Spiced Lentil and Chickpea Salad w Halloumi

Very few ingredients, some really good halloumi and a killer dressing – this is how I like my salads. I made this a while ago and then the weather turned, I can’t even think of a salad when its cold and rainy even though this salad has all sorts of cold weather warming vibes to it. 

Big LOVE for the first of the organic cherry tomatoes are here! At a push a can of lentils will do, we all have those days, but the texture of freshly cooked lentils will be better (sorry it will). 

Halloumi, man I have had some bad halloumi in my life, this semi-hard cheese with its high melting point can easily taste very rubbery and bland, I would recommend a good ethical halloumi which has been salted. There might be more halloumi than needed but there is worst things in life than extra oozy golden halloumi. 

Hero ingredient here is store bought Harissa. The dressing would work well over a cabbage slaw too. 

• 3 tbspn olive oil
• 3 shallots, halved & sliced (use any onion)
• punnet (200g) cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 red cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 tspn harissa paste
• 250g cooked brown lentils (about 100g uncooked)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• halloumi, 1 small block, cut into 1/2cm slices
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed & well drained
• handful mint, roughly chopped
• handful Italian parsley, roughly chopped
• pretty micro herbs to garnish

Dressing

• 1 generous tbspn tahini
• 3 tbspn natural yogurt
• 2-3tspn harissa
• 1 tspn honey
• 1/2 lemon juice
• 1/2 garlic clove, crushed

1. Heat olive oil in a pan, cook the onions until soft. Stir in the tomatoes & cook until they start to burst open.
2. Stir in the harissa, lentils and lemon juice, season well w salt, pepper.
3. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, I find shaking it in an empty (and clean) jam jar works best when there is honey involved in the dressing.
4. Fry the halloumi in batches w a little oil in a good non stick pan, until golden on both sides.
5. Toss the chickpeas, cabbage and halve the herbs into the lentil mixture. Plate on a platter, top with the halloumi, dressing and the remaining herbs.

If making the lentils from scratch, rinse lentils, pre-soak (not essential but ease digestion for those not great at digesting lentils) rinse again, add to a large pot of cold water and simmer gently (unsalted) for about 20min or until cooked but still holds its texture. Rinse under cold water and drain well