Fattoush

The student in charge of the salad course for our Mediterranean meal was really stumped, thinking she'd never had anything like that before. I reminded her of a great restaurant in town, Bella Luna, and how much she loves that place--oh yeah!! Fattoush!

We used this recipe from all recipes, and after more than a few trips to different grocery stores, I finally found the mint we needed and we were ready to prep. (I think I should grow my own mint, right? I hear it's easy.... )

Fattoush

Ingredients:
3 pita rounds, torn into pieces
oil for frying
6 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 small cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 green onions, minced
15 fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon cilantro

Dressing:
1/4 cup lemon juice (I would start with 2 Tablespoons, taste the dressing, and go up to 1/4 cup as necessary--you can get too tangy here)
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1 pinch celery salt
1 pinch garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
1.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place pita pieces into the skillet without crowding. Fry in batches until browned; then remove to paper towels.
2.Place romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, green onions, mint leaves, parsley, and cilantro into a large bowl.
3.Pour lemon juice and white wine vinegar into a small bowl. Season with salt, lemon pepper, onion flakes, celery salt, and garlic powder. Stir in olive oil.
4.Gently toss salad with fried pita pieces and dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve.