Winter Salad with Honey Thyme Fried Halloumi

& has Black Friday lost the plot?

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every week! Paid subscribers get even more on Saturdays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

I’ve really grown to love the end of the year. I’m not even the biggest holiday person, but watching everyone else decorate and get all festive and gather and cook gets me in a cheery mood. And now that I have my own family, I’m excited to celebrate everything with Sagan. I’m even going to get a mini Christmas tree and my very own Menorah. Growing up, I always was envious of Christmas, so I’m excited to give him both experiences! Like, how lucky is he that he gets to celebrate both holidays? A dream.

Also, is it just me, or is “Black Friday” getting more and more out of control? It starts earlier and earlier each year, and I swear the deals aren’t even that good. I bought a sweater from a major retailer a couple weeks ago that was on sale for $47.50, and now it’s “40% off” for Black Friday, but it costs $72! I feel like so many brands do this. And personally, I feel like the best deals are right after Christmas!

I’ve included a couple smaller brands below where I actually feel like there IS a deal, but so many of the big retailers are letting me down! Also, I haven’t done a proper gift guide this year because I feel like there are SO many of those too. I’m not sure I will, but I’ll keep sprinkling in my faves each week, here and on Instagram stories.

THINGS I’M LOVING!

I’ve been trying to add some color into my dinnerware collection, and I started off with some splatter plates! In my head enamel plates were expensive, but they’re not nearly as costly as ceramics. Plus, they’re chic but durable! These are the blue splatter dinner plates from Crow Canyon, but they come in a variety of other colors as well. Their entire website is 20% off right now too!

I have been a fan of Flamingo Estate since their inception — I was an early customer, back when they sold $20 produce boxes during the beginning of lockdown! From there, I was introduced to their wide array of luxury products, and they’re one of my favorite gifts to give. We also started buying their soap bricks, which seem pricey on their face, but they are massive and last a long time. Grant and I both use them in the shower, and the scents are so unique and delicious, and for a bar soap, it’s shockingly sudsy. Our recent favorite has been the Heirloom Tomato Soap Brick, and now is the perfect time to stock up on your gifts, since everything is 20% off!

Have you heard of Pu’er Tea? I hadn’t until recently, but after I went down a rabbit hole trying to learn about the fermented tea, I discovered that Pique had their own line of Pu’er teas — and they happen to be people’s favorite! Pique’s Green & Black Pu’er Teas go through a unique fermentation process, which means they’re filled with probiotics, prebiotics, and polyphenols that support digestion, metabolism, and gut health. They taste smooth and earthy, and I love to pair them with steamed milk! The Black Pu’er is great to have in the morning and the Green Pu’er after meals — an easy and balanced way to feel energized throughout the day.

Pique is also offering some deals right now for Black Friday/Cyber Monday! You get 20% off for life, plus their Indulgence Edit Gift Set FREE for qualifying purchases (ends December 1st). Thank you, Pique, for sponsoring this week’s newsletter again!

DISCOUNT CODES!

**NEW CODE ALERT: 25% off Ground Up Nut Butter**

Supplements

• KALEMEMAYBE25 gets you 30% off your first order with Ritual!

• Use my link to get up to 45% off Grüns gummy vitamins!

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Armra Colostrum!

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Food & Drink

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products

• DRIZZLE gets you 20% off Little Zing Mustard

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Kola Goodies tea lattes

• CARINA20 gets you 20% off Primal Kitchen products

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• CARINA20 gets you 20% off Juliet Wine!

• CARINAWOLFF gets you 40% off your first order with Hungryroot!

• CARINA20 gets you 20% off of Algae Cooking Club

• Use my link to get 30% off your first order and a free gift from Thrive Market

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RECIPE!

I have no shortage of chopped halloumi salad recipes, but I have yet to create one this year, and I also didn’t have a winter themed one, so here we are!

We’ve got our hero, the fried halloumi, but this time with an added drizzle of honey and thyme. For protein, we have crispy chickpeas, which get roasted next to butternut squash. And then all of that gets tossed together with some kale, chopped pears, pomegranate seeds, red onion, and a maple mustard vinaigrette.

People often ask me where to find halloumi, and I almost always have luck at Whole Foods, although occasionally I’ll find it at Sprouts or Trader Joe’s as well. If you have any Middle Eastern markets by you, they should definitely have some as well!

Winter Salad with Honey Thyme Fried Halloumi

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

Salad

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed

• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry

• 3-4 tbsp olive oil

• A few dashes of each: Cumin, paprika, Aleppo pepper/crushed red pepper

• 8 oz halloumi, cut into 1/2 inch slices

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp fresh thyme

• 1 small bunch kale, stems removed and chopped (about 2 cups)

• 2 pears, finely chopped (I used Bartlett)

• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

Maple Mustard Dressing

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and add the chickpeas and butternut squash. Drizzle on 2-3 tbsp of olive oil, and add a few dashes of cumin, paprika, and aleppo pepper to the chickpeas. Season everything with salt and pepper, and toss together to coat in the oil and seasonings before transferring to the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes until chickpeas are crispy and squash is soft but crisp around the edges.

2. While the chickpeas and squash are roasting, prepare the halloumi. Heat up 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the halloumi, honey, and thyme, 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. In a small bowl or jar, prepare dressing by whisking together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup until smooth. Season with a little salt and pepper.

4. In a large bowl, add the kale along with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage with your hands to break down the fibers and soften the leaves. Add the cooked squash, roasted chickpeas, chopped pears, red onion, pomegranate seeds, and your chopped halloumi. Toss together with the dressing, and serve.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week’s 30-minute meal was another sheet pan recipe – baked gnocchi with LOTS of veggies tossed in lemon parmesan and topped with meatballs. Easily customizable with lots of time saving hacks!

Just a reminder that anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive. You can always do a free 7-day trial as well!