Grilled Zucchini Salad with Halloumi, Tahini + Mint

Grilled zucchini salad with halloumi, bulgur and chickpeas. Top with lots of fresh mint and a sweet and spicy tahini dressing. The ultimate summer salad.

“We know what the world wants from us. We know we must decide whether to stay small, quiet and uncomplicated or allow ourselves to grow as big, loud and complex as we were made to be. Every girl must decide whether to be true to herself or true to the world. Every girl must decide whether to settle for adoration or fight for love.” 

-Glennon Doyle Melton

Grilled zucchini salad with halloumi, bulgur and chickpeas. Top with lots of fresh mint and a sweet and spicy tahini dressing. The ultimate summer salad.Grilled zucchini salad with halloumi, bulgur and chickpeas. Top with lots of fresh mint and a sweet and spicy tahini dressing. The ultimate summer salad.Grilled zucchini salad with halloumi, bulgur and chickpeas. Top with lots of fresh mint and a sweet and spicy tahini dressing. The ultimate summer salad.


GRILLED ZUCCHINI SALAD WITH HALLOUMI, TAHINI + MINT

Right. This salad. The zucchini can be grilled or roasted depending on your kitchen equipment. If you have a bbq even better, that smoky flavor is hard to beat, but a grill pan will also do the trick. Same goes for the halloumi. You can bulk up the zucchini here if you have them in abundance or are feeding a crowd. Quantities below will serve 2 as a main or 4 as a side. Use the full 1 cup of chickpeas if serving 4, less if only for 2. If you’re not a fan of salty halloumi, some crumbled feta would be a nice replacement. If you do not eat dairy, some marinated tofu or crispy fried tofu would be excellent in this salad, especially if you can get your hands on the smoked kind. If you are gluten intolerant you can replace the bulgur with quinoa or lentils. If there is any other way you can change up the recipe to better suit your taste buds, please be my guest x

Ingredients

Dressing

1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, grated with a microplane
1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup)
1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek (chili paste), chili garlic sauce or siracha
4-5 tablespoons water
Sea salt + black pepper, to taste

Salad

2 medium zucchinis, sliced
150g halloumi cheese, sliced into thin squares or rectangles
1/2 cup bulgur
1/2 – 1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Large handful fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
Handful flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
Olive oil
Sea salt + black pepper

Instructions

Cook the bulgur. Add 1/2 cup bulgur, 1 cup of water and a good pinch of salt to a small pot. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.

Heat a well seasoned grill pan or outdoor grill to high. Toss the sliced zucchini in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the zucchini in a single layer on the grill, leaving space between each slice. Grill uncovered, flipping once, until charred on the edges and tender but still crisp – about 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.

To make the dressing place all ingredients except the water into a small blender. Begin blending and slowly add in water until desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

In a large salad bowl combine cooked chickpeas, cooked bulgur, sliced green onion, mint and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Reheat the well seasoned grill pan or cast iron skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add the halloumi in a single layer and fry until golden brown and crisp, a few minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining cheese.

Add the grilled zucchini and warm halloumi to the salad and toss to combine. Drizzle with dressing, garnish with extra mint leaves and lemon zest. Serve immediately.


Let me in on your kitchen creations – tag your photos #happyheartedkitchen and share the love!

6 Comments

  • Reply
    Jessie Snyder
    August 16, 2017 at 3:55 pm

    I adore your loving heart and boldness Jodi <3 and feel the same inner struggle at times. xo

    • Reply
      Jodi
      August 18, 2017 at 7:18 am

      I think we all do, Jessie. Always appreciate you saying hi, we’re in this together x

  • Reply
    Claudia | The Brick Kitchen
    August 16, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    So tricky, but thank you for sharing your thoughts – I think we do need to be talking about it everywhere in our friendships and communities, including in the blogging community. It feels a little like watching a train wreck from afar here in NZ, with news of the US etc dominating all headlines. In other news, this salad looks incredible – love the combo of chickpeas, tahini and haloumi!! Bookmarking to make <3

    • Reply
      Jodi
      August 18, 2017 at 7:24 am

      It’s scary indeed, Claudia. Being just north of the border this is so close to home for me, and the world is so small these days it definitely has a ripple effect. I guess we can’t really build walls up and choose to talk about something in one place and not another so thank you for your reply. And thank you for your kind words on the salad, I’m such a sucker for tahini. xx

  • Reply
    Winnie
    August 17, 2017 at 11:54 pm

    Quite a profound post. Since I did come here looking for a salad, I will also say, the recipe looks delicious. But I’m so glad you included your thoughts, thank you for sharing.

    • Reply
      Jodi
      August 18, 2017 at 8:08 am

      Thank you, Winnie! I hope you always come back looking for salads :) In the meantime enjoy this one! xx

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