Fattoush Salad is one of my favorite salads - it is Mediterranean  brilliant fresh flavors.

The base of the salad is Sumac, a spice made from the berry of the Sumac flower that will wake up your tongue by aqgitating your "sour" tastebuds. This ancient Mediterranean Spice was used as medicine by the Greeks, and during Roman times was one of the few spices we have record of. I buy mine from Amazon. 

Tehini is ground sesame seeds, and known as the other half of hummus. Hippocrates used this as a o covemedicine, as did the Persians. It was found in food starting in ancient Greece and then in Levantine (today is a combination of Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria).  Tehini first came to the US in health food stores in the 1940's. I buy mine from Amazon, but if you are lucky to have a store that sells it - awesome.

Ingredients:

1 cucumber cut lengthwise into four pieces then make 1/4-1/2 inch cuts

2 lemons

1/2 purple onion

Whole wheat pita bread - if it is stale - use it, if not -then we will toast it

California/Arizona/Georgia Extra Virgin Olive Oil (unless you have another great source)

Sumac - you will need a bunch 

Tahini about 1/2 cup - you need to start stirring this - like old fashioned peanut butter - start on this now

Honey - real stuff about a tablespoon or real Maple Syrup

Chicken - either a whole roasted chicken. I buy 3 chicken breasts and sous vide them then use them for this

Romaine lettuce - about 2-4 bits - some use the hearts, or some get pre packaged - up to you

one bunch of parsley

one bunch of mint

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If your whole wheat pita is fresh - then we need to bake it a bit. spread some olive oil on both sides then sprinkle sumac on it. Bake 400 degrees for 5 minutes, flip it, then bake again. If your whole wheat pita is stale - just tear it into bite size bits. Once the baked pita is cooled down, tear it up.

Put salt on your cucumber and let it sit on some paper towels to let the moisture be absorbed.

In your large bowl: Take 1/2 of a purple onion - thinly slice and put into the bowl. Then cut the lemons and squeeze all the juice onto the onions. Add some salt and pepper - mix it up. If you need to add more to cover them, go ahead. Let this sit about ten minutes before the next step.

Once the onion has marinated in the citrus add 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add two tablesspoons of Sumac, add the 1/2 cup of tahini a pinch of salt some pepper and stir it up.

Take whatever chicken you have in pieces - cut up the roasted chicken or take some breasts and cut into bite size chunks. Toss it into the bowl and coat it with this wonderful mixture.

Add the cucumber, parsley, mint and romaine lettuce.

This can be dinner or lunch - and if have enough salad and onions you have 1 Mediterranean Point for veggies 1/2 for pita bread

Vegetarian??? - Change out the chicken for garbanzo beans and now you have 2 Med points!

Pescatarian - fish lovers -- add Oregon's Choice Canned Tuna and Garbanzo beans and you have 3 Med points