Full of micronutrients to give you the energy to push through to the end of Winter.

Don’t despair, my friends, I think the end of this long, cold Winter is in sight.  I can feel it.  I hope I’m not wrong. We’re still seeing the occasional flurry of snowflakes here in Helsinki, but for the most part, the snow isn’t sticking and the packed snow and ice is nearly melted from everywhere.  That’s a relief – especially the fact that the ice is gone off of our favorite walking trails.  For a while there, it was pretty slipper and miserable to try to find footing in the dark evenings as we made our way around the neighborhood and around the island trail in our favorite nearby natural reserve.  Now we are back on firm footing and loving it, and the slightly warmer weather (+3° C feels warm by now!).

We are moving from full on soups and other comfort foods to adding more and more salads to our repertoire. Salty, sweet, creamy and fresh.  That’s a good combination for a salad.  I still have full on adoration for the seasonal pomegranate, especially mixed into a salad, but a delicious bunch of red grapes caught my eye in the grocery store recently and provided just the sweet note I was looking for to pair with the salty halloumi. What starts as a light salad quickly turns into a meal once you add grilled cheese  and creamy diced avocado.  Toss in a few toasted seeds and you are well on your way to energized afternoon.

Go for it.  It’ll only take a few minutes to have this on your plate.

This is a lunch whipped together on a weekend afternoon after a long walk in the sleet & the rain, consumed as the fog turned everything a murky gray outside, and flickering candlelight cast shadows against the windows.  Serve by itself or with bread – either way you’ll find it a satisfying, flavorful meal.

Halloumi, Grape, Avocado & Rucola Salad

Halloumi, Grape, Avocado & Rucola Salad

4 cups fresh, washed rucola/rocket
1 cup of halved grapes
1/2 avocado, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cucumber, diced
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup
scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, toasted
150 g Halloumi, cut into large pieces

Combine the rucola, grapes, avocado, green onion and cucumber in a bowl and toss with your fingers or a spoon to combine.  In a small cup or bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, maple syrup, salt and black pepper.  Pour the dressing mix over the salad and toss well to combine. Add half of the pumpkin seeds, combine briefly, and divide the salad between two plates.

Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over high heat, add a few drops of oil, and fry the halloumi until it is golden brown on both sides. Divide the halloumi between the salad plates and sprinkle with the remaining pumpkin seeds.

Serves 2.