Israeli Salad

Israeli salad is delicious to eat, beautiful to look at & easy to make. I certainly ate my fare share while in Israel as every meal; breakfast, lunch & dinner, begins with some version of it.

I was so inspired that I’ve been experimenting with different recipes since returning from our trip & today I’m mixing it with organic quinoa.

Here’s the plan.

Salad made of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions & scallions finely chopped & mixed with herbs we picked up at the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem.

From this guy to be exact.

Why do I have a picture of him you must be wondering? Well, he was featured in Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown, Jerusalem” so how could I resist?

I’m not 100% sure of what’s in the spice but it’s a mix of Za’atar (a Middle Eastern herb generally made with ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, & salt). This one has roasted almonds in it & is absolutely delicious!

The key is to mix all the veggies with a bit of olive oil & let the salad sit so that it absorbs all of the yummy juices. Also, cool the quinoa so that it’s easy to mixed in with the salad.

Combine the salad with organic quinoa & voila! Dinner!!!

One of the dinners that inspired me, at the Bedouin where we stayed in the Negev desert ?

Let me know if you try & like this recipe.