Roasted Vegetable Salad with Halloumi

You can also serve this hearty vegetable salad as a vegetarian main course.
Halloumi cheese is not a necessary ingredient here. By the way, you can replace it with feta cheese - in that case, do not fry the cheese!

Ingredients:

1 small eggplant, cut into 2-3 cm cubes
1 zucchini, halved and cut into 1 cm thick crescent-shaped slices
1 large tomato, sliced
1 large bell pepper of any color, cut into 1 cm pieces
1 can chickpeas (400 g), placed in a colander, rinsed under running water, drained
Salt
Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
100-150 g HALLOUMI cheese (optional), cut into half-centimeter thick squares (or finely crumbled)

For the salad dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of two large lemons)
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 large clove garlic, crushed
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (rack in the middle of the oven).
2. Place the eggplant in a colander and season with a large pinch of salt. Leave for about 20 minutes (while you prepare the other vegetables). Then, be sure to pat the eggplant dry with a paper towel to remove excess salt.
3. Prepare the salad dressing: Place the lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk. While whisking vigorously, slowly add the extra virgin olive oil. Set the prepared dressing aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, zucchini, tomato, bell pepper, chickpeas, a large pinch of salt and black pepper. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Mix.
5. Arrange the vegetables on a large baking sheet (spread out in a single layer). Roast in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and slightly browned.
6. Remove the vegetables from the oven and return them to the bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the salad dressing you made earlier and toss gently. Let the vegetables cool slightly. Then taste and season with additional seasoning if needed. If you plan to serve the salad chilled, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or until you plan to serve the salad).
7. Just before serving, make the cheese: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the HALLOUMI cheese and fry until golden brown on both sides (about one minute per side). When serving the salad, place the fried cheese on top. 

Yield: 6 servings
Recipe: themediterraneandish.com