Haloumi, Beetroot and Greens Dressed with Tahini and Lemon

As the weather heats up here in Southern Ontario, salads appear more frequently at the dinner table. Adapted slightly from Frances' Cheese and Beet Salad, this one is substantial enough to serve for dinner just on it's own, but if you want to impress your significant other, I would highly recommend some of these Stuffed Mushrooms with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Olives on the side.

The lemon and the tahini dressing, slightly sweetened by some high quality honey, comes together in minutes, and pairs oh so well with the earthy beets and luscious greens. If possible, buy some beets with some healthy rich green leaves to use in the salad base. Any combination of greens can be used. Consider a mixture of baby spinach, beet greens, mustard greens and dandelion.

Haloumi is a salty Greek cheese, usually made of goat and sheep milk. It has a high melting point, and holds together well when fried or grilled. It freezes well, so I suggest having a block on hand at all times because you just never know when the craving will hit.

This goes to Yasmeen, who is hosting Weekend Wokking this month. The theme this time is cheese.

Haloumi, Beetroot and Greens Dressed with Tahini and Lemon

4 medium beets, left whole and unpeeled
250 grams of haloumi cheese, cut into 1/4 slices
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 - 6 cups of mixed greens
1 carrot, shredded
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
freshly cracked black pepper

For the Dressing:
1 tablespoon of tahini
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of honey
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Begin by cooking the beetroot. I roasted them. Simply wrap in foil and roast in a preheated 375 degree oven for about an hour or until the beets are tender. When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and cut into smallish wedges.

To make the dressing, whisk together the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt and pepper. Add a bit of water to thin the dressing if desired.

Heat a large frying pan over just higher than medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Arrange the halloumi slices in the pan, trying to avoid touching, and fry until browned on the bottom. Use tongs to turn the cheese over and fry the other side until browned. While still in the pan, drizzle the lemon juice over the cheese, and finish with a good seasoning of fresh ground black pepper.

To serve, arrange some mixed greens on a plate, top with some shredded carrots, some beet wedges and a slice or two of the fried haloumi. Drizzle with some of the dressing.

You might also enjoy:
Fried Saganaki with Halloumi on a Greek Tomato Salad with Kalamata Olives
Fried Halloumi Saganaki and Asparagus
Beet and Feta Salad

On the top of the reading stack: Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Audio accompaniment: Serpent/Abandoned Cities by Harold Budd