Your new favorite salad pairs grilled vegetables with briny, creamy halloumi cheese

This warm, hearty salad is a flavorful melange of perfectly charred vegetables and chunks of briny halloumi cheese. Halloumi has a solid consistency and high melting point, making it perfect for grilling. After just 10 minutes on the grill, the radicchio, eggplant, zucchini, and cheese were perfectly browned, tender, and redolent with smoky flavor. We chopped the vegetables and cheese before tossing everything with a honey and thyme vinaigrette and topping the salad with Crispy Chickpeas. 

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Recipe: Grilled Vegetable and Halloumi Salad
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or rosemary
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 tablespoon table salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon grate lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
• 1/8 teaspoon, plus 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1 pound eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick-rounds
• 1 head radicchio (10 ounces), quartered
• ​​​​​​​1 zucchini or summer squash, halved lengthwise
• 1 (8-ounce) block halloumi cheese, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slabs
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup Crispy Chickpeas

Directions

1. Which honey, thyme, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, lemon zest and juice, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper together in large bowl; set aside. Brush eggplant, radicchio, zucchini, and halloumi with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon slat and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 
2. For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter half filled with charcoal briquettes (3 quarts.). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium. 
3. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place vegetables and cheese on grill. Cook (covered if using gas), flipping as needed, until radicchio is softened and slightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes, and remaining vegetables and cheese are softened and lightly charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables and cheese to baking sheet as they finish cooking, let cool slightly, then cut into 1-inch pieces. 
4. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil into honey mixture until  emulsified. Add vegetables and cheese and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chickpeas and serve. 

If you like this recipe as much as we do, check out "The Complete Salad Cookbook" by America's Test Kitchen.