Mediterranean Fattoush Salad
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Serves: 4-6 servings
 
Vegetarian and vegan
Ingredients
For the pita chips:
  • 1-4 TBSP light olive oil, or refined (unflavored) coconut oil
  • 1 large pita bread, regular or whole wheat (or 2-3 smaller ones)
  • pinch of salt, to taste
For the dressing:
  • ⅓rd-1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, to taste (about 1½ - 2 lemons)
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane or very finely minced
  • 1 tsp. ground sumac
  • ¾ tsp. kosher salt (or ½ tsp. table salt)
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
For the salad:
  • 2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 english cucumber, chopped into large bite-sized pieces
  • 2 medium tomatoes (or a couple handfuls grape or cherry tomatoes) cut into large bite-sized pieces
  • ½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
Optional add-ins:
  • Thinly sliced radishes
  • Thinly sliced red onions
  • Crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
For the pita chips:
  1. To bake the pita chips: drizzle pita bread with 1-2 TBSP olive oil or melted coconut oil, rubbing it to coat both sides, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden and crispy, then let cool and break into bite sized pieces.
  2. To fry the pita chips: cut or tear the pita bread into bite sized pieces. Heat 3-4 TBSP coconut oil (or other neutral, high-heat oil) in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pita, and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and crispy. Remove from the pan and toss lightly with salt.
For the dressing and salad:
  1. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Taste, and adjust if necessary (if the dressing needs more acidity, add more lemon juice, etc., to taste).
  2. Chop the romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, and mint, and place in a large bowl. (If you'd like to add radishes, red onions, or crumbled feta cheese, you can do so now.) Pour over enough dressing to coat, and toss to combine. Top with pita chips, and serve!
Notes
The pita chips can be baked or fried for this recipe, whichever you prefer. Baking the chips uses a bit less oil, and results in a lighter, more delicate chip. Pan frying uses a bit more oil, and gives you a sturdier, more robust chip that can hold up a little better to the dressing. I tend to bake them out of laziness, because I can toss the whole pita in the oven, set a timer, and make the rest of the salad while it's cooking. The fried chips are tastier, but you have to keep a close eye on them to keep them from burning.

Recipe adapted from Karen Srour -- find her recipe, HERE.
Recipe by Will Cook For Friends at https://www.willcookforfriends.com/2016/03/mediterranean-fattoush-salad-video.html