cherry + halloumi salad

This cherry + halloumi salad is a delicious combination of flavors, combining sweet and savory. The main ingredients are fresh or frozen cherries and halloumi cheese.

Why you’ll love this cherry + halloumi salad

The salad is:

• easy to make
• quick to prepare
• for all lovers of sweet + savory
• healthy + beneficial for a good sleep because of the melatonin content of cherries
• beautiful pink in color

What ingredients do you need to make this cherry + halloumi salad?

You only need a couple of ingredients to make this recipe:

• halloumi cheese 
• fresh or frozen cherries 
• arugula or mixed lettuce 
• cucumber  
• red onion
• pecans or walnuts
• whole-wheat pasta
• mustard 
• apple cider vinegar
• honey 
• olive oil 
• sea salt  + fresh ground pepper 

What is halloumi cheese?

Halloumi cheese is a Cypriotic cheese that is full of protein. It holds its shape well when heated or grilled and gets a crunchy texture when baked. Halloumi is a great meat substitute for vegetarians and is great to bring to a barbecue for example. But no matter if you’re vegetarian or not, the cheese is liked by both vegetarians and omnivores alike.

Cherry health benefits

Here’s a list of some well known health benefits of incorporating cherries in our meals regularly.

Cherries:

• are low on the glycaemic index (GI) score
• are heart-healthy
• are beneficial in lowering blood pressure
• may lower cholesterol
• help manage blood sugar
• may help with inflammatory conditions
• enhance recovery after exercise
• may help you sleep
• may help alleviate symptoms of gout
• may help prevent cancer

Cherries are high in melatonin

Cherries are a great source of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone, naturally occurring in our body. Our brain produces it in response to darkness, causing us to get sleepy. It regulates our sleep-wake cycle.

This response can get disturbed because of stress or other factors. Too much screen time and exposure to light at night could repress the natural melatonin production.

One way to reduce these effects is of course simple, don’t watch tv or look on your phone when you’re about to go to sleep.

Another solution could be to higher your intake of melatonin in natural ways. There are supplements on the market, but eating cherries for example before bed time could also help reduce symptoms of insomnia and help with reducing stress levels.

Cherries also contain trytophane, which in turn helps in the production of serotonin and melatonin, thus reducing symptoms of stress and improving energy levels and mood.

How to make this cherry + halloumi salad?

This recipe for cherry + halloumi salad is super easy + quick to make.

To make this recipe, grill the halloumi and the cherries in the oven. The halloumi gets a crispy exterior and the cherries become soft and juicy.

The cherries are also making an appearance in the dressing. Blend them along with the other dressing ingredients to create a beautiful dressing that is bright pink in color.

After the halloumi, cherries and the dressing are done and you’ve prepared the vegetables, layer them on a pretty serving plate, sprinkle with the pecans and add the dressing.

Did you make this recipe?

I hope you liked my recipe for this easy to make cherry + halloumi salad. If you liked it or have any questions, please leave your comments below!