This wonderful salad is a perfect accompaniment to classic Middle Eastern dishes. You can also build a meal around it in the summertime; serve with store-bought or homemade hummus, fresh pita bread, and stuffed grape leaves. See the menu with Tofu Shakshouka (page 45) for another menu idea. Make sure to use an organic, unwaxed cucumber, as it’s best unpeeled in this salad.
Recipe information
Yield
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, scrubbed and diced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup pitted black olives, preferably oil-cured
2 scallions, thinly sliced, or 1/4 cup quartered and thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation
Step 1
Combine all the ingredients in a serving bowl and toss together. If time allows, let the salad stand for 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to blend.
nutrition information
Step 2
Calories: 165
Step 3
Total Fat: 12g
Step 4
Protein: 2g
Step 5
Carbohydrates: 12g
Step 6
Fiber: 3.5g
Step 7
Sodium: 220mg
Reprinted with permission from Vegan Express: Featuring 160 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Healthy Meals by Nava Atlas. Copyright © 2008 by Nava Atlas. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nava Atlas is the author of nine cookbooks, including The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, and Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York with her husband and two teenage sons (all vegans).
