Grilled Halloumi Salad

This was one of the best salad recipes I have ever tasted. The creaminess and the sourness of the Halloumi went so well with the pest and the tomatoes. The Japanese eggplants were so mild and tender I may never go back to regular eggplants again. A real winner. 

Grilled Halloumi Salad by sylvia fountaine, Feasting at Home Blog   

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized eggplants or 4 Japanese eggplants 

• 4 medium heirloom tomatoes ( red and yellow) 

• 8 oz haloumi cheese

• 1/3 C olive oil for brushing 

• salt

Mint Dressing: 

• 1/4 C mint leaves- packed 

• 1/4 C Italian parsley- packed 

• 1/4 C olive oil 

• 1/8 C fresh lemon juice 

• 1 T water 1 small garlic clove, minced 

• 1/4 tsp salt cracked pepper 

•  Garnish with a few mint leaves

Instructions:Slice Eggplant to 1/3 inch thick pieces and sprinkle each side with salt. Let sit for 30 min or up to 1 hour. Eggplant will begin to sweat, releasing some of its bitterness. Rinse well, Drain, pat dry.

Pre-heat grill, to med-high.

Slice tomatoes to 1/2 inch thick. Brush both sides with olive oil, place on baking sheet. Slice halloumi into 1/2 inch thick pieces, brush with olive oil, place on the same baking sheet. Pat dry eggplant and brush both sides generously with olive oil, place on backing sheet.Make dressing. Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor...adding a little more water (only if necessary) to get the blender going. Do not blend too smooth... you want to see pieces of the herbs.Grill eggplant slices, covering grill, checking heat to make sure they don't burn, rotating as necessary. Eggplant is done when the white becomes slightly translucent. Stack them on a heat proof dish and cover tightly with foil so they continue cooking through. You could place this on your upper grill rack if you have one, or just set aside, covered. Grill tomato slices, just a few minutes on each side. If you grill too long, they will fall apart, so just a couple minutes, just to warm them is enough.Grill the Halloumi cheese just until grill marks appear.Arrange all on a platter, layering drizzle with the dressing and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve at room temp. If you want to serve this Napoleon Style- a stacked individual portion, layer eggplant, tomato, and haloumi spooning a little mint dressing on each layer, until 4-5 inches tall. Skewer with a skewer or sturdy rosemary sprig ( removing bottom rosemary leaves).