Simple, light, tasty and oh so good for you! Healthy Halloumi salad is a winner on hot days when the sun seems endless. The salad tastes fresh and uses herbs rather than lettuce which is a great idea for a change. Parsley is a flowering plant native to the Mediterranean – the two most common types are Italian flat-leaf and French curly leaf. I used the Italian flat-leaf one in this recipe. The herb is a great addition to homemade salad dressings, marinades and is great with seafood.
Parsley Health Benefits
Parsley has been used to treat conditions like high blood pressure, allergies and inflammatory diseases. It is also a great source of Vitamin A and C and is rich in antioxidants, particularly flavonoids. Flavonoids can lower your risk of colon cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Vitamin C also has strong antioxidant effects and plays an important role in supporting immune health and protecting against chronic disease.
Parsley contains Vitamin K which supports one health and as you get older bone density becomes increasingly important.
It also supports eye health as it contains lutein, beta carotene and zeaxanthin. In particular, these carotenoids help prevent age-related macular degeneration .
Halloumi Health Benefits
Halloumi is an excellent source of calcium providing 70% of the adult recommended daily allowance in a single portion. A healthy portion is about 80grams, which is about the size of a palm. Also, as it contains quite a bit of salt, it’s recommended to only have it once a week.
Halloumi is a good source of protein that supports hormone production, the immune system and tissue repair in the body.
It may also protect against diabetes as the protein and fat in halloumi can help slow the emptying of the stomach which can help stabilise blood sugar levels.
Dive on in to the recipe for healthy halloumi salad below to enjoy this quick, light and tasty summer salad
Healthy Halloumi Salad
Light, simple, tasty and packed full of flavour. This is a great salad to rustle up in a jiffy,
- 1 Frying pan
- 2 Ripe plum tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 1/2 Red onion, sliced
- 1/2 Cucumber, cut into chunks
- 1 cup Parley leaves, roughly chopped
- 150 g Halloumi cheese, cut lengthways
- 1/4 cup Black olives, sliced
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper
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Mix the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl to make the dressing
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Add the tomato, cucumber, parsley and olives. Toss to coat the salad in the dressing
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Add some extra virgin olive oil to a frying pan and heat to a high heat. Cook the halloumi slices for 1 minute on each side when they start to colour.
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Serve the salad across 2 plates, and add the slices of the halloumi. Enjoy!