After the excited response to my GF brownie from a few posts ago (still not quite ready to share that one… it’s not quite perfected) I decided to bring a new element into Crochet with Raymond and start to share some of my gluten free recipes and ideas. Recipe sharing is fun, especially when your choices are limited by allergies and lifestyle preferences, so I hope you enjoy peeking into my kitchen and onto my plate a bit more frequently! I love food, especially my current favourite dinner, Roast Vegetable and Haloumi Salad.
Are you a fan of haloumi? I totally love it. Up here in the Far North there is the most wicked Farmers Market on a Saturday morning where wonderful people sell their organic fruit and vegetables, breads, eggs, fish, oils, honey, plants and my favourite, the cheese people! I love to buy their haloumi every week and get quite bummed out when it rains because then I miss my weekly haloumi fix. I never used to know how to cook it, I’ve eaten it in cafes, but they fry it in butter and I just can’t do that… cheese fried in butter, it’s not my kind of meal, I like light and healthy food that fills me with energy rather than food that clogs my arteries. I’ve been experimenting with cooking it since we moved back here, and have hit on a winner of a meal which we are currently eating about three times per week!
So to make my current favourite meal, begin by preheating the oven to about 200 degrees C. I parboil my roast veges (ususally potato and kumara) before roasting them, I cut them into nice big hunks and put them in a pot and when they come to the boil I drain them and put them in an oven dish with half a big sliced onion, some salt and pepper and a light drizzle of oil. They don’t need much oil, you will see why at the end!
They take about 20 minutes to cook and while they are doing their business, prepare your haloumi. Haloumi is quite a salty and rubbery cheese and people recommend soaking it to reduce the salty flavour. I don’t, I used to, but I quite like the saltiness of it, and don’t put tooooo much salt on my veges to compensate.
Cut your haloumi into chunks, and when the veges have finished roasting, change the oven from bake to grill. Sprinkle the haloumi pieces over the veges, throw in some tomato pieces (cherry or chunks, either is good!) and pop under the grill.
Grill until the cheese starts to bubble a wee bit and go a bit brown, pull out and serve with a fresh green salad! Light, healthy, local, vegetarian and gluten free goodness.
I just finished eating it, but this picture is making me want to eat it all over again!
Because good food makes me extremely cheerful, I’m finally joining in with Planet Penny’s reasons to be cheerful. Planet Penny is without a doubt one of the best blogs ever, so pop over for a visit and get yourself a bit of cheer!
Meanwhile, I’m off, I’m on the foot on my second January sock and I’m on a roll,
have an ace weekend,
love Alice and Raymond XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
These tomatoes are looking like SUMMER.
By joes that sure does look yummy….. i may just have to give that one a whirl!
Hi Alice , I love Haloumi and your meal looks so tasty, must give it a try :0)
Jacquie x
Hi Alice., Being on a strict gf diet and also a vegetarian I love this post. AND I also love haloumi. I sometimes pan fry it in a light olive oil and serve it with a caper , lime, and coriander dressing on baby spinach – also very yummy!
Alice that looks delicious, my mouth is watering. Can you eat it for breakfast do you think?! Thank you for being so lovely about Planet Penny, I’m all overcome! And thank you too for joining in with the Reasons to be Cheerful, your colourful blog would cheer anyone up!
lots of love
Penny and Higginsxxx
That does look very tasty
That looks really delicious! Thank you for sharing – I miss tasty, easy vegetable recipies! x Teje
It reads (and looks!) awesome.
I love Haloumi (Greek food in general), and I’m definitely gonna try it out … Just have to look up what a kumara is.
Also try this, with your roast veggies.
Add crushed garlic and squeezed lemon juices (as much as you like) plus your salt, pepper and olive oil to your roasting pan and with rubber gloves on mix well and roast, yum yum
I love your page, beautiful coloured wool, crouched pieces, recipes and Raymond
Where can I buy your book ??
Sherine x
Good morning! (or rather, evening)
Cor, I’ve just eaten a bowl of cereal for my breakfast and am now wanting to eat supper in the form of Raymundo cheese veg. I love haloumi, I first tried it after seeing Nigella on TV making a salad with it. Delish!!
Your ocean ripple is looking suuuuper. Such gorgeous colours.
Have a wonderful day today.
xxx
YUM!!!!!!!
This looks good and easy, now I am hungry and no cheese in the house
HI Alice.. well yum yum yum is all I can say… and I am delighted that you are going to include some foodie posts…and they are as colourful as your crochet posts which is amazing! Alice, your name has been put forward as one of the crocheters that bloggers would most like to see contribute to the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012 on my blog…if you would like to join in maybe you could contact me?
x
Such a cheery post Alice and food eye candy to boot! I am a lover of haloumi cheese and love it grilled on a summer bbq and popped onto a crunchy green salad. This is a quick, delicious, easy and very nutritious gf recipe, yummy xox
I agree with you about Penny’s blog, isn’t it just fabulous and Higgins is always a treat. I feel very blessed having met her and being friends with her son and DIL who live in my town xox Look forward to seeing your socks, I was soooo chuffed when I finished my first pair yesterday, it really feels like a triumph in my knitting journey. Look forward to seeing yours soon x happy, sunny days to you and KB and here’s to more delicious recipe sharing! P x
May l pleeeeeeese come to dinner sometime..Looks absolutely divine.. My other half is Gluten intolerant also..So l am always on the prowl for new ideas.. Best Wishes from across the Ditch.. Hahnsmum..
New England,
NSW, OZ..
That looks delicious. I’m going to have to do some research on the cheese though. I don’t know that we have haloumi around here. Have a wonderful weekend!
This looks lovely – I might give it a go. Although, just to let you know, if you do want to fry halloumi you can do it without oil/butter – because the cheese contains fat it fries in a dry pan. yummy!
Oh, yum! I loooove halloumi. Thanks for posting your gf recipes. I’ve been a veggie hippy tree-hugging gal since I was 10 – 30 years, and two years ago I found out I’m coeliac. Sometimes it’s hard to come up with ideas for food, so I’m really grateful for other folk’s recipes. Love the crochet – and Raymond – too!
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a cheese called haloumi here in Florida. There is some so called central American style fresh “frying cheese” available, which holds it’s shape, so perhaps it would make a good substitute. I eat vegetarian much of the time and adore cheese, etc. It’s our growing season too, so lovely veggies are available at the local green market. Your recipe idea is inspiring.
I don’t know what kumara is, but it looks like either a squash or root vegetable. I’ll google. I suspect I could substitute whatever is available here. Golden butternut squash has been looking nice.
This looks quite yummy, though I don’t think I’ve ever seen that kind of cheese. What might be a good substitute? Ah, perhaps goat cheese?
I love love love your blog! I recently found it and I am making a mandala of my very own! I am also gluten free and a cat lover (I have two as well as a hound dog). I def. don’t think we have Haloumi (sp?) in the States. I sure have never heard of it before. It is great to find a blogger who shares so many of my passions! Keep up the fabulous work! -allison
Mmmm looks yummy and will try that here in Khaya Botha! But what is kumara? Looks like our butternut?
Okay, so I can confirm the dish is as fantastic as it looks. I didn’t know what to have for dinner tonight and before going into the kitchen I “just” popped over to your blog and – BAM – there was my dinner.
Thank you for sharing a most delicious recipe.
Thanks for the great recipe! We are in dire need of new salad ideas at our place so am definitely going to try this one!
I love halumi! Really looking forward to giving that a shot!
It looks really delishhhhh!! do you know the blog 101cookbooks.com by Heidi Swanson? It’s fabulous! Big kiss to Raymond, I miss him
you miss him? he has been in every post bar once since November. And yes, very delish it is.
yummy I never have had Haloumi ??? The dinner looks so good…
We have a very similar meal that is also one of our favourites…I use low fat Haloumi that I can get in the supermarket here in England…it is every bit as delicious as the full fat one and totally squeeky to eat!!…Love your blog and your crochet & I am glad your sabatical after Xmas was not a long one..xx
Regula said what I was thinking. We only eat tomatoes in late summer and what a treat they are. I’ve never heard of haloumi, but it sounds wonderful. Thank you for the recipe and for posting cheerful food photos.
I lurve haloumi, never thought to grill it like that though,I have some in my fridge so I can try it later yipee!
Thanks for this recipe Alice, i’m definitely going to give it a go as it looks just yummylicious. Is Kumara sweet potato?
Hello Lovely! That looks really tastey. My middlie was wheat and gluten free (as well as many other foods which she still can’t have) so I have loads of recipes at home. I’ll dig them out and PM them to you.
Love to KB and His Nibbs.
xxxxx
Yummbo….thanks Alice I have often wondered how to cook Haloumi. That looks like a perfect meal…only I would finish with one of your delicious brownies, I have a terrible sweet tooth
Wow, that looks yummy….isn’t it great that it’s so full of flavour, healthy, yet easy to do….I guess that’s what it’s all about good things not being messed with too much. Thanks for the foody hit!
Love the recipe – must try it out. Thanks Alice. Viv
O, I’m deffo gonna try to find me haloumni here… had it once at a friends’ in Germany, really liked it..
I don’t have a blog myself and won’t go as far as to post recipies here in return, but I can highly recommend the following : http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/World-Vegetarian-Classics-Celia-Brooks-Brown/9781862056770 If they have a copy at the local library I’d give it a shot
Especially the pumpkin curry and the ethiopian lentilles… ( haven’t tried all the recipies yet.. )
Love your socks too, and the spinning wheel.. What a fabulous gift !
Hi Alice
That looks delicious! We’ve got friends coming round this weekend – think I know what I’ll be making now – thank you xx
Definitely a reason to be cheerful, Judy x
Oooh, thanks so much for posting! Pulled me right out of my lurkiness – I tried haloumi at a tapas place a while ago and just adored it, but they had breaded it and I think fried it or something and it was very heavy (albeit absolutely delicious), I’ve really wanted to try cooking with it but had no idea how to use it in a lighter way – I love roasted vegs so you can imagine how excited I was to read your post! Thanks again!