Fattoush Salad

I ate this salad weekly when I lived in DC on Capitol Hill.  There was a small middle eastern place in Union Station where I would sometimes eat dinner.  I've craved this salad over the years, especially when I was pregnant.  I found sumac powder the other day while shopping at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati so after about 12 years of craving this, I've finally made it!

Fattoush (Lebanese "Crumbled Bread" Salad with Sumac and Pita Chips)

Ingredients:
2 whole wheat pita pocket breads, cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide, then toasted and crumbled
2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 cup diced tomatoes (let drain a minute or two if extra juicy)
1 cup diced cucumber (same size as tomatoes)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley (leaves only, no stems)
optional ingredients: kalamata olives, banana peppers, feta cheese etc.

Dressing Ingredients:
1 tsp. chopped garlic (2-4 cloves garlic)
1 tsp. salt (I used fine grind sea salt)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, about 2 large lemons (I love lemon, so adjust the amount to your own taste)
1 tsp. powdered Sumac, plus more for sprinkling on individual salads if desired)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and toss pita bread with olive oil and salt.  Cook for about 10 minutes or until crispy.  Meanwhile, chop everything up and arrange it all in a large salad bowl.  I make the salad dressing now too.  Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves.  Combine the garlic and salt into a bowl and mash together.  I used a bar muddler and it worked well.  Add the lemon juice and sumac.  Whisk in the olive oil and set aside in the refrigerator.

Pour dressing onto salad and toss well to coat.  Top with crispy pita and serve.  Enjoy!!!