MMM!!!! FATTOUSH!!!

Sorry that I’ve been MIA for the last little bit. I’ve just completed my last flight as a flight attendant so I was away in Scotland. Leaving the gypsy life behind and doing something more sedentary which will definitely give me a lot more time to spend in the kitchen! I had a cute little omen in Glasgow on Saturday when I asked the “universe” for a sign that I was doing the right thing. I passed by LUSH and there was a sign in the window that said “There’s no place like Lush”…. I kind of thought that was close enough to “There’s no place like home”.

I started craving Lebanese food recently and it's pretty much all forbidden under the Pagano diet. One of my favorite dishes is a really bold and delicious salad called Fattoush. Now Fattoush normally has tomatoes, white vinegar and deep fried pita chips; forbidden ingredients which can actually be easily dealt with. The result is a salad that is very alkaline and has ingredients such as onions and lemon juice which are powerful detoxifiers and romaine lettuce which is very alkaline producing. Ever since I've "Paganofied" this dish I've been known to scare my friend Danika with random "MMM!!!!!!" FATTOUSH!!!" exclamations of joy whenever I refer to it. I've presented this salad in wrap form because it's never been done before (really.. I googled "Fattoush wrap" and came up with nothing!). If you'd like it in salad form just omit the pita and follow the directions for toasted pita chips. If you're on a Pagano diet and want to stick to every rule, omit the pita altogether; otherwise you're mixing citrus and grains in the same meal which is a minor rule of the program (I sometimes cheat with the small rules... whahahaah). I present here instructions for both forms of Fattoush.



MMMM!!!!! FATTOUSH!!!!

1/4 cup olive oil
juice of one lemon
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
dash of salt

1 medium red onion (or half a big one) loosely chopped
half an English cucumber, cubed for salad - sliced for wrap
1/2-3/4 cup sliced black olives
1 heaping handful of parsley, finely chopped
3-4 mint leaves, finely chopped
1 head of organic romaine lettuce
1/2 or 1 whole wheat pita bread

Emulsify all the fattoush dressing ingredients.

If making a salad as opposed to a wrap, slice the pita in half and save the other half for another project. Slice the remaining pita into 1 inch squares, place them in a non stick pan over medium-high heat and toss around every few minutes until the pita chips become crunchy.

Wash the romaine lettuce and drain it in a salad spinner. Shred the lettuce with your hands and place into a large bowl. Add all the other salad ingredients and toss. To make a fattoush wrap, place some of the salad in a whole wheat pita bread and add a few spoonfuls of the dressing. To make a fattoush salad, place a serving into a bowl, add the dressing and top with toasted pita chips;

**Important note :: Do yourself a favor and don't go on a date after having this salad. Fattoush will conjure up a breath that will drive any potential mating partner away... but it's so yummy!