Rice Salad with Halloumi and Strawberries for Summer

For family get-togethers and summer celebrations, try this lovely and filling salad. It is vibrant, flavorful, and has a pleasant chewiness. We prepare it with entire baked halloumi, roasted asparagus, and fresh strawberries on top of chickpea rice that has been tossed in a fresh and herbaceous vinaigrette to give it a lot of flavors.

We bet you want some tasty salad dishes to complement the season, whether you intend to spend the summer throwing outdoor dinner parties with your friends or hiding in a lodge in the woods with your family. We're talking about salads that aren't only made of lettuce and can be eaten by themselves as a satisfying lunch or light meal. In place of regular rice, we use a rice-shaped pasta from Zeta that is manufactured from chickpea flour. It cooks quickly, has wonderful chewiness, and is full of fiber. We advise using a big saucepan since it releases starch as it cooks and giving it a thorough clean after it's finished. In the absence of chickpea rice, you instead, may use regular rice. We top the rice with peas, asparagus, maché lettuce, strawberries, and a whole baked halloumi cheese after tossing it in a herb vinaigrette. It tastes like a midsummer night's dream when the richness of the cheese and the sweetness of the strawberries combine with the acidic, herby vinaigrette.

To further encourage you to try the salad, we created the recipe video that is provided below.

INGREDIENTS:

_____________________________________

• 1 packet of 300 g/1.5 cups Pasta made of chickpeas (or ordinary rice) and shaped like Zeta rice
• 2 spears of asparagus
• 4 tbsp. capers
• 2/TBS of olive oil
• 250 g / 9 oz Halloumi
• 1 lemon
• Green peas, fresh or frozen (thawed), 100 g / 3/4 cup
• One little bunch of radishes
• 1 cup of fresh strawberries, 200 grams.
• Maché lettuce (or baby spinach): 70 g / 2 cups

Vinaigrette with herbs

_________________________________

• One spring onion
• Dill and basil, in two handfuls
• 100 ml/1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rosé balsamic vinegar
• salt
• fresh black pepper

PREPARATION

______________________________________

1. Set the oven's temperature to 200 C/400 F.
2. Add the rice after bringing a big saucepan to a boil.
3. Cut the remaining asparagus into bite-sized pieces after trimming off the thickest portion.
4. Arrange them with the capers on a baking sheet.
5. Add salt and drizzle with olive oil before combining.
6. Cut 1 cm (1/2 inch) deep crisscross designs on each half of the halloumi, then arrange them on the tray.
7. Slice the lemon into slices and place on the tray.
8. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and developed a golden crust and the asparagus is fork-tender.
9. Make the herb vinaigrette in the meanwhile. Place finely chopped onion and herbs in a jar. Add salt, pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. Shake everything until combined (or combine the ingredients in a dish with a whisk).
10. After the rice has finished cooking, set it on a serving tray and give it a good washing in a sieve to remove any remaining starch.
11. Stir in the peas and the majority of the vinaigrette.
12. Slice the strawberries, and finely shave the radishes.
13. Add lettuce, radishes, asparagus, capers, strawberries, and lemon wedges that have been grilled to the rice.
14. Add the halloumi last, then finish with the remaining vinaigrette.
15. Serve the cheese while it is still warm and pliable.