Im sorry but I don’t want to infer that any recipe that I post is associated with the word: Fat. So in my mind, if I think the wonderful salad will make me skinny, it just naturally tastes better. This salad wowed Peter Pumpkin and myself. The flavor was a little like tabouli (I just eat it, I don’t learn how to spell it) but the salad itself made both of us decide to head back to the store today to buy more parsley so we can make it again tomorrow. IT’s THAT GOOD! A new friend of mine, Debbie, which lives down the street picked up this recipe at the grocery store and gave me a copy. She and I had been to lunch at a Afghanistan restaurant and started talking about how much we loved Middle Eastern food so she brought this to me a few days later. I did alter it just a bit as I was in a hurry when I was in the grocery store and thought I was picking up Pita Chips, when in fact, they were Pasta Chips, which I didn’t even realize until I was cleaning up last night. They were a great substitute if you cannot find Pita chips or do not want to make your own, (which the recipe called me to do). AND….I had some left over marinated mozzarella balls so I threw those in also. Great addition. Will always add those. OK, so here is the recipe as it came to me: Im including also pictures of the Pasta Chips so you will know what to look for if you decide to use them, plus a picture of the marinated mozzarella balls…
Ingredients
1 tables vegetable oil for frying
2 small (4 inch) pita breads, torn into pieces
1 large English cucumber, finely diced
3 cups halved, grape tomatoes
1/2 red onion, finely diced
3/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
3/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tables EVOO, or to taste
1 tables fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 clove garlic, crushed or more if desired
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
crumbled feta cheese *and I added about 1 cup of marinated mozzarella balls, cut in 1/3’s
Plus I added some fresh basil but recipe didn’t call for it
Directions
Heat veggie oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Place pita pieces into the skillet without crowding and fry in batches until golden brown, draining on paper towel. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Gently toss to combine. Add your friend pita chips or purchased pasta cups right before serving. Adjust seasonings to your liking.
Chocolate Castles as wel 