Do you really do this every Sunday?

This is a question I often get asked when I talk to friends about our Sunday family dinners.

Well, the answer is YES! My family all come together every Sunday for dinner, unless there is a clashing event, and I cook a variety of wholesome food for us all to enjoy.

I always try to change it up by creating something different and last week I came up with a delicious Rocket, Bean, Walnuts and Pomegranate Salad with Grilled Halloumi, dressed with blood orange and EVOO. Everyone loved this salad, especially the contrasting flavours and textures of the peppery rocket, creamy beans, salty halloumi, pop of sweetness from the pomegranate seeds and crunch from the toasted walnut. It’s a super easy tasty salad that’s worth trying, but I’ll get to the recipe shortly.

I’m not sure why some people think it’s so unbelievable that my family spend Sunday evenings together. To me, it’s the most natural thing to do as a family and something that my mother and mother-in-law did until they were physically no longer able to. In fact, my mother who is 82, still cooks a Sunday meal for the entire family from time to time and the joy she gets from seeing her family together is so beautiful to watch. As I get older and start thinking about my own mortality, it’s becoming very clear that spending time with my family is the most important thing and what I love doing more than anything else.

Not a week goes by that I don’t hear about a friend (or friend of a friend) in my age group who has been diagnosed with a serious illness that is likely to impact their life, and it reminds me of how fragile life is. You just never know what challenge life will throw at you, so yes, my family really does get together on Sundays and I love it!

Some might say they just come for the free meal and, while that may be part of it, as long as they show up and I am able to cook, I’ll keep doing it. Cheers to that 🙂

I often sit back after dinner and watch my family interact with one another and the feeling I get is hard to describe. They talk, joke and laugh about all sorts of things, which gives me a sense of pride and satisfaction. And then there’s my two little grandsons, whom I just adore and love to watch as they develop into delightful little people. My family is a gift I can’t get enough of!

Now back to the recipe for my Rocket, Bean, Walnuts and Pomegranate Salad with Grilled Halloumi dressed with blood orange and EVOO.

This is one salad you really should try. It’s ideal as part of a main meal or on its own for a healthy delicious lunch.

For those who for follow a vegan diet, leave out the halloumi cheese, it’s just as delicious without it.

What you need

• 200g wild rocket – washed & drained
• 1½ cups of cooked butter beans (I used tinned organic beans – rinsed & drained)
• Seeds from 1 pomegranate*
• ½ cup walnuts – lightly toasted, then roughly chopped
• 250g Halloumi Cheese (I use Aphrodite halloumi – it’s less salty)
• Juice of ½ a blood orange (or 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Serves 4 – 6 (as a side salad)

What to do

Place the rocket, beans, walnuts and pomegranate seeds in a bowl.

Place the blood orange juice, olive oil and salt and pepper in a jar and shake to mix. Sprinkle over the salad and gently toss through – put salad aside.

Cut the halloumi into 2cm thick slices and place in a frypan on a medium heat. Gently cook on both sides until golden.

Arrange warm Halloumi cheese over the salad and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

*TIP: To extract the seeds from the pomegranate, cut the pomegranate in half. Hold it cut side down in one hand with fingers slightly spread over a bowl, then tap the top of the pomegranate so that the seeds pop out into the bowl. I do it in the sink to avoid splashing pomegranate juice everywhere.