Sweet Chilli Halloumi Salad with Seven Grains

Hi friends! What peculiar, but I suppose rather seasonal, weather we are experiencing at present in the UK. Perhaps not the best moment to produce a salad recipe… but I do hope you’ll bear with me, because this is a very warming, comforting salad, containing the sweetness of Thai sweet chilli sauce and the nourishment of seven grains. You may recall that a few weeks ago, I shared a discovery on my Facebook page; Quick Cook Seven Grains from Tesco. A packet of seven different grains mixed together, those grains being emmer, barley, durum wheat, buckwheat, black and red rice and oats. Well I can definitely confirm that they make a great combination, and I devised this recipe to complement the taste and general warm feeling one experiences when eating such nourishing food as this. I suppose it could have gone either way really; a super-hearty, stew-type meal, resplendent with rich sauce and slow-cooked meat. My husband’s preference! But I went with mine, which was a lovely salad to complement the grains. I do hope you enjoy this, as I think it really appeals to many people’s taste buds, even if they are self-confessed carnivores!

Ingredients

• Packet of Halloumi
• 2 carrots
• About 1/2 a packet of watercress
• Large handful of pine nuts
• Pack of sugarsnap peas
• 4 generous tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
• Seeds from half a pomegranate
• 200g Tesco Quick Cook Seven Grains
• Lug of olive oil
• Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

Equipment

Spiraliser (or swivel peeler)

Method

Put the seven grains on to cook according to packet instructions.

Put a frying pan on the hob, add the olive oil and put on a medium-high heat. Slice the block of Halloumi lengthways into eight then add to the pan. Allow to fry until starting to become golden, then add the sweet chilli sauce and allow to reduce a little. This won’t take long so keep an eye on the pan, adding more sweet chilli sauce if you like.

Meanwhile, peel, top and tail the carrots, then spiralise (or peel into long strips using a swivel peeler). Place in a large bowl along with the raw sugarsnap peas and watercress.

Toast the pine nuts by putting a dry frying pan on the hob at a medium heat and adding the nuts, toasting until golden.

Remove the arils (seeds) from the pomegranate by halving the pomegranate then firmly bashing the skin with a wooden spoon over a bowl to release the arils. This won’t remove all of them, so gently open up the skin as you go to release any remaining arils.

When the Halloumi is ready, add it to the bowl along with the pomegranate and extra-virgin olive oil, and toss to combine. Make sure you don’t leave any yummy sauce in the frying pan but add it all to the bowl.

Serve the seven grains into pasta bowls, top with the Halloumi salad and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts plus salt and pepper.

I really hope you enjoy this recipe. My mouth is watering just writing it up! And I did buy another packet of the seven grains this week, perhaps to experiment with that hearty version after all! If you don’t have access to a Tesco selling the seven grains, just put together some or all of the grains yourself, or serve with long-grain and wild rice, or brown rice. As you can see from the last photo, this is an absolutely fantastic meal for children to enjoy, as well as adults. It makes great finger food if served individually, and my boys absolutely cannot resist pomegranate, sticky Halloumi and, surprisingly, grains. The spiralised carrot is also a hit, as it’s rather hilarious to eat!

I’d love to hear how your family enjoys eating this meal!

Thank you so much for reading 🙂

xxx Sam