Fattoush Salad Recipe

All members of the O. Family are huge Mediterranean food fans. Even Dexter is obsessed with Greek yogurt. I know, bizarre. Greg O. is half Lebanese, after all (even though you can't really tell by looking at him because he looks like a Kennedy). I'm a good wifey and I have been trying some Mediterranean recipes recently.

It's been ridiculously hot in Tejas, and I'm getting tired of typical salads. I don't like salads filled with fat, either. That negates the whole darn point of a salad. Fattoush is the perfect answer - a different, refreshing salad. Yes, I know, funny name. Greg calls it "ka-DOOSH!"  It's a pretty basic Lebanese cucumber salad, but the flavors are rockin'.

After eating lots of fattoush and looking at various recipes, I've created one I think tastes the most authentic and the best. This recipe doesn't require specific amounts - just throw in the bowl what you like and in the amounts you like it. I'll list what I did and you can always alter it to your liking.

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O.'s Fattoush

Mine looks very close to this, but with bigger chunks of cucumber. I really wish I had taken a picture! (Google Images)

Main Ingredients:
- 2 cucumbers, sliced and quartered (skin on, but you can peel if you like)
- 1/4-1/2 a bag of chopped Romaine Hearts (whatever cucumber to romaine ratio you like)
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red/orange/yellow (whichever color you like best) bell pepper, chopped
- 5-7 diced stalks green onion
- 1 large tomato, chopped (I used halved grape tomatoes because I think they look prettier and they're sweeter... about what would equal one large tomato)
- 2 handfuls chopped mint (or more if you like)
- 2 handfuls chopped parsley (or more if you like)

Dressing Ingredients:
- Vinegar (Red Wine / Apple Cider variety)
- Lemon Juice
- Olive Oil
- Garlic Powder
- Lemon Pepper


Mix the main ingredients in a big salad bowl. Then dress your salad with the dressing ingredients to your liking. Everyone likes their salad dressed a different way. I prefer more of an acidic dressing, so I used more vinegar and lemon juice than olive oil (my guess is about 1/2 cup vinegar/lemon juice and 1/4 cup or less of olive oil).

This also goes great with some nice pita chips or if you want to pair it with some hummus and Khoubiz (Lebanese flat bread) or pita bread.

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The great thing about this recipe is that you add or take away what you like. Tailor it to your own tastes. And.... the BEST thing about this, even if you pair it with pita chips/bread and hummus, it's seriously healthy and low cal!  BOO YAAAAAAAH!

Hope you try and love my ka-DOOSH!
Wait... that sounded wrong....

No, but seriously. You gotta try it. Bring it to a dinner party or even better, a barbeque, (you know, where everyone brings store-bought crappy potato salad) and impress someone by saying, "Oh, I just whipped up a little fattoush." Yeah. You're gonna look super foodie-a-licious.


BTW- To find an awesome "Recipe Carnival", visit: A Moderate Life