Asparagus and Halloumi Skewers

I was a vegetarian for 10 years and I will always remember the look of horror on the braai hosts face when they realised they had forgotten to cater for the vegetarians at the party. Often, the go to option would be a processed veggie patty, other times, it was all the side dishes, accompanied by a roll. Yum….

Needless to say, the times have changed and thanks to a new wave of vegetarian thinkers, vegetarians are able to eat some of the most delicious meals, cooked over the coals. Today, I have shared a recipe that is dear to my heart, largely because it always reminds me how yummy and easy it can be to maintain a plant-based diet. This dish takes me back to university braais under the shadow of Table Mountain…Sigh…

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 12 asparagus spears, tough end removed

• 175g of halloumi cheese

• 2 tablespoons of fresh mint, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon of crushed chilli

• 1 lemon, quartered

Method

• Blanch your asparagus in boiling water for 1 minute MAXIMUM (because soggy asparagus doe not a good skewer make people!) Drain and cool in ice cold water.

• Cut the halloumi in half and then cut each half into 4 pieces each

• Alternatively arrange the asparagus and halloumi onto your skewers

• Brush the skewers with olive oil and grill on a hot braai for 2 minutes on each side (you are looking to have a nice char on each side before you flip them)

• Remove from the braai and sprinkle with lemon, mint, crushed chilli and a touch of olive oil

Variations

• NB: If you are using wooden skewers, please remember to soak them in water for 15 minutes. This stops the sticks from catching fire and burning…which sucks

• Not a fan of the heat, just don’t add the chilli to your skewers. They will still be delish

• The beauty of these guys is that they can be pre-made. Simply keep them in a fridge/cooler box until you are ready to cook them.

I love eating and preparing these skewers. They are dead easy and so satisfyingly yummy. Hopefully, they add to your vegetarian arsenal for the next braai you host or attend.

Tori

xx