It’s all in a days work with The Body Coach and his Halloumi Dippers.
Some of you may know I’ve been following a healthier diet of late, making me daydream of lentils and sweet potato brownies. I can now add a healthy addiction to Halloumi to the mix, just to keep you on your toes!
I first tasted Halloumi at my Turkish friend’s house aged 15, it was instant love. A love secured, several years later, when we visited Cyprus and I had freshly-made local ‘Helim’, as the Turkish Cypriot’s call it.
It’s a delicious cheese and you can cook it many ways without it losing its texture or shape. I like it grilled, and I also like it cut up and popped into a salad, just give me lots of it!
A cheese you can BBQ? Count me IN.
On Saturday night I found myself with an interesting workstation in the kitchen – three bowls, one containing flour, one egg, and one breadcrumb. I’d even gone the extra step of making my own breadcrumbs, by popping a stale Tiger bread roll into the food processor and blitzing. I have to admit now to a secret crush on homemade breadcrumbs, they make me feel so virtuous. “Look at me, looking like a real chef!” I think it every time.
But why was I talking to myself about breadcrumbs on a Saturday night in June, I hear you ask? Because I was making The Body Coaches Haloumi Dippers for dinner. There were just two of us, RP was at a boys poker night, child 2 at a party. My son is a fan of Halloumi too, so I thought there was no better time than to use the block we had begging to be eaten in the fridge.
I sliced the cheese to about an inch thick and set up the plates with flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. I didn’t add the Nigella seeds, and that was for no other reason than I didn’t have any to hand. I also made Sweet Potato wedges in the oven, taking a tip from Joe Wicks to microwave them for a few minutes first to make them quicker.
Baked not fried
Over the last few months, I have been following The Body Coach, at first just by reading through his book, which is one of my favourite things to do. I love to curl up with a cookbook, and love when a chef writes so passionately about food. The Body Coach’s book is not so much about a love of food, but a love of yourself, your health and making sure you look after these things.
Joe’s niche in the sea of diet books is that he doesn’t encourage you to diet, and he also wants you to throw away your scales. The Body Coach is not some fly-by-night trying to take your money and leave, no, no, he’s there, with a huge bunch of free content on how to get in shape and stay in shape. His Instagram is a haven of recipes, advice and success stories.
For those wishing to get in shape, I urge you to buy or borrow a copy of his book Lean in 15, and read his clear advice on getting fit. My goal is to be in good shape when my wedding comes around, and I have set a good and achievable target in giving myself a year to do this. Besides, any health plan that includes cheese is all good in my books!
You’ll find the recipe for the Halloumi Dippers on @TheBodyCoach
Karlie Simmonds Karlie has worked in Digital Media for over 10 years, she is passionate about health and wellbeing and lives in Edinburgh with her partner, children, and Pug, Poppy.
