What’s vegewarian, anyway? Answer: it’s selecting sustainable dishes based on non-meat foods at least once weekly.
Halloumi is said to have originated long ago in Cyprus. Cheesemakers spread the Halloumi technique abroad of compacting milk fresh curds and curing them in brine, and now many Middle Eastern countries produce the cheese. It may be made from goat’s, sheep’s, or cow’s milk, or a mixture of milks. Its flexible texture and high melting point make the firm, salty cheese ideal for frying and grilling. This easy recipe calls for skewering and grilling it with colorful vegetables. A little chili in the seasoning gives it some Middle Eastern heat. And by the way, we like the occasional cheese and vegetable dish, but here are two intriguing ways to combine cheese with dates.
Soak 12 wooden skewers in cold water for 20 minutes. This will prevent them from scorching during the grilling.
Halloumi Cheese and Vegetable Kebabs
Ingredients:
12 cherry tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped into thin wedges
250 grams – 9 oz. haloumi cheese, cut into 12 pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 6 pieces
2 zucchini, cut into twelve pieces
12 button mushrooms
For marinade:
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
Load the skewers with alternating vegetable pieces and cheese.
Make the marinade. Blend lemon juice, oil, thyme, chilli and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Brush kebabs with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Grill 3-4 minutes, turning skewers over several times. Alternatively, preheat oven grill. Cook kebabs 3- 4 minutes, turning twice. Remove when vegetables are tender and halloumi softens.
Serve with warm pita breads.
Lots more vegewarian (and even vegan) posts on Green Prophet:
- Vegan Israeli Soldiers Have A Beef About Army Grub
- Make Your Own Organic Butter At Home
- Kefir, Legendary Milk Health Drink
Image of haloumi cheese kebabs via Shutterstock.
Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Kelly, the skewers are refrigerated to firm up the cheese and vegetables. You can easily skip this step if all your ingredients were taken out of the refrigerator just before assembling.
Mmm, halloumi is my favorite Greek (Cypriot) cheese! The saltiness is definitely what makes it stand out among all other types of cheese. I’m curious – why the refrigeration for 30 minutes before the grilling?