Red Quinoa, Pineapple, Mango, Coconut And Halloumi Cheese Salad

I have been a real red quinoa muncher lately, even a maniac if you like, still going through that frenzy mode, not sure for how long but it feels good!

I do miss summer with its colours so badly, so this recipe is such an indication of that but at the same time this salad shouts out loud that winter doesn’t really mean at all that we can’t have colourful and nutritious food.

This fresh pineapple, grapes, nuts and halloumi mixed with quinoa salad it’s absolutely to die for, so packed with goodness. It’s one of those ‘nuts salad’ as I call it.?

I did warn you any way that there would be more crazy quinoa salads on the way so here I am with another delicious recipe that is such a spirit lifter.

Oh, I’m soo eager to see the spring shoots coming through, I can’t tell you sufficiently.

Adding some fruits to my quinoa salads is almost staple lately but in this instance, it is loaded with fresh fruits.  It has to be revealed that combining quinoa with fruits and nuts as well as coconut maple syrup and the salty halloumi cheese it is such a heavenly combination. If it’s hard to believe you must tuck in.

It looks lovely and the health benefits from this are great indeed. A perfect salad for the winter ==>> spring transition.

Oh, Did I mention already...?? I’m really into quinoa lately and as you may have gathered already having two quinoa recipes posted in a row. Forgive me but it is just too good to miss.

The secret is...

Secret, what secret?! There is no real secret here but only that I boil an amount of quinoa, let’s say 250 - 300g which will be sufficient for a good 4 days for one person or even two people. I keep it in the fridge and I just spoon out 3-4 spoonfuls in the morning and create a quick salad for lunch to take to work. Lunch in 5 min super healthy and nutritious - sound brilliant, doesn’t it?

A great way to use leftover food to avoid food waste! 

Well, this might sound boring - having quinoa 4 days a week but I assure you that not a single day is ever the same, every single day I've had divinely beautiful and so different salads coming out. Here’s one of them - this pineapple, mango and halloumi cheese quinoa - almost a dessert.

Just added different ingredients to my salads and apart from the 2-3 tablespoons of quinoa and the nuts everything else is whatever I had leftover from the dinner before like roast chicken, beef, fish, vegetables however cooked (roasted, boiled, stir-fried or raw) or simply raw ones like red onions, cabbage, peppers, olives, feta cheese or a fresh fruit and halloumi cheese like this beauty. Superb!

The other day I was working from home and around midday, I did get quite hungry, so went downstairs and I was so looking forward to my quinoa break and lunch.

I have found some halloumi cheese, I grilled that quickly on a griddle pan. The rest I wasn’t sure what else to bring to the salad. A pineapple in the fruit basket got spotted as it was winking at me, it was organic and had to be consumed as soon as. This is how this quinoa salad was born. Gathered a few more fruits and the result was ... Wow, this superb combo of pineapple, mango and halloumi cheese .... that I thought I’d give it a sweeter edge with a drizzle of maple syrup. What a treat!?

Oh my, I cannot tell you how we (myself and hubby) enjoyed this beautiful salad. It was so amazing that I have made one for kids too and they LOVED it hugely. The fresh mint made it and gave such a refreshing edge.

The different textures in this salad is one aspect that I absolutely love about, the taste, flavours and benefits are the other aspects that tick all the boxes for me.

That nuttiness of the quinoa with the crunchiness of the nuts and the fruits crispness makes this pineapple, mango and halloumi quinoa salad such a fab exotic and beautiful mix. I can seriously never have enough of it. ?

Enough was said, I could go on and on but I’m just going to get started with revealing the recipe now and what makes this salad such a joyful and tasty experience. Please enjoy and let me know if you liked it as much as we did?

I might be regarded as totally nuts to call this a dessert but trust me it’s so possible - depends on the amounts of sugar/maple, agave syrup/ honey or coconut.

If you’re not keen on keeping it vegetarian go even further and add some crispy bacon or freshly cooked pancetta, how good does this sound?  

Did you like quinoa, then you might also like this beautiful salad.

Red quinoa, pineapple, mango, coconut and halloumi cheese salad

I might be nuts to think of having this as a dessert but I do. This mixed fruits with quinoa, coconut, halloumi cheese and maple syrup is so delicious that could easily have tonnes of it. Utterly nutritious and so yum. 

5 from 11 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Ramona's Cuisine, World Cuisine

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Resting time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 573kcal

Author: Ramona Sebastian

Cook Mode

Ingredients

• ▢ 150 g Halloumi cheese grilled
• ▢ 120 g red quinoa organic
• ▢ 2 med pineapples fresh organic - to serve
• ▢ 200 g pineapple cubed
• ▢ 1 small mango organic
• ▢ 4 tbsp goji berries
• ▢ 3-4 tbsp desiccated coconut organic
• ▢ 16 grapes organic
• ▢ 100 g mixed nuts
• ▢ 40 g mixed seeds *
• ▢ 60 ml Maple or agave syrup optional recommended
• ▢ 10 -12 mint leaves or more - fresh
• ▢ 2 tbsp cane sugar

Instructions

• Cook the quinoa if you don’t happen to have some cooked one already. I did have previously cooked which diminished the time it has taken me to make this salad. When ready, set aside to cool or even take it out and spread it on to a larger plate to cool completely. 
• While the quinoa cooks, grill the Halloumi cheese. Give it a little brown colour. That’s all. This cooks fairly fast so keep an eye on it.
• I love parallel cooking/multi tasking action so while the two of the above cook (keep an eye on the cheese) scoop out the pineapple flesh, chop some of it ( approx 200 g), chop your other fruits and find the other ingredients.
• Into a bowl, mix all the ingredients: quinoa, chopped fruits, desiccated coconut, mixed seeds, nuts and the dry goji berries and finely chopped/cubed halloumi cheese. Drizzle half of the maple syrup and mix well. 
• Serve in the scooped pineapple fruit, topped with a sprinkle or two of desiccated coconut, a few mint leaves and a drizzle more of maple syrup all over. 

  Delish! Delish! Delish!

Notes

Did you make this heavenly recipe?

Please do let me know how you liked it, and if you gave it a twist, all in all, how did it turn out for you, why not leave a comment below and even share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #ramonascuisine. ?

 

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Nutrition

Calories: 573kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 476mg | Potassium: 731mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 729IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 528mg | Iron: 9mg

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