Cauliflower and Carrot Salad with Honey-Drizzled Halloumi, Roasted Dates and Fresh Mint
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2
Halloumi is my favorite meat substitute, although I do eat meat! It’s a salty and pleasantly rubbery addition to salads and has a high melting point so it can easily be fried or grilled. Halloumi is from Cyprus — where its appeal has long been recognized — and is made from sheep's, goat's, and often cow's milk. Lee introduced me to it in 2015 and with my love for Mediterranean cuisine, I’ve been obsessed ever since. He used to eat it pretty regularly in Europe since its a registered as a protected Cypriot product within the United States (since the 1990s) but not yet in the UK, which means producers do not have to meet any criteria in order for their cheese to be labeled as "halloumi".
Ingredients
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
5-6 medium carrots, baton cut
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
4 Medjool dates
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon strawberry maple syrup
½ of a shallot, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon ras el hanout
juice from 2 lemons
coarse kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced
½ cup plain hummus, homemade or store-bought
2½ ounces arugula, for serving
fresh mint, torn, for serving
a handful of pistachios, coarsely chopped
Za’atar spice blend, for serving
juice from 1 lemon, for serving
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425° degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower florets, ras el hanout, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse kosher salt. Toss well to evenly coat.
In a separate bowl, combine carrots, 2 tablespoons olive oil, cumin, and cumin seed. Sprinkle with coarse kosher salt. Toss well to evenly coat.
Transfer both cauliflower and carrots to separate rimmed baking sheets and roast each in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until tender and lightly charred.
Cut dates in half lengthwise. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
Turn the broiler to high. Place dates into oven for the last 3 minutes left on cauliflower and carrots.
Remove cauliflower and carrots from oven and transfer to a medium bowl. Squeeze juice from half a lemon over them and set aside to cool.
Let dates cool, chop and add to a small bowl with diced shallots, juice of half a lemon, and 1 tablespoon of strawberry maple syrup.
While the vegetables are in the oven, cook the halloumi. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, place halloumi directly on pan and cook until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from skillet. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of honey.
To serve, divide and spread the arugula around 2 plates. Add a ¼ cup of hummus to each plate. Top with the cauliflower, carrots, fried halloumi, and date, shallot mixture. Drizzle with olive oil, juice from lemon, and garnish with mint, pistachio, and Za’atar spice blend.
