A Recipe to Feed Your Microbes
Nutrition • Recipe
The ultimate recipe to feed your gut. This griddled halloumi, courgette, asparagus and roasted squash salad, features a delicious pistachio and harissa yogurt dressing. Packed with fibre, prebiotic goodness, polyphenols and fermented ingredients, your taste buds - and gut bugs - will love it.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 whole cloves garlic
1 medium-large courgette
8-10 asparagus tips
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Small handful of parsley roughly chopped
Small handful of mint roughly chopped
2 tablespoons shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
250g halloumi cut into 1cm thick slices
For the dressing
1 teaspoon harissa spice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon lemon juice and grated zest of ½ lemon
3 tablespoons full fat Greek yogurt
01
Preheat the oven to 220C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Trim the ends of the butternut squash and peel. Cut in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Slice horizontally to create moons of around ½ inch thick. Lay on the baking tray and drizzle evenly with the butter. Take the garlic cloves and using the back of a chef’s knife press down firmly to release the flavour. Place in between the butternut squash slices. Roast in the oven for around 30 mins.
02
Trim the ends of the courgette and then cut in half width wise. Slice each half vertically into slices of around ½ cm thick. Place into a bowl. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus if need. Add to the bowl with the courgettes. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil to coat well.
03
Mix together the dressing ingredients and place to one side.
04
Whilst the butternut is cooking, heat a griddle pan to a high temperature. Chargrill the courgette slices and asparagus tips in batches of around 2 mins per side and place on kitchen paper to cool. Place all into a large bowl.
05
Once the roasted squash is cooked allow to cool to room temperature and add this also to the bowl. Add the olive oil, generous couple pinches sea salt, parsley, mint, pistachios, pomegranate seeds and mix together well. Divide between shallow bowls or plates.
06
Drain, slice into approx. 1cm pieces and griddle the halloumi slices. Place on top.
07
Spoon over your desired amount of the dressing and serve.
WHY IT'S GREAT FOR YOUR GUT
FIBRE: Butternut squash, courgettes, pistachios and asparagus are all high in fibre and crucial for gut health.
PREBIOTICS: Pistachios and asparagus are a more specific type of fibre that has an enhanced feeding effect on the growth and health of our gut microbes.
FERMENTED FOODS: Found in our yoghurt dressing. Like ‘probiotics’ in a food form since they contain a direct food source of beneficial bacteria for our gut health.
POLYPHENOLS: Found in the fresh parsley, mint, spices in the harissa blend and pomegranates. Polyphenols help to enrich the health, diversity and numbers of our gut microbiota.