Refreshing Halloumi Cheese with Cucumber Lentil Salad

I’ve had a package of halloumi cheese sitting in my fridge longer than I want to admit.  But, halloumi cheese has a long shelf life, so it still hadn’t expired when I made this salad last week. Halloumi is the middle eastern cheese you can grill until it is browned without melting because of its high melting point. I have been wanting to try halloumi cheese for a long time, so I was excited when I found the perfect recipe to try, Halloumi Cheese with Cucumber Lentil Salad,  in my cookbook, The Family Chef by Jewels and Jill Elmore. I just got this cookbook from the used bookstore and I love it already.

I doubled the recipe and used regular cucumbers as my grocery store doesn’t carry Persian ones. I loved it. I found it fresh and refreshing. I liked the rubbery texture and saltiness of the cheese which reminded me of feta. This was my first time eating halloumi, so I don’t know if I had great halloumi cheese or bad halloumi cheese.  I must admit that the unsophisticated Wilson children turned their collective noses at this dish. They were put off by the smell and taste of  the cheese. Poor dears. Anyways, I’m the mom and it’s my job to help develop their palates, so I’ll be serving it again in the not too distant future {insert evil smile here}.

Halloumi Cheese with Cucumber Lentil Salad

adapted from The Family Chef by Jewels and Jill Elmore

Ingredients:

• 6 persian cucumbers (or 1 or 2 regular ones), peeled in strips and cut into half circles
• 4 tomatoes, cut into big chunks
• 2 T. parsely, chopped
• 1 t. mint, chopped
• 1 cup lentils
• 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper
• 1-2 glugs of extra virgin olive oil
• (1) 7 oz. package halloumi cheese, sliced into 12 pieces

Cooking Directions:

1. Toss together first seven ingredients in a bowl.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a large non stick pan over medium high heat and add a splash or two of oil.
4. Fry halloumi cheese in pan for 1-2 minutes until brown, turn cheese over and brown for another minute.
5. Serve immediately, while cheese is still warm with the lentil salad.