This salad screams summer. Watermelon is delicious at the moment and it takes on black pepper perfectly. It’s a kind of sweet and sour salad with the balsamic vinegar, sweet melon and Creamy cheese. I started off safe with Greek cheese by sticking to the popular cheeses such as feta and halloumi. It’s amazing how you can now buy really artisan products so easily now. I cooked mine on a griddle pan so I got the char marks but you could just simply fry it. This dish was so well balanced and very tasty.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• small bag of salad leaves, I used baby spinach
• 1/4 water melon, rind removed and cut into chunks
• 1 tsp fresh black cracked pepper (use more or less to your palate)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp each of chopped fresh basil and mint
• 1/4 lemon, juice only
• 1/2 cup lentils, cooked to packet instructions
• 1 pack manouri cheese (170g)
• 1 tbsp walnut or olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 6 walnuts, toasted and roughly broken up

Directions

1. Start by marinading the melon. Add the melon chunks, herbs, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Give it a stir and set aside.
2. Next cook your lentils to packet instructions and set aside
3. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and spray with cooking oil. Add the manouri, cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes.
4. Mix the oil and vinegar into a dish and give it a stir.
5. Assemble the salad by sharing the salad leaves between 2 bowls. Add the marinated watermelon pieces and pour over any liquid left in the bowl. Spoon over the lentils and pour over the oil and vinegar. Tear the manouri cheese into the salad and finish off with the toasted walnut pieces. Enjoy 😊