One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go to the farmer's market. There are so many great fruits and vegetables available that grocery shopping is actually fun. An absolute must purchase during this season are strawberries. During the peak season, they're so sweet it's like eating candy. I usually just pop them right in my mouth but sometimes I'll make a fun dessert or throw them in my lunch salad. Toss them with some avocado and fried halloumi and it's like summer in a bowl. Try this strawberry avocado salad with halloumi and crispy chickpeas and you'll see what I mean.
Strawberry Avocado Salad with Halloumi
Ingredients
Green goddess salad dressing
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup basil
- ¼ cup parsley
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice from 1 lemon
- salt and pepper
Strawberry avocado halloumi salad
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 ounces halloumi sliced
- 4-5 cups salad greens
- 1 pint strawberries sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- ¼ cup dried cherries
Instructions
- Make the green goddess dressing. Blend together yogurt with cilantro, basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil, and juice of 1 lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Rinse, drain, and pat dry chickpeas. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add chickpeas and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Add sliced almonds, garlic, and lemon zest. Stir to combine and cook until nuts are toasted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Wipe the pan clean and heat 1 tablespoon oil. Saute the sliced halloumi until browned on both sides, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Assemble the salads. Portion salad greens into bowls and top with sliced strawberries, sliced avocado, sliced shallots, dried cherries, chickpeas with almonds, and fried halloumi. Serve with green goddess dressing.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
For years now, whenever strawberries came into season, I would make my blackened chicken and strawberry salad. This year I wanted something different, hence this strawberry avocado with halloumi salad. I am a huge fan of all of these ingredients so it was pretty much a guarantee that this was going to be a winning dish.
Since we're using fresh strawberries, make sure to find sweet berries. The juicy sweet fruit will contrast perfectly with the salty halloumi and creamy avocado.
Prep the raw ingredients and cook the chickpeas and halloumi. For the chickpeas, it's imperative that you dry the beans as well as you can. This will help them crisp up beautifully. Cook them in a little bit of oil, add some sliced almonds, garlic, and lemon zest and there you have the crunchy component of the salad.
For the salad dressing, I wanted something earthy and creamy to balance the entire dish so I went with a green goddess dressing. I skipped the mayo and went with Greek yogurt for some tang but you can stick to mayo if your heart desires. Use a combination of herbs including cilantro, basil, and parsley, and blend everything together. If the dressing is too thick, add just a touch of water.
Toss everything together including the shallots and dried cherries and there you have a simple but beautiful strawberry and avocado salad with halloumi. As I said, it's a true winner!
For more salad inspiration check out grilled peach, tomato, and corn salad!
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