Eat Simply, Eat Well

Healthy recipes & tips to help you live the good life. by Ann Plough

Halloumi, Grape, Avocado & Rucola Salad

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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.

Kidney Bean, Kale and Barley Soup

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The wind is howling and puffing and blowing outside and it’s been doing that all day.  I live at the top of an 8-story apartment building, and I can hear the whistling of the wind, the rattling of the window pane and the whole building feels like it may be swaying just a bit.  Probably unlikely, though – this building has been here since the 1950s, so I don’t think we’re going anywhere.

I love a windy day – especially a day like this one when it really isn’t very cold outside.  I just took a short walk, and love the way the wind gusted up around the trees and buildings, across my face, through the hat I was wearing and pushing my winter coat back against me.  There is something about standing there, leaning slightly into the heavy gusts, looking out into the dark, starless night, that I found so enlivening and refreshing.  Woohoo!  Bring it on.

Here’s a hearty soup that’s well-suited for a windy winter day like this one.  It takes a bit of pre-planning since you’ll need to soak the grains and beans, but you can pop them in a bowl with water before you go to bed and they’ll be ready to go by the time you need them the next day.  Or you could use canned beans and pre-cooked grains leftover from something else, and then this comes together in about 20 minutes.

The soup has one secret, unusual, and completely crucial ingredient: the juice of one Clementine.  This adds a bright, sweet note without the sharpness that lemon juice or vinegar might bring.  Enjoy!

Kidney Bean, Kale and Barley Soup

1 cup kidney beans, soaked overnight, soaking water drained away, and rinsed
1/2 cup barley, soaked overnight, soaking water drained away, and rinsed
3 cups water
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery rib, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
leaves from 4 thyme sprigs
2-3 kale leaves, ribs removed and chopped small
2 cups / 500 ml vegetable broth or 2 cups water + 2 tablespoons homemade bouillon
salt and pepper to taste
Juice of one Clementine

In a medium pot, combine the beans, barley and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.

While the beans and barley cook, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft and beginning to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme leaves and cook for 2 minutes more.  Add the beans, barley and cooking water all at once.  Add the vegetable broth or water+homemade bouillon.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to medium heat, and cook for 15 minutes.  Take a bite of the beans and barley to make sure they are cooked.  If they are done, add the kale, and continue cooking for 3-5 more minutes to let the kale soften.  Remove from heat.  Add salt and pepper if needed.  Serve.

Serves 4