Pita Bread Salad – There is no better way to start of the New Year off than with a healthy veggie-packed meal with a little Mediterranean flavor mixed in!

Pita Bread Salad

Za’atar is my new favorite spice.

First it was sumac—which I loved adding to salads, meats and hummus. And now za’atar.

And I am not the only one. My Mom is right there with me! Back in October my Mom and I were at a The Spice and Tea Exchange in Asheville, NC (which I loved–see below) and found a little bag of za’atar and knew we had to have it.

If you can’t find this spice at your local stores then you can order it online at Penzeys Spices.  I promise you won’t regret it.

When I saw this Pita Bread Salad in my Cooking Light Magazine I knew I had to try it.

As I have mentioned, I have a slight addiction to Cooking Light. Not only are there recipes healthy, but they are easy to make and are usually quick to make (and that is not a sponsored plug—I really LOVE their recipes). For a busy, working Mom—those things are key!

So back to the Pita Bread Salad…

It reminded me a little bit of Fattoush minus the lettuce and adding the za’atar. I made this to accompany Liz from The Lemon Bowl’s Lemony Chicken Soup with Greens on New Years Day and it was the perfect pairing.  I love Liz’s blog—she has wonderful, healthy recipes that are unique and worth trying. Check her site out!

There is no better way than to start of the New Year off with a veggie packed meal with a little Mediterranean flavor mixed in.

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Yield: 4-5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

A light and healthy salad packed full of veggies, olives and feta and topped with a light vinaigrette.

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 cups pasta (I used tri-colored rotini, fortified with spinach and tomato)
• 1/2 English cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Instructions

1. Directions
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.
3. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, oregano, basil and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, onion, tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, olives, feta cheese.
5. Toss the pasta salad with half of the dressing, mixing well. Cover the bowl and chill overnight.
6. Before serving the salad toss the remaining half of the dressing over the pasta salad.

Notes

If you are serving the salad right away you can rinse the pasta off with cold water to cool it down then mix it with the vegetables, cheese and olives and all of the dressing. Peperocinis would be a great addition in this recipe (I just didn't have any on hand) as well as grilled chicken or chopped roasted red peppers. Pasta salads are very customizable! If there is something you don’t like take it out. If there is something you want, add it in. There are no rules!!