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Griddled Halloumi, Courgette and Roasted Pepper Ciabatta

Crusty ciabatta filled with griddled halloumi and courgette, sweet roasted peppers from a jar, a thin layer of soft cheese, rocket and mint. A vegetarian lunch ready in 20 minutes.

Lunch

18

Serves 2

Two halves of a crusty ciabatta sandwich filled with griddled vegetables, roasted red pepper, white cheese, soft cheese and fresh green leaves on a wooden board, with a bowl of orange soup behind

Ingredients

  • 2 ciabatta rolls (about 75g/2½oz each), wholemeal or seeded if you can find them, halved
  • 100g/3½oz halloumi (labelled suitable for vegetarians), cut into 4 slices
  • 1 small courgette (zucchini, about 150g/5oz), cut lengthways into 5mm/¼in strips
  • 1 tsp (5ml) olive oil
  • 120g/4oz roasted red peppers from a jar (in brine), drained and patted dry
  • 2 tbsp (30g) light soft cheese
  • A handful of rocket (about 20g/¾oz)
  • A few mint or basil leaves (about 5g)
  • 1 tsp (5ml) lemon juice and a pinch of black pepper

Method

  1. Heat a griddle pan or large frying pan (skillet) over a high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Brush the courgette strips with the oil.
  2. Griddle the courgette for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn it and add the halloumi slices to the pan alongside (no oil needed). Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, turning the halloumi halfway, until the courgette is charred and just tender and the halloumi is golden with dark lines. Meanwhile, toast the cut sides of the ciabatta in a toaster or under the grill for 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Spread the bottom halves of the ciabatta with the soft cheese. Layer on the courgette, peppers and hot halloumi, then the rocket and mint. Squeeze over the lemon, add some pepper, press the tops on and cut in half. Eat straight away, while the halloumi is warm and soft.

Why it works

A sandwich gives you about 21g of protein for 432 calories, most of it from the halloumi.

Why halloumi. Halloumi holds its shape in a hot pan, turning golden outside and soft inside, so it needs only a couple of minutes on each side. It is salty, so no salt is added, and it is best eaten warm, as it turns rubbery as it cools.

A shortcut for chargrilled vegetables. Roasted red peppers from a jar are already soft and sweet, which saves 20 minutes of roasting. Choose peppers in brine rather than oil to keep the fat down.

Why it is tagged for blood sugar. The ciabatta brings most of the 42g of carbohydrate. Plain ciabatta is a white bread, so choose wholemeal or seeded rolls if you can for more fibre; the protein and fat from the cheese help slow how quickly the carbohydrate is absorbed.

Contains milk and wheat (gluten). Some halloumi is made with animal rennet, so check it is labelled suitable for vegetarians. For a halloumi salad, try the halloumi, lentil and roasted vegetable salad.