Hallou. Is it 'Mi' you're looking for?

Becca Wilson
Dec 20, 2017
2 min read

I really apologise for my Lionel Richie pun there. The puns make me giggle though, so they're not going anywhere I'm afraid.

I've taken inspiration from my recent dinner at David Banns in Edinburgh for this salad. I mentioned Banns in my post about 'The Final Countdown'. All the dishes at this restaurant in Edinburgh are vegetarian and there are many that can be made vegan or GF. My starter was a salad of ginger spiced pear, walnut and polenta croûtons with blue cheese, watercress, rocket and radicchio in a mustard, lemon and maple dressing. I love a tasty but filling salad for dinner. You always feel good after a dinner like this and there are so many ways you can mix up a salad. I tried to use up what was in my mum's fridge for this salad and bought a couple extra treats to go in it.

Here's what I went for in my wintery grilled pear and halloumi salad with roast veg, toasted walnuts, spinach, rocket and a balsamic, lime and honey dressing:

Ingredients:

(Serves 2/3)

Veg for roasting - 1 courgette, 1/2 pepper, 1 onion, 100g tomatoes and 1 carrot, sliced into thin strips or petals
2 tbsp honey (1 for veg and 1 for pear)
Olive oil
Herbs - I used oregano, rosemary and smoked paprika
Seasoning
2 large pears, sliced lengthways
200g halloumi, cut into 1cm-thick slices
60g walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
Dressing - 1 tbsp balsmic vinegar, 2 tbsl oil, 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 tbsp honey and pepper
Spinach and/or rocket leaves

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place veg for roasting in a baking tray and coat with a little honey and oil and herbs/seasoning of your choice. Place in the oven to roast for 25 minutes.

2. After 10 minutes, heat a barbecue, chargrill or omelette pan on a high heat. Add pear, spread with a little honey and pepper and cook for 1-2 mins each side or until charred. Remove from pan and then do the same with the halloumi (add a sprinkle of oregano). After charred, remove and toast the walnuts a little in the same pan.

3. Meanwhile, combine dressing ingredients in a cup/bowl and stir. Season well. 4. Once the veg is roasted, start to build up your salad - start with the leaves, then add a spoonful of roasted veg, layer with pear and halloumi, top with the toasted walnuts and drizzle dressing on top.

This is a perfect dish for an easy, tasty dinner or it could be served as a fresh, light starter. Halloumi and pear really do make a great 'pear'.

I've been enjoying catching up with friends, going to the gym and trying to tick off more on our 'to do' list for NZ - cancelling my EE contract is done yay! Now all we need to is set up our new smaller Dell laptop with skype, music, files and films/exercise videos, buy a couple last things, and pack.

I hope to share more yummy dishes with you this week (dishes I've made at home or new dishes I've tried when I've been out gallivanting).

X gf x