This Berry Bliss Summer Salad is loaded with juicy berries, mixed greens, crispy halloumi cheese and a honey dijon vinaigrette. It’s bright, vibrant and is the perfect Summer meal!
This recipe was originally published in June 2018 – I’ve since added new content and updated the photos!
Summer is officially here and hi hello I truly don’t feel like turning on the oven. Anyone with me?
With temps reaching 90 on a GOOD day, the last thing I want is to turn my oven on to 400 degrees and bake a chicken dish for dinner.
Would I rather make a delicious crunchy refreshing salad and also maybe have a crisp glass of white wine on the side? Yes please! And thus, say hello to this Berry Bliss Summer Salad.
Why This Salad is the BEST!
I feel like salads have a bad reputation. They kind of just have a negative connotation that automatically makes people think that they are bland, plain, healthy and don’t taste good.
So many times I talk myself OUT of eating a salad because I feel like it’s not gonna be good. Like, why would I eat lettuce when I could have a big ol’ slice of pepperoni pizza or 5 tacos from the food truck down the street?
However, when I created this salad for the first time – I knew it was one that I actually was going to LOVE eating.
And why do I love eating it?
All of the textures/flavors combined truly make this salad a home run in my book.
It’s super crunchy from the mixed greens and the almonds – it has an amazing juiciness thanks to the berries.
Oh, and the berries are the perfect balance to the acidity from the homemade honey dijon vinaigrette (which is SO delicious).
The vinaigrette is zippy, bright and feels like sunshine in a salad dressing. Y’all know that I usually prefer creamy salad dressings (I’m talking about you, homemade ranch!) but when my salad is loaded with fruit and veggies, I think a lighter vinaigrette goes perfect with it.
It never overwhelms the flavor of the salad, it simply serves as an enhancement.
Oh, and it has halloumi. Which…if you aren’t sure what halloumi is….let me enlighten you so you can immediately run out and buy it.
What is Halloumi?
Halloumi is just amazing. It’s salty, crispy and delightful.
It’s basically a magical cheese because you can slice it up and fry it in a pan and it DOESN’T MELT. It only gets extra crispy + perfectly golden. Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself:
Not to mention, it’s surprisingly high in protein. One ounce of this cheese delivers you 6 grams of protein! So I highly suggest if you’re looking for a diverse protein source aside from meat, check out this deliciousness!
I like to dice my halloumi into small cubes for this meal so I can get a taste in every single bite!
I buy mine from Trader Joe’s – they sell it once a year and I always stock up. However, I’m sure you could find it at your local grocery store in the speciality cheese section.
Ingredients You Need:
- bright and crunchy mixed greens
- crispy fried cheese aka halloumi
- juicy strawberries and blueberries
- crunchy green onions
- almonds for an extra protein boost
- a delish honey dijon vinaigrette
Um, yes please.
Substitutions/Additions?
While this salad can definitely stand on its own, here are a few substitutions!
You can substitute grilled chicken for the halloumi if you want some extra protein vibes.
Don’t have strawberries or blueberries on hand? You can absolutely sub in blackberries or raspberries!
Lastly, if you don’t have green onions, you can use red onions to add some extra crunch/spiciness!
Mixed all together – this salad is just a juicy sunshine-y perfect light Summer meal. I think it would be great with a warm baguette on the side sliced up and schmeared with butter. Y’all know I can’t go one meal without some type of carb, right? Enjoy!
Looking for more berry-licious recipes? Here are a few you might like:
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Berry Bliss Summer Salad
This Berry Bliss Summer Salad is loaded with juicy berries, mixed greens, crispy halloumi cheese and a honey dijon vinaigrette. It’s bright, vibrant and is the perfect Summer meal!
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups mixed greens
- 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, halved
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 oz. halloumi cheese
- 1/3 cup green onions, diced
- 1/4 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1.5 tsp dijon mustard
- juice of one lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Place your mixed greens in a large bowl. Dice the strawberries in half, dice the green onions and roughly chop the almonds. To the large salad bowl, add in your strawberries, blueberries, almonds and green onions. Set aside.
-
Add a good dash of oil into a non-stick skillet and let it heat up. Slice the halloumi into a thick slice - about 1/3-1/2 of an inch. If it's wet at all from the package, make sure to dry it with a paper towel.
-
Once the halloumi has been prepped, On medium heat, saute your halloumi in the skillet for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through and cook for 2-3 more minutes. It will be golden brown and delicious! When finished, if desired, place on a cutting board and dice into small cubes.
-
Mix all of the ingredients for the honey dijon vinaigrette in a mason jar and shake until combined.
-
Add the halloumi to the top of the salad, top it with the honey dijon vinaigrette. Mix all together - add salt if needed. Enjoy!
This salad is gorgeous Haylie and adding that crispy halloumi is a great idea! Perfect summer side dish!
Thanks, Leanne! I just love the crispy halloumi! 🙂