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Try our honeyed halloumi and borlotti bean salad, then try halloumi wrap with Greek salad, halloumi and Mediterranean veg traybake, or halloumi and watermelon salad.

Adding beans to a salad is an easy way to amplify it with fibre to feed your gut microbes. This is because as your microbes ferment fibre from the beans, they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are vital for supporting your intestinal epithelial cells (the cells that line your gut) and keeping the cells tightly linked together, preventing ‘leaky gut’. SCFAs also play an important role in helping you digest your food and absorb nutrients, as well as protecting against infections. Basically, eat more beans, because this convenient and cost-effective addition will keep you fuller for longer and promote a healthy, well-nourished gut garden.

Recipes extracted from The Hormone Balance Handbook by Jessica Shand (£22, Thorsons). Photographs: Lizzie Mayson. Recipes are sent by the publisher and not retested by us.

Jess Shand is a registered naturopathic nutritionist and hormone health specialist, focussing on female health optimisation. She studied nutritional therapy at the college of naturopathic nutrition as well as additional training in pre- and post-natal nutrition, behaviour change and health coaching. She now runs a nutrition clinic. Her book, The Hormone Balance Handbook, is out now. @jessicashand_


Honeyed halloumi and borlotti bean salad recipe

  • 6 slices of halloumi
  • big handful of cherry or vine tomatoes
  • 200g cooked quinoa, buckwheat or mixed wholegrains
  • 2 big handfuls of mixed spinach and rocket
  • 400g tin of borlotti beans
    drained and rinsed
  • 1 yellow pepper
    sliced
  • ½ red pepper
    sliced
  • ¼ red onion
    finely sliced
  • 100g olives
  • half a handful each of parsley and mint
    roughly chopped

HALLOUMI SEASONING

  • 2 tbsp raw honey
  • 2 tbsp rosemary, oregano or za’atar

SALAD DRESSING

  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • pinch of dried herbs (the same as you used for the halloumi)

    Method

    • step 1

      Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Drizzle the halloumi slices with the halloumi seasoning ingredients, plus a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to a roasting tray, along with the tomatoes, and roast for 10-15 mins or until golden.

    • step 2

      Combine the salad dressing ingredients

    • step 3

      Divide the leafy greens and beans between two bowls, add the peppers, onion, olives and fresh herbs.

    • step 4

      Remove the halloumi and tomatoes from the oven, and add to the bowls, then drizzle the dressing over the top.

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