Fattoush!

I kind of love saying the word fattoush. It sounds like a declaration of sorts, and makes me giggle listening to the pronunciation on this site. This Mediterranean dish is traditionally Lebanese I believe, and is delicious. Comprised of cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, and fresh herbs tossed in a light vinaigrette, it is packed with flavor. Although a great salad on its own, the toasted bread really ties it all together. Plus it soaks up the dressing and makes you want some bread with every bite, as it is packed with flavor. Yummy!

Fattoush

cucumber, diced

tomatoes, diced

bell pepper of choice, diced

onion, diced

(these are the main vegetables that I used in this dish, but add more. Chopped romaine or lettuce, scallions, green onions instead of regular onion)

small bunch of cilantro leaves, fine chopped

(I only had cilantro, but fresh mint and parsley were recommended in the recipe I used, so go for it)

garlic clove, minced or crushed

Choose the quantity of salad that you would like to make and chop the amount of vegetables needed to create a nice mix. Mix together on a plate or in a serving bowl.

olive oil

fresh lemon juice (at the time of making this salad I did not have any lemons, so I substituted red wine vinegar - it tasted good too)

salt and pepper to taste

drizzle olive oil on the salad and then squeeze on some lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Now for the yummy croutons!

Salt and Pepper Croutons

1 loaf of french or sourdough bread or bread of choice, cubed (or just cube up enough for one salad if that is all you are making)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place bread cubes in a pie plate or larger size baking dish.

Drizzle on a couple tablespoons of olive oil (enough to coat each cube a bit). Salt and pepper to taste (don't be to shy). Toss together to evenly coat and season the bread cubes (using my hands seemed to work best for me). Bake in the oven for 15 min or until toasted and crispy.

Throw these on top of the salad and enjoy!

I was so excited about this salad when I made it, especially the croutons. Matt is a bread lover, so I wanted him to enjoy it as well, but he does not like cucumber nor does he like lemony dressings. So I made up this dish for him.

Bruschetta Fattoush or Deconstructed Bruschetta

Tomatoes, chopped

onion chopped

garlic, minced

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt

salt and pepper croutons

fresh basil strips

Again chop up the amount of tomatoes, onion, and garlic needed. General rule would be lots of tomatoes, a nice sprinkling of onion throughout the dish, and just a touch of garlic (the finer it is minced the better). Drizzle on some olive oil and balsamic vinegar (2 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar). Season with salt. Top with basil strips and croutons. No more bruschetta falling off your bread problems!

Fattoush is definitely on my list of favorite salads. Let me know what you think.

What is one of your favorite salads?