Healthy Quinoa, Grilled Squash and Halloumi Salad
A healthy salad full of flavor with nutty quinoa, grilled zucchini, yellow squash and delicious halloumi cheese. A great recipe for when you want a lighter, healthier meal or when your garden is full of summer squash.
Yield: 8
Materials
- 1 cup (130 grams) quinoa, any variety
- 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) water
- 1 large zucchini
- 2 medium yellow squash
- 8 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced 1/4" thick
- 1 cup mint (packed), roughly chopped
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (+ zest of 1 lemon)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt, kosher (or to taste)
- 1/8 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa in a sieve for 30 seconds. Place in a medium saucepan, along with the water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to steam for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, salt, pepper and olive oil. Set aside.
- Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Slice zucchini and yellow squash into 1/2" thick planks. Lay squash on grill and cook until grill marks form, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and chop into large dice. Place in a large bowl and season to taste with salt, pepper and a few spoonfuls of dressing.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the halloumi slices and cook the cheese for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan and chop into a large dice similar to the zucchini and squash.
- Add halloumi, cooked quinoa and chopped herbs to the bowl. Pour over the remaining dressing. Toss everything together well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Notes
-any variety of summer squash will work. You'll need 1 1/4-1 1/2 pounds total.