A Bronzed & Blistered Cheesy Stuffed Date, a Fresh New Protein Dish...
And! My latest way with overnight oats. It's a three-fer.
When I shared the recipe for my Sauté of Figs, Halloumi, and Endive last year, and wrote about how happy I was to find halloumi at Trader Joe’s, I didn’t know at the time that it was a seasonal item. Now I do, and I’m keenly aware that it’s back in stock for a period.
I’ve put it to use in this sweet-salty marvel of a treat, where dates are stuffed with a mini-block of halloumi and then broiled until the cheese is browned and soft, and the dates get a bit blistered and jammy. Stopping there would almost be enough, but then you’ll drizzle them with a bit of honey and olive oil and cover them with a fluffy storm of lime zest. I know. But trust me that it’s ever better than it sounds.
The “recipe” is very, very simple, but you can find it in a bit more detail at the bottom with some notes on substitutions as well.
Recipe Video: Halloumi-Stuffed Dates with Lime Zest
Paid subscribers got my Tahini Tempeh last week, but here’s another winner to add to your tempeh repertoire: Honey-Butter Tempeh with Asparagus. Fellow tempeh encourager and superstar recipe writer Ali Slagle recently asked me to create this for her terrific newsletter 40 Ingredients Forever, and I so enjoyed developing it. It’s fresh and seasonal and works in unexpected ways.
As noted in the recipe, if you’re not into asparagus, or if it’s sadly slipped out of season, swap in any other forkable, quick-cooking vegetable instead—broccolini, snap peas, little baby turnips, green beans. There are notes on veganizing it as well. And if you don’t like tempeh, it’s time to get with the program! Just kidding, you can use tofu. Find the recipe here, as well as dozens of clever and thoroughly tested others from Ali and her friends.
Recipe Video: Honey-Butter Tempeh with Asparagus
A final note: The weather heating up has given me even more appreciation for overnight oats. I wanted to flag for you that I added an update to my Earl Grey Overnight Oats recipe, because I’ve been enjoying a new formula. It uses a good amount of kefir as the liquid component, making this little breakfast rich in both prebiotics and probiotics. I may even give it a dedicated post in the future, but for now the formula appears just before the recipe.
I hope your summer is enjoyably underway and that you’re eating well! —Lukas
Halloumi-Stuffed Dates with Honey & Lime
You can cook these using the broil setting of your toaster oven or air-fryer, if you have either. My kitchen can get so hot in the summer that I find these appliances to be incredibly handy; they require little time preheat and generate much less residual heat than my oven.
Paneer or even feta would make a good substitute for the halloumi. Just steer clear of anything that won’t hold its shape as it heats up.
Obviously it’s simple to scale this recipe up or down however you need.
Yield 12 stuffed dates | Prep & cook time 10 minutes
12 dates
Half of an 8.8-ounce package halloumi
Honey or hot honey
Olive oil
Lime Zest
Smoky chili flakes, such as aleppo or Silk Chili
Flaky salt
1. Preheat your broiler.
2. Using a paring knife, make a slice down the length of each of the dates and gently pry them open to expose and remove the pits. Cut the halloumi into 12 rectangles. Place a piece of halloumi in each date and gently wrap the date around the sides of the cheese. Arrange them on a small baking tray.
3. Transfer the tray to the oven and place it directly beneath the heat source. Broil the stuffed dates until the cheese is golden brown on top and the dates’ skins are slightly blistered, 3 to 5 minutes (this could vary quite a bit based on the strength of your broiler), watching carefully.
4. Arrange them on a plate and drizzle lightly with honey and olive oil. Use a microplane to shower them with lime zest, and finish with a few pinches of chili flakes and salt. Serve warm.
I had no idea halloumi was a seasonal item. That explains why I can’t find jt most of the time I want it!
Hmmm! Sounds delicious, but I’m really surprised that halloumi is seasonal where you live. We can buy any variety of haloumi at any time of the year in Australia, as with dates, we must be spoilt.