Bad Boy Layered Salad with Haloumi, Chicken and Roasted Veg
This has been a favourite of my hubby's and mine since I threw a whole lot of stuff together one night about 10 years ago and it worked brilliantly! I've never altered what's gone in it because it just worked so perfectly. Don't you love it when that happens?
For me, my favourite dishes tend to have lots of varied textures. I know flavour combinations are very important to perfect, but I place as much importance on textural combinations. This one has the squeak on your teeth of the haloumi, the melting softness of the pumpkin, the crunch of pine nuts and rocket and the chewiness of the chicken.
It's also great to make for week-night dinners as well as entertaining, as it can be done in stages, left and then come back to, and then left again etc. You will notice I'm not exact with measurements of all ingredients as it really depends on how much you personally would like of certain things. Ok, on with the show.
What You Will Need:
A frypan and a baking dish
1 packet of haloumi
1/4 jap pumpkin (large dice)
as much fresh rocket as you wish for the base
1/2 red capsicum (cut into strips)
1/2 red spanish onion (cut finely into 1/2 rings)
3-4 tablespoons pine nuts
coconut oil for baking
at least 10 fresh basil leaves
some cooked chicken - this can be left overs from a roast or use a roast chook from the supermarket (make sure its free range!)
The chicken is definitely optional. I only add it in if we have left over chicken to beef it up a bit if we are more hungry than usual as there is enough protein in the haloumi alone.
First stage
Simply toss the pumpkin in some coconut oil and bake in oven at 180 degrees till browned and soft. In the last 10 mins of baking, toss in your capsicum strips.
Dry fry pine nuts quickly in fry pan until browned.
Arrange rocket on 2 or 4 plates depending on whether you want 2 large salads as mains or 4 entree size salads. Arrange pumpkin, capsicum and pinenuts on top.
*at this point, you may need to feed/bathe kids, make the dressing (see further down) or simply sit down with a wine and collect your thoughts and check facebook, all perfectly acceptable things to do at this point of the procedure*
Second Stage
Slice haloumi into 1cm thick slices and fry in a pan. Cook on each side until nice and brown and then transfer onto some paper towel.
Pull apart some chicken and scatter pieces over the top.
Once the haloumi has cooled slightly, also rip into pieces and scatter over the top
Now scatter the sliced onion and pop basil leaves as the crowning glory in the centre.
Third Stage - Dressing
An Easy Peasy dressing that works well with a lot of salads. In a small bowl or jar, add about 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil, half that amount of balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon of a good raw honey. Stir or shake and drizzle over your salads.
Easy Peasy (as all my recipes are) as that's my kind of cooking, but flavoursome, healthy and pretty to look at!
Bon Appetit!
Yours in health,
Alisha x
Bad Boy Layered Salad with Haloumi, Chicken and Roasted Veg
This has been a favourite of my hubby's and mine since I threw a whole lot of stuff together one night about 10 years ago and it worked brilliantly! I've never altered what's gone in it because it just worked so perfectly. Don't you love it when that happens?
For me, my favourite dishes tend to have lots of varied textures. I know flavour combinations are very important to perfect, but I place as much importance on textural combinations. This one has the squeak on your teeth of the haloumi, the melting softness of the pumpkin, the crunch of pine nuts and rocket and the chewiness of the chicken.
It's also great to make for week-night dinners as well as entertaining, as it can be done in stages, left and then come back to, and then left again etc. You will notice I'm not exact with measurements of all ingredients as it really depends on how much you personally would like of certain things. Ok, on with the show.
What You Will Need:
A frypan and a baking dish
1 packet of haloumi
1/4 jap pumpkin (large dice)
as much fresh rocket as you wish for the base
1/2 red capsicum (cut into strips)
1/2 red spanish onion (cut finely into 1/2 rings)
3-4 tablespoons pine nuts
coconut oil for baking
at least 10 fresh basil leaves
some cooked chicken - this can be left overs from a roast or use a roast chook from the supermarket (make sure its free range!)
The chicken is definitely optional. I only add it in if we have left over chicken to beef it up a bit if we are more hungry than usual as there is enough protein in the haloumi alone.
First stage
Simply toss the pumpkin in some coconut oil and bake in oven at 180 degrees till browned and soft. In the last 10 mins of baking, toss in your capsicum strips.
Dry fry pine nuts quickly in fry pan until browned.
Arrange rocket on 2 or 4 plates depending on whether you want 2 large salads as mains or 4 entree size salads. Arrange pumpkin, capsicum and pinenuts on top.
*at this point, you may need to feed/bathe kids, make the dressing (see further down) or simply sit down with a wine and collect your thoughts and check facebook, all perfectly acceptable things to do at this point of the procedure*
Second Stage
Slice haloumi into 1cm thick slices and fry in a pan. Cook on each side until nice and brown and then transfer onto some paper towel.
Pull apart some chicken and scatter pieces over the top.
Once the haloumi has cooled slightly, also rip into pieces and scatter over the top
Now scatter the sliced onion and pop basil leaves as the crowning glory in the centre.
Third Stage - Dressing
An Easy Peasy dressing that works well with a lot of salads. In a small bowl or jar, add about 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil, half that amount of balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon of a good raw honey. Stir or shake and drizzle over your salads.
Easy Peasy (as all my recipes are) as that's my kind of cooking, but flavoursome, healthy and pretty to look at!
Bon Appetit!
Yours in health,
Alisha x
