Description
A vibrant and refreshing salad featuring golden pan-fried halloumi cheese, jewel-like pomegranate seeds, fluffy couscous, and a zesty mint-lemon dressing. Perfect for a light lunch or a side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Crust:
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 1/4 cups boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 200g halloumi cheese, sliced into 1/2-inch thick pieces
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Prepare the Crust:
- Place couscous in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over it, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- While couscous cooks, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add halloumi slices and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove and cut into bite-sized cubes.
- Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, chopped mint, salt, and pepper.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the fluffed couscous, halloumi cubes, pomegranate seeds, chopped mint, parsley, toasted almonds, and green onions.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes for flavors to meld. Garnish with additional mint if desired.
Notes
You can customize the seasonings to taste. For a vegan version, substitute halloumi with grilled tofu or tempeh and use maple syrup instead of honey. Pomegranate seeds can be replaced with dried cranberries or diced apple.