Fresh Salad with Halloumi Croutons and Spiced Chickpeas

In the words of my dad, who had this recipe the first time we made it, “The halloumi croutons make this salad.” I couldn’t agree more. There is something about the salty, chewy, crispy croutons that complement the cool cucumbers and citrusy dressing. I could eat this salad every day. It makes a great side salad and, honestly, because of the proteinaceous chickpeas and halloumi, this could be a meal.

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To start, remove the halloumi from its packaging and drain out the extra water/liquid. Slice the halloumi into small cubes - I like to cut my halloumi in half long-ways first, so that I have two slabs, then I cut them into thirds by height and maybe fourths by width, if I can get that much out of it. You’ll wind up with around 20 cubes. Don’t push yourself to cut them too small or they may crumble. Halloumi is great because it is a waxier consistency that holds together well - but sometimes it will crumble if in too-small slices.

Get a small baking tray or dish. If using a metal baking tray, cover in a silicon mat (silpat) or aluminum foil to prevent sticking. I am normally a devotee of my silicon mat, because I can use it again and again without waste (even though in some towns and cities you can recycle soiled aluminum foil, which is a good backup option). But, I designed this recipe for the first time during a heat wave. That’s right - it was about 100 degrees F outside and about 85 degrees inside. I couldn’t bring myself to turn on my oven and make it even hotter inside, so I opted to use my toaster oven. I used a smaller tray to fit in there, so I covered it in foil (my silicon mats would have been way too big, but know that brands do make tiny silicon mats and now I plan to get one so I can use it in my toaster oven).

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Coat the halloumi in the olive oil and breadcrumbs and toss to coat so the crumbs stick to the outside of the squares. Bake! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get those halloumi squares nice and crispy. Halloumi has this amazing property compared to a lot of other cheeses: it doesn’t really melt; it crisps. The cheese will hold its cubic shape while cooking and the sides will crisp up, and leave the inside chewy. It is…amazing! So, you are looking for golden brown, firm sides. Follow the directions below and flip over or toss the halloumi about halfway through cooking in order to get the most sides crunchy as possible!

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While the halloumi is cooking, wash the salad greens and dice the cucumber, fruit (I used a nectarine that was on its last legs), and walnuts. You can use any fruit you have on hand, really - stone fruit such as plums, apricots, or peaces; citrus fruits such as mandarin oranges, clementines, naval orange slices; or even another type of sweet fruit such as a fig. If using oranges, don’t chop them, just split them into segments for the salad. I cannot wait to make this with figs when they are in season. I may also add fig to the dressing just to tie the flavors together. See the recipe for fig jam to add in if you’d like!

Tip: I like to wash my greens by getting a large bowl or container, filling it with my greens, then adding in cold water to just near the top. I push the leaves up and down a few times to dislodge any dirt and let them soak, so most of the dirt can sink to the bottom. I repeat this a few times after about 10 minutes or so, replacing each time with clean water, and then rinse them in a colander for any leftover debris.

Next, drain and rinse the chickpeas in a strainer. You want to remove the frothy, starchy aquafaba. You can save yourself from cleaning by reusing the same baking tray as the halloumi once it is done. Or if you are short on time, you can roast them simultaneously. After the halloumi was done, I removed it from the tray to cool, along with any of the extra, delicious breadcrumbs and then added the strained chickpeas to the tray in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, paprika, and honey, for a smokey, sweet, crispy chickpea.

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I love this recipe more than chickpeas any other way - it takes away the mealy texture and adds a crunch. I sometimes make these as just a stand-alone side dish for meals or to snack on once cooled. Here, they are a lovely salad topping and an alternative to a raw, regular chickpea.

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While the chickpeas cook, make the super-easy salad dressing. I like this dressing because it adds light citrusy flavor - it counters the salt of the halloumi and the smokey paprika chickpeas perfectly. I’m getting hungry writing this…

Once the chickpeas are ready, assemble the salad with greens on the bottom, and the toppings on top. Drizzle with the light dressing and enjoy!

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Prep Time: 10 mins + soaking time for cleaning greens

Cook Time: 65 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

Halloumi squares

1 block of halloumi (approximately 8 oz)

1.5 tbs olive oil

1.5 tbs breadcrumbs 

Crunchy Chickpeas

1 can of chickpeas (15 oz)

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs smoked paprika

1 tbs honey

Salad

1 large cucumber

2 small nectarines or fruit of choice (apricot, plum, fig, orange)

1/2 cup walnuts

1 head lettuce or large bunch (approximately 10 oz) mixed greens, washed

Dressing

2 tbs olive oil

Juice of one small orange

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Equipment

Baking tray

Silicon mat or foil

Strainer

Instructions

For the halloumi squares:

• Cube the halloumi block into small chunks and lay on a baking sheet or baking dish. If using a baking sheet, line with foil, parchment, or silicon mat.

• Drizzle the halloumi with 1.5 tbs of olive oil and mix to coat, then sprinkle with 1.5 tbs of regular breadcrumbs and mix to coat.

• Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes, then flip them and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden and crispy on the sides.

For the salad preparation:

• Cut the cucumber into medium cubes and do the same with the nectarine (removing the pit).

• Coarsely chop the walnuts. Add to the washed salad greens.

• When the halloumi is done, add to the salad with the remaining breadcrumbs that were toasted on the tray.

For the roasted chickpeas:

• Use the halloumi dish to roast the chickpeas. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the dish with 1 tbs olive oil, the smoked paprika, and the honey. Roast until crunchy but not burned, approximately 25 minutes.

• When done, add to the salad dish.

For the dressing:

• Make the dressing by mixing the oil, juice of the orange, and balsamic vinegar and adding atop the salad.

Serve!