Before having children I used to enjoy cooking. A little bit of effort really paid off, to enjoy a nice evening meal. But you’ll have noticed a distinct lack of healthy meal ideas on this blog and that is because my children like to eat bland food and keep me up all night, so that I am too exhausted and dispirited in the kitchen to trial new recipes.
Enter, Dad’s Table! I have been following on Instagram an old school friend, Adam, who is now an offensively talented Leith’s-trained chef from London. He and his wife are about to have their first baby and he’s been coming up with some pretty spectacular meals to make sure his wife and baby eat well and stay healthy throughout the pregnancy.
I KNOW. Let’s take a moment to let our green eyes settle down.
Anyway, he posts lots of tempting looking photos on his Instagram and has a website launch planned for later in the year, but you might want to be an early adopter and try out this delicious light salad.
My children unharacteristically quite like a bit of halloumi, but I am planning on making this later in the week for mr tMatM to eat after the children are asleep, so that we can enjoy it without mediating disputes over the ownership of a Maisy Mouse spoon.
Grilled halloumi, peach, walnut, pomegranate and mint salad served with fresh beetroot oil
A very easy and fresh salad, perfect for a light lunch or as a side to some grilled white fish. This salad has lots of beetroot which is packed full of iron and folic acid. The walnuts are good for neural development, the fruits for vitamin C and the halloumi gives you all the protein, calcium and fat you need for the day.
When cooked, halloumi doesn’t taste or smell like cheese at all, so perfect for getting some dairy into fussy eaters.
Ingredients
Serves 4
400g halloumi, cut into slices
One packed of pre-cooked beetroot, sliced. Collect the beetroot juice from the packet and keep in a glass
One avocado, cubed
100g walnuts, broken into pieces
2 peaches, destoned and cubed
The seeds from one pomegranate
Half a cucumber, cubed
Two large handfuls of rocket leaves
One bunch of mint, chopped
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil and salt
Method
Take about 2-3 tablespoons of the chopped mint, add 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and pour over the sliced halloumi. Set aside.
To make the salad dressing combine the beetroot juice with a pinch of salt, the remaining lemon juice and olive oil. Use approx. the same amount of olive oil as the amount of beetroot juice that you have.
In a salad bowl combine the rocket leaves, mint, pomegranate seeds, avocado, cucumber, walnuts and peach.
Place the halloumi on a grill or in a frying pan, pouring any excess liquid over the cheese. Cook for around 3-4 minutes each side until the halloumi has become tougher and darker.
Place the salad on plates and arrange the halloumi on top. Drizzle the beetroot oil over the halloumi and serve.
Thanks Adam! For the recipe and for making us all feel a little bit annoyed that our husbands aren’t trained chefs.
To see more, follow Adam on Instagram here, and get ready for his upcoming website that he promises will be full of easy to make, delicious and healthy recipes to accompany you through your week, from quick evening meals to lazy Sunday brunches and weekend feasts. And perhaps we can persuade him to return soon with some more healthy recipes to balance out my baking.
tMatM x