Warm Winter Salad with Halloumi

September 1, 2021by Fiona O'Donnell

I absolutely love a good salad. But in the winter, it doesn’t feel right to be eating something cold. With this in mind, I feel that a warm winter salad is the only answer. Instagram is a great place to get food inspo and when I saw that Katia from Properfood was having a warm salad with Brussels sprouts, it gave me some inspiration to try my own recipes. 

Ingredients for winter salad
Ingredients

Ingredients

Warm winter salad recipe
Warm winter salad recipe
1 Pan Fry Up
1 Pan Fry Up

Start by frying your onion and garlic in a little butter or olive oil. Chop the rest of the vegetables and add them to the pan. Add the spinach last. Make sure to chop it so you don’t end up with long stringy pieces. Add the tamari and vinegar and season with pepper and thyme. 

Once the veg begin to soften, make space and begin to fry your potatoes in the caramelised tamari in the bottom of the pan. Once browned, toss everything together and serve. 

Plating a Warm Salad

Serve With….

Winter salad with halloumi
Dry Seared Halloumi

Halloumi is a salty, solid cheese that doesn’t melt like typical cheese. I popped it on a griddle pan to sear it on a moderate heat. Do not season with salt as it is salty enough. Sprinkle with thyme and black pepper as you fry it.  

Salad at Christmas

Calorie Counted

Lots of you have written to me asking me about the calorie count of the recipes I have blogged about. While I feel it is important not to get bogged down by the numbers, I also think it is a great idea to be aware of exactly what you are eating so that you can make better choices that meet your goals.

Little elf and salad
Guardian of the Salad

The winter salad on its own has the least amount of salt and calories. It has just under 10g of protein but a vast array of micronutrients to help boost your immune system. 

Calories and macronutrients for salad alone
Calories and macronutrients for salad alone

Add Cheese

Lots of nutrients
Lots of Wonderful Nutrients

The saltiness of the halloumi certainly blends beautifully with the flavour and the earthiness of the beetroot in this winter salad. However, if you are trying to limit your calorie or fat intake, smaller portions of halloumi would be advisable. Halloumi has a high saturated fat content and so is quite high in calories. If you would like to try this warm salad but would like a lighter calorie option, you could go for chicken or tempeh as alternatives. 

Macros with Halloumi
Macros with Halloumi

Winter Salad For Recovery

With some chicken, this meal would be the perfect thing to have ready after a good workout. It is packed with slow release carbohydrates, and lean protein. Swapping out the halloumi for the chicken also means you are reducing the calorie content significantly. 

Macros with Chicken
Macros with Chicken
Superfood salad
Ultimate Superfood Salad – Halloumi for amazing flavour

Part of my #decemberfitnesschallenge was to choose 3 vegetables and incorporate them into a meal. This is my effort for day 8 and I am going to repeat it today and make a huge batch. If you haven’t already seen it, go check it out quick on my instagram account in the highlights. 

Don’t forget to tag me in your efforts @westcorkfit so that I can share you all over my feed!

Happy Cooking Everyone

Fi xx

Fiona O'Donnell