tunisian salad

In the spirit of our worldly travels, I thought I'd share some international flavors with you while we're gone! Back in July, when we were in the Caymans, I got my hands on a Bon Appetit magazine filled with fabulous recipes and ideas. One of the articles was all about Turkish food. I've never been to Turkey and I've never eaten at a Turkish restaurant (or even know where to find one in Dallas), so this was completely new to me, but it looked absolutely scrumptious.  Most ingredients I was familiar with, but I'd never thought of combining them in this way. Who knew cumin and lemon would be so tasty together?

I love feta cheese's salty, sharp flavor and crumbly, dry texture so I figured it would be hard for me to not like this recipe. Really any salad with feta sounds good to me (Greek, please?!).  I also love salad dressings that are made with Greek yogurt rather than mayonnaise or another creamy condiment. Why? Because you get the creaminess without the fat and calories that usually accompany a typical creamy dressing. I use Greek yogurt when I make caesar salad too — fabulous. The recipe in Bon Appetit called for a lot more feta cheese than what I used, but honestly, I couldn't imagine this salad with any more feta. It would have been too overpowering, despite my love for feta.

This was the first course into my quest to learning more about Turkish flavors and I'd like to think it was successful. While we're not traveling to Turkey, I hope you enjoy these flavors from afar! Check back next week for another tasty internationally-inspired dish!

Tunisian Salad, adapted from Bon Appetit magazine

• 1/3 cup reduced fat, crumbled feta
• 6 oz. nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• S&P
• cumin seeds
• romaine
• fresh oregano leaves

In a small bowl combine the feta, Greek yogurt, cumin, lemon zest, garlic and lemon juice and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper. 

Tear romaine into bite size pieces and toss with the dressing. Garnish with fresh oregano leaves and a few sprinkles of cumin seeds.