Veggie quinoa and halloumi salad with crunchy zucchinis and almond pesto

 It’s almost too hot to eat, but who can say no to a gorgeous and veggie salad ? This is almost my daily food now, salads and melon, as it’s too hot to feel like anything else. In this one, I tried this famous cheese, the halloumi, that you are supposed to fry and add in burgers, salads, etc. … Here in France we only find a version from the brand “Salakis” named Grillis and it’s also good. 

I added lots of vegetables and some quinoa, for a complete salad and a nice pesto sauce with almonds, yuuum.

Ingredients (serves for 2)

• 6 tablespoon cooked and cooled quinoa
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 cooked beetroot
• 1 handful cherry tomatoes mixed varieties
• 1 handful baby spinach
• 1 zucchini
• 1 ripe avocado
• mix seeds for salad
• 1 halloumi cheese

For the sauce:

• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 15 basil leaves
• some flaked almonds
• 4 tablespoons lime juice

or 3 tablespoons of pesto sauce mixed with some flaked almonds.

Directions:

• Make the sauce:

In a pestle, mix together the basil leaves, almonds, lime juice, salt and pepper and 6 tablespoons of olive oil to make the pesto sauce.

• The vegetables:

Peel and grate the carrots and beetroot. Mix it with the quinoa and 2/3 of the pesto sauce (homemade or not) et keep.

Cut the avocado in two halves, remove the stone, and cut the meat in slices.

Peel the zucchini, make thin slices with a peeler knife.

In a pan, heat some olive oil and fry the zucchini slices on both sides for a few minutes until they are grilled. Remove from heat and keep.

In two plates, put the mix quinoa-carrots-beetroot, add the baby spinach around the plate and the cherry tomatoes in the middle.

Add the crunchy zucchini and avocado in the center.

• The cheese:

In a hot pan without oil, grill the sliced halloumi cheese, on both sides for a few minutes.

Put the grilled cheese on the salad, pour some seeds on top and add a bit of pesto sauce.

Did you know this cheese ? Do you eat veggie food sometimes ?

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Audrey

When I am not blogging or travelling, I am a freelance graphic designer + writing & communication consultant, unless I am doing all of this at the same time! Thanks for reading me and don't forget to leave a comment ! <3

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