Israeli Salad Recipe

by Liz
(Melbourne)

A healthy Jewish side dish, the Israeli Salad is absolutely delicious. Tickle your taste buds with this refreshing salad. It is all about the genuine Jewish flavor. So do not procrastinate, try this Israeli salad recipe.


About the Main Ingredients:

Tomatoes are the foundation of this Israeli salad recipe. I recommend experimenting with all kinds, including regular ripe ones and even cherry tomatoes for an extra tangy taste. Tomatoes qualify as one of the world's healthiest foods and most salads contain 3-5 large tomatoes.

Cucumbers add an interesting texture and nice green color to the salad. Their bland taste balances the sharp taste of the tomatoes and onions. Like tomatoes, cucumbers also qualify as one of the world's healthiest foods. Most salads contain 2-3 average sized cucumbers.

Use standard white onions or red onions. Onions are also considered a very healthy food. Also, you can add some scallions if you feel like it. Most salads contain 1-2 average sized onions.

Olive Oil is great with this salad. It makes the whole salad come together. Extra virgin olive oil is the best choice and ranks well in the healthy foods list.

*4-6 servings


Ingredients:

3-4 medium tomatoes
2 red peppers
2 Persian cucumbers
1 medium purple onion


For the dressing:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon za’atar
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil


Preparation:

1. To make the salad, halve the tomatoes, squeeze out and discard the seeds, and chop well. De-seed the green peppers and chop, and do the same for the cucumbers. Remove the skin from the red onion and chop. Toss all ingredients together in a large glass or ceramic bowl.


2. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients except olive oil and whisk to combine. Continue whisking, and stream in the olive oil until combined and slightly thickened. Pour dressing over salad and mix in.


Tips:

1. To add color to the salad, use some red pepper, some green pepper and some yellow pepper rather than just a red pepper.

2. Use fresh lemon juice to give full fresh flavor to the salad.

3. Create your own version of this fresh salad by adding feta cheese, chick peas, or chopped olives.


*Here I'd like to tell you about my favorite diet program that uses a lot of the healthy lower GI foods: Isabel de los Rios' 'The Diet Solution Program'.

The Diet Solution Program favours a long term health orientated approach to fat loss, but not offering anyone a quick fix to their weight troubles. It has loads of valuable data and research to support its approach. I personally investigated the program thoroughly and my mum has been using it for a while now. I have to say she got some great results.

The nutrition plan is one of the healthiest we have seen, a strong core focus on vegetables, fruits, vitamin dense foods, lean proteins, select dairy produce and a clear approach to not expecting one diet to work for all body types. So give it a try and let me know how you’re doing.*

Original Israeli Salad Recipe