Sesame Ginger Halloumi Salad with Crispy Wontons

There is nothing I crave more in the summer than a fun salad. Any salad I make must have certain components and lots of textures to pass muster. I need crispy, chewy, crunchy, sweet, tangy, savory, and salty at least. This salad has a lot of those elements. When I was planning what to bring to the annual 9 day luncheon this year I immediately went to salad and played around with a few ideas before I got to this. Turns out, I was the only one who actually brought a  salad (there were 9 baked zitis though) and it was a huge hit. Adding the wonton crisps is a little extra and not necessary but really added another great texture. Apparently you can buy them already fried but I didn’t get that memo and stood and fried them in 92 degree weather. Worth it!

For the dressing:

1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar 

2 Tbl fresh lime juice (juice of a large lime)

3/4 cup neutral oil (I used light olive oil)

1 tsp salt 

Add all the ingredients to a container or shaker and shake well.

For the Salad: 

8 oz baby spinach (or kale or romaine)

2 cups shredded red cabbage

1 large carrot, shredded

3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups shelled edamame 

1 avocado,  diced

2 Tbl toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup toasted almonds

7-8 ounces Halloumi cheese, cut into cubes 

Sesame seeds 

Add all the vegetables to a bowl.  Dip each cube of halloumi into sesame seeds coating them and place them on a sprayed baking sheet. Spray the coated cubes with cooking spray and place them in a preheated 375 degree oven until the halloumi is browned and the sesame seeds are toasted. Top the salad with the halloumi and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and scallions. 

For the Wonton strips:

15-20 wonton wrappers, sliced into strips

Oil for frying 

Fry the wonton strips for about 10-15 seconds on each side until light brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined tray and sprinkle with salt. Once cooled use them to top your salad.