Trying to keep your dinner, let alone your sides healthy during the holidays is quite a task. It’s definitely the time to indulge, but we also like to take breaks from time to time to focus on eating something a little light before the pumpkin pie. We reached out to star nutritionists Jacqueline Alwill of Brown Paper Nutrition and Brittany Darling of Whole Food Healing to create an incredible winter recipe for Amodrn. Because nothing says staying in and getting cozy like a gorgeous and delicious roast vegetable quinoa halloumi salad with almonds. Jacqueline Alwill is an accredited nutritionist, author, and mum. Brittany Darling is an accredited nutritionist/herbalist. You can find Jacqueline online at thebrownpaperbag.com.au. Keep reading below for a delicious roast vegetable quinoa halloumi salad with honey sea salt almonds.
Delicious Roast Vegetable Quinoa Halloumi Salad With Almonds
Ingredients:
Serves 4
Gluten-free, Vegetarian
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (if going from raw you’ll need about 1 1/4 cups to make 2 cups cooked)
- 4 carrot, sliced into sticks about 1cm thick
- 1 large red capsicum, seeds removed and cap cut to the same size as carrots for even cooking
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons pinenuts
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 200g Halloumi, cut into 16 pieces
- 1/2 cups baby spinach
- 4 Asian shallots, white part finely chopped (save the greens to throw into Asian dishes and broth)
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 avocado, finely sliced
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives
- 1/2 lemon
- Sea salt and black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200C and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Spread carrots and capsicum over the tray, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with sea salt and toss to coat. Place in oven to cook for 20 minutes. Whilst veggies are cooking, if you haven’t cooked the quinoa now is the time – do so according to packet or your own method, then fluff and set aside to cool. Line a small baking tray with greaseproof paper, place almonds and pinenuts on a tray, drizzle with honey, season with sea salt, then pop in the oven when the veggies have cooked for 15 minutes so the nuts cook for the last 5 minutes with them.
I usually put nuts etc in the middle of the oven so they don’t risk burning at the top. Remove veggies and nuts, set aside to cool slightly. Heat a frypan on medium to high heat, drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, then fry halloumi until golden on each side. In a large bowl toss cooked quinoa, vegetables, baby spinach, spring onions, herbs, olives, and lemon juice. Arrange half on the platter, pop half the avocado and halloumi over this layer, then repeat. Sprinkle the top with the honey sea salt almonds and pinenuts, season with black pepper and serve with your choice of protein.
While you’re here, check out Jacqueline Alwill’s Vegetarian Cottage Pie, it’s a serious winter warmer.
