding some halloumi - after all everything's better with cheese - wouldn't you agree!

Ingredients:

Serves Four
2 tsp light olive oil
4 large flat mushrooms
4 tomatoes
250g halloumi
4 medium eggs
260g spinach

Method:

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large frying pan. Brush away any dirt on the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and place them, stalk-side down, in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes, turn, then cook for a further 5 minutes. Place on a tray and transfer to a warm oven.
2. Halve the tomatoes and remove the green 'eye' with a small, sharp knife. Season with salt and pepper, then place them cut-side down in the pan and cook without moving for 3 minutes. Gently turn over and season again. Cook for a further 2 minutes until tender, but still holding their shape. Transfer to the tray in the oven.
3. Slice the halloumi into 8 pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the halloumi and cook for 2 minutes without stirring, until the bottoms are well-browned. Turn the slices over and brown for a further 2 minutes. Transfer to the tray in the oven.

4. Lastly, crack the eggs straight into the pan. If it starts to spit, turn down the heat slightly. Cook to your preferred stage, season and gently remove. While the eggs cook, pierce the bag of spinach several times and place on a non metallic plate. Cook in the microwave according to packet instructions and allow to stand for 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl and squeeze out any excess liquid.
5. Once all the ingredients are cooked, serve on warm plates and enjoy with your choice of condiments.

Each serving provides:
4.5g carbohydrate 3.3g fibre 27.1g protein 26.8g fat

Original recipe idea from here

You may also want to enjoy a tasty Halloumi salad with some orange and mint - a taste of the Mediterranean - you can see the recipe idea here

However you choose to use Halloumi, I hope you enjoy it...

All the best Jan