Chickpea Quinoa with Halloumi and Honey Walnut Dressing

Today I am sharing with you a little medley topped with the greatness that is Halloumi. Honestly I cannot get enough of this cheese. This is a very different dish from my usual, it’s still quick and easy but not my usual style. I have realised we eat a lot of rice and pasta and feel like we need to explore more grains, have more veggie dishes and cut back on junk in general.

This is a good option as it’s filling, uses few ingredients and is a lot healthier than what I usually make. Because it can be enjoyed both hot and cold, It also makes for a lovely office lunch or post workout meal.

It’s a very lazy dish and definitely not the most attractive, and the thing that takes the longest is prepping and roasting the butternut squash, which is what takes the total time from 35 minutes to a whopping 50 minutes! You can easily find pre cut one or if you really want to be lazy you can get the “crinkle cut butternut squash chips” and cut them into squares. They are not frozen and are found in the fresh produce aisle in Sainsbury’s. You can also buy pre chopped butternut squash in the frozen section. If using frozen follow  the cooking times on the package as they can vary.

To make the dressing, I like to use my Russel Hobbs Mini Chopper as it makes the process so much quicker, you literally just chuck everything in, lock it, press a button and you’re done! It’s one of must have gadgets for the kitchen.

Why not use the rest of the butternut squash to try out my “Butternut Squash Risotto“?

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Honey Walnut Dressing

Hot salad with chickpea, quinoa, halloumi and a honey walnut dressing

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chickpeas, halloumi, honey, quinoa, salad, walnuts

Servings: 2

Calories: 683kcal

Author: rominaslittlecorner

Ingredients

• 1/2 can cooked chickpeas
• 1 Vine Tomato
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 1/4 Butternut Squash Peeled and Cubed
• 1/2 Cup Quinoa
• 125 g Halloumi
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 1 Avocado
• 1/2 Stock Pot

  Melted in hot water

Honey Walnut Dressing

• 3 tbsp Honey
• 1/2 cup Walnuts
• 1 cup Parsely
• 1 Bird's eye chilli

Instructions

• Heat your oven to 200degrees
• Toss the butternut squash in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and paprika. Roast for 35 minutes, until it’s soft
• Rinse your quinoa in a sieve and keep rinsing until the water runs dry
• Transfer it to a small pot and add 1 cup of water and season with some sea salt. Bring it to a boil, cover it and turn the heat to medium. Let it simmer until the water is absorbed, usually takes about 15-20 minutes. Once it’s cooked take it off the heat and fluff it with a fork. Set aside
• Roughly chop onion and tomato into squares
• Cut Halloumi into slices, pat dry and set aside
• In a large frying pan heat up 2 tablespoons of oil, add a tablespoon of smoked paprika and gently fry the onions
• Once they are soft, add the chickpeas and tomato, stir and cover. Turn the heat to low and let the tomatoes soften
• Mix in the roasted squash and cooked quinoa
• Add the melted stock pot and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Chop up the avicado and mix it in
• Pan fry the halloumi until it's golden on both sides and serve it on top of the salad

Honey Walnut Dressing

• Roughly chop the walnuts, parsley and chilli
• Mix in the honey
• Heat the dressing in a small pan for a few seconds to let the honey melt
• Drizzle over the salad and Enjoy!