Chickpea & Hot Honey Halloumi Chopped Salad

& a week that knocked me down

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CATCH UP!

Hiii, my friends! I’m sorry for missing you last week! I bit off more than I could chew, and now I’m suffering the consequences. Grant and I had a relaxing time in Palm Springs celebrating our wedding anniversary a bit early, and then Justine came into town, we met up with Liz, then I drove down to San Diego to spend time with my two besties. Then I went to Wonderfront Festival to watch Grant play music, and we managed to sneak in a delicious dinner at Kingfisher on our actual anniversary day. I didn’t sleep all that well over the weekend, and now I’m feeling beat, although my heart is full with all the fun activities, so it was ~worth it~.

I spend so much of my time thinking about myself these days, by nature of my job and also while trying to conceive. There is so much focus on what I’m doing, how I’m presenting myself, what goes into my body, etc., that spending time with people I love gets me out of my head and leaves me fulfilled. I am enjoying the downtime this week, even though I am exhausted, but Willow has been snuggling up hard, keeping me company as I edit videos and watch the Vanderpump Rules reunion.

THINGS I’M LOVING!

I’ve been hearing incredible things about the Ouai Curl Creme, and seeing how it was out of stock for so long, I figured it must be true. The second it came back, I placed an order, and wow, I can see why people are obsessed. It is absolutely worth the hype. My waves feel incredibly defined. Definitely recommend!!

I would live in dresses forever if the weather permitted it, and I especially love the comfort and elegance of a smocked dress. I’ve been eying this Black Smocked Midi Dress from Madewell — it looks so casual and chic! I ordered mine from Nordstrom since Madewell is out of many sizes. I also love that it’s 100% cotton!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Jeopardy Masters is my Superbowl! Grant and I are huge Jeopardy fans, and I always love when all the super champions come back together for the Masters. I am behind (waiting for Grant to watch), so please don’t spoil the results so far!! But I always love seeing my boy Matt Amodio back on my screen!

RECIPE!

A few weeks ago, I made a steak and chickpea salad inspired by Violet Witchel, and then I was browsing through Molly Baz’s cookbook More is More, and I saw she did a chopped halloumi salad. So I knew a chickpea and halloumi chopped was in the cards for me next!

This salad is made with pan-fried, hot honey halloumi, roasted cumin chickpeas, chopped avocado, peaches, and tomatoes and is tossed in a sizzled scallion mint dressing that’s very tangy, just the way I like it!

As Violet says about her dense bean salads, this salad tastes even better when it sits in the fridge and the dressing just gets to soak into everything. I made this yesterday and just ate the leftovers for lunch today, and dare I say, it was even better than yesterday.

Chickpea & Hot Honey Halloumi Chopped Salad

Ingredients (serves 2 as a full meal, 4 as a side)

Salad

• 1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for halloumi

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp onion salt

• 8 oz halloumi

• 1 tbsp hot honey

• 1 yellow peach, finely chopped

• 1 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes

• 1 avocado, diced

Dressing

• 4 scallion stalks, finely sliced

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped mint

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

• 1/2 tsp sumac

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and add the chickpeas along with olive oil, cumin, and onion salt. Toss until chickpeas are evenly coated, and then bake for 25-30 minutes or until chickpeas are crispy and golden.

2. Prepare the hot honey halloumi by heating up a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the halloumi, drizzle with hot honey, and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until halloumi is golden brown. Set aside to let cool slightly, and then chop up into bite-sized pieces.

3. While chickpeas are roasting, prepare the dressing. Add sliced scallions, chopped mint, chopped garlic, crushed red pepper, and sumac to a small bowl. Heat up the olive oil on medium heat until it starts to sizzle, but not smoke. Pour it over the bowl of scallions and mint, add in the red wine vinegar, and mix together. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

4. When chickpeas are ready, add to a big bowl along with chopped halloumi, peaches, tomato, and avocado. Add the dressing, and toss. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and save for later!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

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