Delicious low carb dinner - roast veg and halloumi with basil and mint drizzle

Roasted veg and halloumi with basil and mint drizzle

Written by on in Dinner, Lunch

This is a lovely, summery low-carb dish with the squash and sweet potato proving a filling alternative to pasta. Another added advantage, of course, is that they have less impact on my blood sugars. Be generous with the zingy, herby, lemony drizzle as it adds a delightful kick of flavour.

Increase the quantities of roasted veg below and cook up a batch of handy packed lunches for the week. The basil and mint drizzle will last for a few days in a sealed jar and is also delicious over steamed greens or with meat.

Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 1 each of red / orange / yellow peppers
  • 1 sweet potato
  • 1 small butternut squash
  • 4 baby aubergines
  • 1 medium courgette
  • 6 slices of Halloumi
  • A large handful of basil
  • A medium handful of mint
  • Juice of 1/4 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small clove of garlic
  • Black pepper to season

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 / 180 (fan) / Gas mark 6.
  2. Slice the aubergines lengthways, sprinkle with salt to draw out the moisture and leave them to one side for 20 minutes or so.
  3. Dice the sweet potato and butternut squash into similarly sized pieces, around 1 inch long. There’s no need to peel these, just give them a quick rise and remove any moldy bits if required. Place in a large roasting tray, drizzle with oil and add to the oven for 15 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile slice the courgette and peppers into large chunks around 2 inches long.
  5. Once the sweet potatoes and squash have started to brown off a bit, dust the salt off the aubergine with some kitchen roll and add them to the roasting tin, along with the peppers and courgettes.
  6. Drizzle a bit more oil over the veg, toss together so they’re nicely coated and return to the oven for around 40 minutes or until the veg are nicely crisp and roasted.
  7. While these are cooking make the basil drizzle: De-stalk, rinse and dry the herb leaves then place them together on a board and chop. Add them to a bowl, along with the olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Crush and finely chop the garlic clove, add to the bowl, combine with the herbs and oil and season with a little pepper.
  8. With 5-10 minutes to go on the veg, warm a medium frying pan on the hob and slice 6 pieces of halloumi, around 0.5cm thick.
  9. Add the cheese slices to the warm pan and fry each side for a minute or so, until golden brown.
  10. When the vegetables are done, serve with the halloumi on top and drizzle a generous amount of the herby sauce to finish.

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