Grilled Peaches, Halloumi and Mint "Caprese"

   It's summer, it's hot and you don't feel like eating a heavy meal. I totally get you! Oooor, you're like me, and you find a new recipe involving halloumi cheese and you decide you HAVE to try it! :D And you do. That's how you discover this amazing recipe that is also recommended as a side but which you can easily eat on its own on a hot summer day :) 

   It was my first time eating grilled peaches and I have to admit I had a "why didn't I try this in all the 29 years before?" face. Now I know. I will eat grilled peaches again! :D

Ingredients for 3 servings:
- 3 medium peaches
- 250g halloumi cheese
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- chopped mint (about 1 Tbsp)
- sunflower or olive oil as needed

Steps:

1. Cut the halloumi in half on its length. Grill it on both sides. Slice it after it's grilled.

2. Slice the peaches, then drizzle them with oil and sprinkle the brown sugar. 

3. Heat grill pan really well. Grill the peaches, pulp side down, until grill marks appear (about 10 minutes). 

4. Let the peaches cool a bit, arrange on plate with halloumi, and sprinkle with chopped mint. Enjoy!

Pea Puree and Halloumi Toast

   If anyone was still wondering, it's now official: pesto and halloumi are my latest obsessions! :D So when I found this beautiful breakfast/brunch/lunch recipe on Teo's Kitchen's website I knew I had to try it :) I previously had some bad experience with pea puree but I am very happy I gave this recipe a chance. I'll just say this: garlic and mascarpone will ALWAYS make a recipe better! Long live Teo and her great recipes! Now go try it yourself! :D

Ingredients for 4 toasts (and leftovers):

- 200g frozen peas

- 40g olive or sunflower oil

- a clove of garlic

- 10ml honey

- 40g mascarpone

- salt and pepper to taste

- 200g halloumi cheese

Steps:

1. Boil the peas in salted water until they are soft.

2. Drain the water, then add the peas in a blender together with the garlic clove, oil, mascarpone,  honey, salt and pepper and blend everything until you form a nice looking green paste. You can add more salt and/or pepper if you feel like it.

3. Cut the halloumi in 2 on its length and put it in a grilling pan for a couple of minutes until it's nice and golden-brown on both sides. Then cut it into stripes after you take it out of the pan. 

4. Make some toast and then assemble your meal: toast, pea puree and halloumi on top. Bon appetit! It's deliiicious!

Umami Halloumi Salad

   Guys, you REALLY have to try this salad! It's sooooooo delicious that I barely just finished eating it and I knew I needed to share the recipe with you as soon as possible :)

   We found this absolutely amazing, mouth-watering salad in a Greek restaurant (makes sense, doesn't it?) in... Munich! Yep, Munich! Because why would you only try sausages and sauerkraut while in Germany? When I saw it on the menu and I noticed it contained halloumi cheese I knew that was my salad! I can't even find the right words to explain how it tasted... every bite was heavenly! 

   What is this halloumi cheese, you ask? Just the most umami and amazing cheese in the world (and that comes from an avid cheese lover!)! Wikipedia says: "Halloumi /həˈluːmi/ is a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened brined cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled." I found out about it in Greek Week at Lidl (of course!) and I fell in love with it ever since! I even have a picture of it on the fridge :))) I know, wacko but so not sorry! :D

   Back to present times, I really wanted to reproduce the salad I tried in Munich back at home and today was the day! (I realized Metro has the halloumi cheese full time so I didn't have to wait for another Greek Week at Lidl.) It's so easy to make and sooo tasty! Mine turned out just as amazing as the one I ate at that Greek restaurant in Munich so why not try making it yourself? Ready to explode with pleasure? :D

Ingredients for 3 servings:
- 2 medium tomatoes, roughly sliced
- 2 medium cucumbers, roughly sliced
- 1/4 red pepper, sliced
- 1 small red onion, julienned
- around 10 seedless olives, cut in half
- 250g chicken thighs (or chicken breast)
- 400g halloumi cheese (you can do 300g too)
- salt, pepper, lemon pepper, chili flakes, to taste
- a bit of oil

Optional: garlic bread on the side and balsamic vinegar on top ;)

Steps:

1. Cut all the veggies very roughly (don't worry about an exact dimension, you want to feel that tomato when you taste it with the halloumi cheese). Add them all to a bowl, mix then add a bit of salt, pepper and oil to finish the veggie salad.

2. Cut your chicken into strips, add lemon pepper and grill until fully cooked.

3. Cut the halloumi cheese in half on its length (otherwise it's too thick to grill). Then grill it until it becomes brown on both sides. Take aside and cut into strips.

4. Plate your salad: veggie salad at the bottom, chicken strips and then halloumi cheese on top. Bon appetit!

P.S. Original salad from Munich: