I love experimenting with new flavours and ingredients from around the world. We had some leeks left over in the fridge so I thought they would be nice roasted and added to a salad. We didn’t have any salad leaves so I raided the cupboard and found cous cous, dried cranberries and flaked almond’s so I decided to go down the middle eastern route. It was tasty and the harissa dressing added a sweet and sharp flavour. I had mine in my lunchbox and it tasted really good.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the salad

• 1 leek
• 80g cous cous (we use whole wheat)
• 3 tbsp dried cranberries
• flaked almond for topping
• 8 slices of halloumi

For the dressing

• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses or honey
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Start by making the couscous according to packet. I make ours by adding the couscous to a bowl and pour over 200ml of boiling water, cover and leave the couscous to soak up the water around 12 minutes. Fluff with a fork once cooked.
2. Pre heat oven to 160 degrees (fan) slice the leeks a couple of cm thick. Place in a baking dish, season and drizzle over some olive oil or a knob of butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes until soft in the middle and crispy round the edges.
3. I dry fry the halloumi for around 2 minutes per side over a medium heat.
4. To assemble the salad, fold the leeks and cranberries through the couscous, share between 2 serving bowls, top with the cooked halloumi. Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients into a jar or bowl, shake or whisk to combine. Spoon the dressing over the assembled salad and top with flaked almonds and some of the crispy leek bits. Enjoy.