Israeli Salad with Tahini Lemon Dressing

Myrna saw this recipe for a salad made from fresh, crunchy vegetables, that can be served anytime, and that used tahini in the dressing, so she sent it to me.  We had plenty of farm eggs, so this was a no-brainer.  I purchased some tahini, which is simply sesame seed paste in a jar, similar to peanut butter.  I did buy mine at Whole Foods, as the groceries in our small town didn’t carry it.  It is in the same aisle as the peanut butters.  It is most often used in hummus, or in stir fries.

We thought the salad was excellent.  My husband was a little skeptical of chopping the vegetables that much, but it made a beautiful salad, fresh and pretty.  You can serve it with pita chips if desired, we just ate it on the side with grilled hamburgers.

Israeli Salad with Tahini Lemon Dressing

  4       large  Eggs -- hard boiled

  2       each  Cucumbers -- peeled and diced

  1       pound  Cherry Tomato -- diced

     ½   each  Onion -- diced

     ½   cup  Fresh Parsley -- chopped

  2       tablespoons  Tahini -- well stirred

  4       tablespoons  Lemon Juice

  2       teaspoons  Dijon Mustard

  1       teaspoon  Garlic – minced

  2       teaspoons honey

  2       tablespoons  Water

  1       cup pita chips, broken into small pieces

In a medium serving bowl, combine the chopped eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and parsley.

In a small bowl or large measuring cup, combine the tahini, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, water, honey and salt.

Toss the salad with the dressing (you might not need all of the dressing) and pita chips, and serve it immediately.

(You can make the salad and dressing up to 4 hours in advance but don’t combine them until you are ready to serve). Season the salad with black pepper, if desired

6 Servings

  "2 cups"                             

Per Serving: 116 Calories; 6g Fat (47.3% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 141mg Cholesterol; 85mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Here’s the link for the original recipe from PBS’s  "Kitchen Explorers”