Harissa Lentil Salad with Pan Fried Halloumi
Ingredients
Stale bread for croutons (use however much you have - you can use the rest in a multitude of ways)
1 cup of French green lentils
1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup of cucumbers
Handful of parsley
Halloumi
3 tablespoons of harissa
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Honey
Lemon
~2-3 servings
Method
Croutons: take stale bread (ideally high quality bread) and tear or cut it into bite size chunks - you want them to be relatively even in size so that they cook at the same time
Toss in olive oil
Put in 350 degree oven for ~15 min - you want them to be lightly browned and crunchy, so keep an eye on them and cook for longer/shorter if needed depending on size of bread and your oven
Lentils: put the 1 cup of lentils into 2.5-3 cups of generously salted water
Bring to a boil, then reduced to a simmer for 15-20 min (taste them at the end and cook to your liking depending on whether you like them firmer or softer)
Drain extra water
Dressing: mix the 3 tbsps of harissa with 2 tbsps of olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, a touch of honey, juice from ½ a lemon, and a pinch of salt (quantities are adjustable to your liking)
Put it in large mixing bowl so that you can add the salad ingredients directly to the bowl
Salad assembly:
Cut cherry tomatoes and cucumber into relatively evenly sized pieces
Chop parsley
Once lentils have cooled, add to bowl with harissa mixture and toss, then add in veggies and herbs and mix everything together
Add croutons and mix again making sure everything is coated in sauce
Note: if you like your croutons super crunchy, you can wait until the very end to add. also really like when the croutons have absorbed some of the mixture, it makes them highly flavorful and a little softer without being soggy
Put salad in the fridge for 20-30 min - this is an important step so that all the flavors can melt together
Finishing touches: right before serving, pan fry a couple slices of halloumi
Slice the halloumi and then put it in a pan with some olive oil on a relatively high heat. It only takes a couple min on each side for the halloumi to get a gorgeous golden brown crust
Add halloumi to the top and serve!
