Discover the healing benefits of cooking with garlic from a garlic expert and try a flavorful halloumi lentil salad too.
According to author Natasha Edwards, garlic is a wonderful ingredient to promote all-around good healthy. Raised on the renowed Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wright, Natasha was the perfect person to write the new cookbook, The Goodness of Garlic: 40 Amazing Immune-Boosting Recipes. She spent her teenage years working her hands hard by cleaning and plaiting garlic, at a time when the going rate was one penny per bulb! But by the end of the season, she would have some pounds of he own to spend. 
This book is not only a great way to explore the benefits of garlic, but is also provides flavorful soup, salad, main dish, and sauce recipes. Edwards discusses the well-known properties of garlic that can improve cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and improving overall blood flow. However, the book also highlights benefits readers and cooks may not know. Natasha let us in on the secret that garlic helps make us more resistant to bacterial infections. All you have to do is eat garlic regularly to enjoy the benefits. She recommends at least one clove a day to help support a healthy immune system.
Natasha’s favorite garlic-loaded recipe is the Garlic and Tomato Tarte Tatin, which can be found in the book. It takes a some extra effort, but it is worth it for such an impressive result. Also, Natasha gave us the scoop on a garlic dessert… a creamy, spicy garlic ice cream. We want to try!
We were curious if there was any good use for garlic skins. Check out Natasha’s answer and think about saving them for the next time you have to package something:
“We are considering using the skins as packaging for our orders we send out to make use of the waste. We haven’t yet found another use for it except adding to general compost. Smoked garlic however holds a lot of flavour in the skins so these can be poached in milk to extract the smokiness.“
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup puy lentils
- 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
- ½ red onion (finely sliced)
- 1 green chile (deseeded and finely sliced)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ pound halloumi (sliced)
- 2 small zucchini (cut into ribbons with a peeler)
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- A handful of chopped fresh cilantro (including stalks)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cover the lentils with cold water and bring to a boil. Add the vegetable bouillon and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain well.
- While the lentils are still warm, place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, chile, and olive oil then crush in the garlic cloves and stir well.
- For the halloumi, heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the halloumi and fry on each side until golden. Stir the zucchini, pomegranate seeds, and cilantro into the bowl with the lentils. Season to taste.
- Top the lentil mixture with the halloumi slices and serve.
- Category: Main
