HelloFresh Canada Review: Farro and Halloumi Salad

HelloFresh Canada delivers fresh ingredients and healthy, chef-curated recipes based on seasonal farm fresh ingredients straight to your doorstep each week. Every week HelloFresh members choose three meals from a selection of award-winning, constantly-changing recipes (say goodbye to recipe boredom!). They kindly sent us this box for review.

This is the second recipe I am posting from this week’s HelloFresh Canada delivery and I am happy to report that both were a complete success! The first one was a Veggie Lentil Stew and it was the perfect meal for a cozy night at home. Today’s recipe is a warm salad full of fresh ingredients and it made for the perfect work day lunch. Let’s have a closer look……

Subscription Details

HelloFresh Canada has three meal plans to choose from. Each week you can curate your personal menu and choose from 25 delicious recipes.

Pronto Plan – The widest variety of meat, fish, and produce. Recipes come together in 30 minutes or less! Starting at $11.66 per serving.

Family Plan – Picky-eater approved recipes with meat, fish, and seasonal produce. Includes 20 Minute Meal options. Starting at $9.99 per serving.

Veggie Plan – 100% vegetarian recipes with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Starting at $9.83 per serving.

Here’s a closer look at one of the recipes from this week’s HelloFresh Canada delivery…..

Farro and Halloumi Salad with Fig Dressing, Veggies and Toasted Almonds

Packed with veggies and tasty grains, this salad is a perfect complement to the squeak and salty, creamy taste of halloumi cheese. Add a sweet and savoury fig dressing, and you’re set to go with this simple and delicious Mediterranean dish!

• 200 g Halloumi Cheese
• 50 g Shallot
• 160 g Sweet Bell Pepper
• ¾ cup Farro
• 28 g Almonds, sliced
• 1 tbsp Fig Jam
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 unit Vegetable Broth Concentrate
• 56 g Baby Spinach
• 7 g Thyme
• 1.5 tsp Dijon Mustard

1: Before starting, wash and dry all produce. Add farro, broth concentrate and 3 cups water (dbl for 4 ppl) in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduceheat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, until tender, 14-16 min. Drain and set aside.

2: While farro cooks, strip 1 tbsp thyme leaves (dbl for 4 ppl) off stems. Peel, then cut the shallot into 1/2-inch pieces. Core, then cut pepper into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut halloumi into 1/4-inch thick slices. Rinse halloumi under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. (TIP: This will reduce the saltiness of the cheese.)

3: Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot, add almonds to the dry pan. Toast, stirring often, until golden-brown, 4-5 min. (TIP: Keep your eye on the almonds so they don’t burn!) Transfer to a plate. Add halloumi to the same pan. Pan-fry, until golden-brown, 1-3 min per side. Transfer to the plate with almonds and set aside. (NOTE: Cook halloumi in 2 batches for 4 ppl.)

4: Add 1 tbsp oil (dbl for 4 ppl), then shallots, peppers and thyme to the same pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers are tender-crisp, 4-5 min.

5: While veggies cook, whisk together fig jam, mustard, vinegar and 2 tbsp oil (dbl for 4 ppl) in a large bowl. Add farro, veggies, spinach and half the almonds. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

6: Divide farro salad between plates. Top with halloumi. Sprinkle remaining almonds over top.

Farro and Halloumi Salad – Final Thoughts

Love, love, love this salad! Wow, I feel like I really lucked out with this week’s HelloFresh Canada delivery because two of the three meals (I am yet to make the third) were absolutely wonderful! Today’s salad was everything I look for in a recipe – quick and easy to make, minimal dishes to clean, warm and cold components, a simple dressing, and just the right amount of flavour. The roasted peppers really stood out, as did the halloumi. This is yet another HelloFresh Canada recipe that I would order again.

-AYOB Sarah