The Dana Salad

 

   Before you say anything, yes, I do have a salad with my name on it. That's because when Oli and I were first dating I thought of making a new salad that he would like so I took elements of a Greek salad and I added my own twist. He liked it so much that ever since then he calls it The Dana Salad so that we know exactly what to put in it :) It's become a staple in our household and I'm surprised that I haven't posted it sooner. Wanna know what's in it? Follow the recipe below!

Ingredients for 3-4 servings: 

*We always have leftovers, but we never mind because it's so healthy we can eat it later or the next day if we put it in a sift in the fridge

- 3 boneless chicken thighs 

- lemon pepper seasoning

- 2 medium tomatoes, diced

- 2 medium cucumbers, diced

- 1 red pepper, diced

- 1 big carrot, grated

- 1 medium red onion, roughly chopped

*1 green onion (optional), chopped

- corn

- 250g telemea or Feta, shredded 

- sunflower or olive oil

- salt 

Steps:

1. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, pan sear it on both sides and season it with lemon pepper as you cook it. Make sure it's evenly coated.

2. Put the cut veggies in a bowl, then add the cooked chicken and the shredded telemea. 

3. Season with salt and generously coat in oil. Thoroughly mix everything. Bon appetit! :)

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: