There’s nothing like adding sumac to salads. It’s a tangy purplish-red spice that grows wild in Mediterranean areas. It’s rather prevalent in Lebanese cuisine and having lived there for grad school…the Lebanese are untouchable when it comes to Middle Eastern food.
Fattoush isn’t difficult to make unlike tabouleh. This salad is one of the easiest to make and you can literally use whatever veggies on hand, but here's the traditional fattoush salad sans flatbread/pita so it's gluten-free.
SALAD INGREDIENTS (all organic)
½ head Romaine lettuce, chopped or torn
4-5 Persian cucumbers, sliced (I much prefer these when I can find organic)
Or 1 English cucumber
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 Romaine tomatoes, sliced or quartered
1 carrot, chopped
4-5 radishes, halved and sliced
1-2 tbsp white stems of green onions sliced (I use the green only for tabouleh, but if you're not using it for anything else, then use both)
DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp to 2 tbsp of sumac (I LOVE sumac so I do equal parts oil to sumac, but if you’re hesitant, start with 2 tsp)
1 tbsp chopped flat parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of salt
Combine all the salad veggies in a big bowl. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing and mix well. Drizzle over the salad, toss everything and serve.
ENJOY!