Israeli salad

The Israeli Salad makes a critical appearance at almost every meal in Israel, including breakfast. Its the base that so many Israeli meals are built on. You can eat it plain but its most commonly stuffed in a pita with some humus, labneh, or falafel. It took me years before I could chop the vegetables as finely as a true Israeli. Really, in this salad, the finer the vegetables are chopped, the better.

Ingredients

4 cucumbers, peeled and diced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 scallions, diced
½ cup fresh parsley, minced
½ cup fresh mint leaves, minced
¼ cup olive oil
3 tblsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp lemon zest
½ tsp minced garlic
1 tblsp salt
1 tblsp black pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin

Directions
1) Toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, scallions, and herbs together in a large bowl.
2) In a separate bowl prepare the dressing by combining the oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, and seasonings. When ready to serve, toss the salad and dressing together.

*Recipe by Shelley Neese, the vice president of The Jerusalem Connection.