A few years ago I purchased a cookbook featuring middle eastern cooking with a strong emphasis on whole foods, especially fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables.

The salads in that book captured my heart and imagination and are directly responsible for a dramatic increase in the amount of vegetables we eat on a weekly basis.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

But this salad is my favorite

I make a big bowl of Israeli Salad at least once a week and keep it in the fridge, ready to eat whenever we want it.

One thing I've learned about myself is that I am considerably more likely to eat a lot of veggies if there are at least one or two salads in the refrigerator, prepared and ready to eat.

I like to dress my salad with pomegranate vinaigrette and top it with a handful of ja'ala (roasted nuts and seeds.) I store the salad, dressing, and ja'ala separately, dumping them together into a bowl whenever I get a hankering.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

Recipe: Israeli Salad

This recipe was originally published on alittleandalot.com. For more detailed information, please see the original recipe: Israeli Salad

• 3 large carrots
• 2 red bell peppers (any other color is fine)
• 1 English cucumber
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
• About ½ cup Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 cups Yemenite Ja'ala (Roasted, spiced nuts and seeds)

1. Peel the carrots and chop off the ends. Slice each carrot into thirds, then cut each section in half. Slice each half into matchstick like slices that are about ¼-inch wide. Chop the matchstick slices into ¼-inch pieces. (*See images above for a visual reference for chopping the carrots, peppers, and cucumber.)
2. Slice off the tops and stems of the peppers and remove all the seeds. Cut each pepper in half, then slice each half into ¼-inch wide slices. Chop slices into pieces that are about the size of a pea.
3. Follow the same pattern with the cucumber: cut off the ends, cut the cucumber into thirds, cut each piece in half, then cut each half into ¼-inch slices. Dice the slices into ¼-inch pieces.
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add all the veggies to a large bowl along with the chopped parsley. Toss to mix. Pour in about ½ cup of Pomegranate Vinaigrette and toss to coat. Taste and add more salt and pepper, or more vinaigrette, if desired.
5. Refrigerate the salad in a covered container for up to 3 days. Serve topped with a handful of Ja'ala.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Traditionally, Israeli salad generally always includes cucumber and tomatoes and often includes carrots, bell peppers, and onions. But you can swap any of the vegetables in this recipe for any other raw vegetable you like.
• Instead of fresh parsley, add any kind of fresh herbs you like. Mint, basil and fresh dill are particularly delicious.
• Use any kind of salad dressing you like instead of pomegranate vinaigrette. Or, keep it simple and use nothing more than freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
• For a veggie-only salad, forgo the Ja'ala nut and seed mix altogether. Or top your Israeli salad with some croutons instead.
• Make a creamy Israeli salad by mixing Greek yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, fresh dill, and salt. Toss the chopped veggies with this creamy dressing instead of the pomegranate vinaigrette.

How to Serve Israeli Salad

Israeli Salad is not traditionally served with nuts or any other kind of topping. Also, it's usually simply dressed with extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This is a delicious and simple way to enjoy this salad.

But, Pomegranate Vinaigrette also makes a super tasty dressing for Israeli salad. It only takes a couple of minutes to prepare and keeps well for several days. I usually make a large batch and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator so I can drizzle it over salads and roasted or sautéed vegetables.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

And I love the nutty crunch that a handful of Yeminite Ja'ala adds to every delicious bite. Ja'ala is simply a mix of spiced roasted nuts and seeds. I almost always have a bag of it in the pantry, ready to be used as a crunchy salad topper, or simply eaten by the handful as a delicious snack.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

Can You Make Israeli Salad in Advance?

I am not joking when I say that I've been making this salad twice a week for months. It makes a great side dish to pretty much anything we happen to be eating on any given night and makes a great, healthy, easy lunch.

• Israeli salad will keep well in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. Store it in a covered container.
• Store the roasted nuts separately to prevent the salad from making them soggy. Add them to the salad right before serving.
• I also find that this salad lasts longer if you add the tomatoes right before serving. So, if you're planning to eat it over a few days, add a few tomatoes to your individual serving instead of including them in the whole salad.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

What to Serve With This Salad

Israeli salad makes a light, fresh side dish to any kind of roasted or slow-cooked meat. A few of my favorites include Pork Carnitas, Roast Chicken, Asian Short Ribs, Tuscan Braised Beef or slow-cooked Tri-Tip with Fennel and Coriander Gravy.

Serve it alongside Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk or instead of the tomato and cucumber salad in these bowls of Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki.

For nights that call for soup and salad, serve Israeli salad with warm bowls of Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, Red Lentil Soup with Ham, Spanish Potato Soup, or Zuppa Toscana.

Israeli salad is also the perfect thing to serve with classic BLT sandwiches.

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