As a holistic nutritionist, it would be easy to assume that I eat a lot of salads.  But the reality is, that it depends on the time of the year and the weather outside.  While I eat a ton of vegetables year round, the idea of digging into a crisp cold salad when it is -40 outside doesn’t seem remotely appealing to me. It is during the warmer months that salads become a staple in my diet, and it would seem that I am not the only one that hones their salad making skills during the warmer months.  If your Instagram feed looks anything like mine, then you are probably being inundated with tons of pictures of salads on a daily basis, the most popular being watermelon and feta cheese salad.  While I consider watermelon and feta to be a delicious combination, lately have I wanted to kick things up a notch.  Enter Halloumi cheese.  For those of you that are not familiar with Halloumi, allow me to introduce you.  Halloumi is a Cypriot unripened brined cheese that is normally made from goat or sheep’s milk.  More recently, it is also made with cow’s milk so be sure to check the ingredients list if you have any difficulties with digesting cow’s milk.  Halloumi is often used as a protein replacement by vegetarians in a variety of dishes, but it’s salty delicious flavour makes it a popular cheese among many, regardless of whether they eat meat or follow a vegetarian diet.  Halloumi cheese with watermelon just makes sense to me – the salty and sweet flavours pair perfectly together in my opinion.  Adding cucumbers to the mix elevates the water content of the dish and helps to meld the stronger flavours of both the watermelon and the cheese together.

Watermelon and cucumbers are both hydrating nutritional powerhouses in their own rights.  Watermelon is a good source of Vitamin A, B6 and C, lycopene, antioxidants and minerals and is helpful in neutralizing cellular damage and cancer prevention.  Cucumbers are high in enzymes, B vitamins, nutrients and electrolytes along with minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium.  The skin of a cucumber contains silica which is helpful in boosting your skin from within to help you achieve a glowing complexion.  When purchasing cucumbers, I strongly encourage you to purchase organic ones (if your budget allows) so that you can eat the skin without having to worry about any pesticide residue that may be left on the skin after cleaning it.

To call this a recipe would be comical.  Consider them loose guidelines on how to assemble a delicious, refreshing and simple summer salad.  Both cucumber and watermelon are great to eat when you are feeling a little bloated.  Skip the cheese if you want to up the anti-bloat factor of this meal.

Ingredients:

1 organic baby cucumber, chopped

1 cup of watermelon, chopped

2 thick slices of Halloumi cheese

1 tsp fresh mint, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Cracked black pepper

Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Fry the halloumi cheese until it is golden brown on both sides.  Remove from heat.

In a bowl, combine the watermelon, cucumber and mint

Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with black pepper

Top with Halloumi cheese

Enjoy!

The information provided in this blog post is solely for information purposes and not as a substitute for medical advice.

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS❤️