Israeli Salad Inspired Bowl
As you all know, I LOVE the idea of a bowl! Cold, crunchy textures, paired with warm salty flavors will always be a go to for me. This dish was inspired by just that; a simple, yet delicious Israeli salad, consisting of chopped raw tomato, onion, and cucumber. Pair this with fresh lemon and olive oil, and you have a winner! I decided to expand on this, adding quinoa (which we love because it’s naturally gluten free), feta, lamb mince, and a punchy dressing. The flavors work together so well, and because there are no refined grains and sugars, it keeps you full for a long time! This Israeli salad bowl is super easy to make, and is easily adapted to a vegetarian, or even vegan version!
Notes
For me, this is the perfect combination of flavors and textures, I love mixing in fresh crunchy salads, with warm hearty flavors! The great thing about this dish is it’s super versatile, therefore you can easily substitute ingredients while still achieving the same result.
Salad – Israeli salad is a chopped salad of finely diced tomato, onion, cucumber, and bell or chili peppers. It has been described as the “most well-known national dish of Israel”, and is a standard accompaniment to most Israeli meals. I decided not to add the peppers, as my husband is not a fan of anything spicy (lame, haha). Depending on what you have in your fridge, you could add olives, chopped zucchini, or even omit something if you didn’t like it. The point is to keep it fresh, finely chopped, and add the fresh herbs, as this really makes it!
Quinoa – Traditionally, if I think of israeli food, I’d accompany this with cous cous, but quinoa is my go to being naturally GF, and super easy to cook. You can use either here! I get my Quinoa from BJ’s, it’s organic and tastes great! Link below!
Mince – this is a hot topic for me at the moment! If you follow my blog, (and read all my recipe notes), you’ll know I don’t usually eat red meat. However, I have recently decided to eat the occasional lamb or beef. Diet wise, it makes sense at the moment, so I’m trying to be flexible in my approach. Over the years, I have found when I eat too much starch/carbs, my blood sugar drops and I need to eat more frequently. So, for now, a high protein diet makes sense.
I went with organic/pasture raised lamb mince for this dish, but it can work work equally well with beef mince, or even beyond burger mince! Choose whatever works best for you. Links below!
Beyond Burger MInce: https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-GB/products/beyond-beef?variant=ground
Feta – I always go for goats cheese feta (organic of course). But if you wanted to make this dish vegan, you could easily substitute for vegan feta!
What You’ll Need
- 16oz pasture raised lamb mince (see notes for vg option)
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 1 bunch fresh dill
- 2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped into cubes
- 1.5 cups cucumber, finely chopped into cubes
- 1 small/medium onion, finely chopped
- organic quinoa – 4 portions
- 1 cup crumbed feta
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp honey
- juice of one fresh lemon
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- salt and pepper
Israeli Salad Inspired Bowl
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
Description
Israeli inspired salad, paired with quinoa, feta, lamb mince, fresh parsley and lemon tahini dressing.
Ingredients
- 16oz pasture raised lamb mince (see notes for vg option)
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 1 bunch fresh dill
- 2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped into cubes
- 1.5 cups cucumber, finely chopped into cubes
- 1 small/medium onion, finely chopped
- organic quinoa – 4 portions
- 1 cup crumbed feta
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp honey
- juice of one fresh lemon
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, add your mince, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, and a large handful of finely chopped parsley. Mix well (I like to use my hands here), and set aside. If you can, take the mince out to get to room temperature about 30 minutes before.
- Portion out your quinoa, wash it, and get it on the stove to cook in the background. I always set a timer as not to burn. Once done, remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large non stick frying pan, add some olive oil and bring to a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add your mince. This will need to be stirred often, but try to leave 3-4 minutes in-between as to get the caramelization going. Keep breaking it up as you stir too, as mince tends to clump together. This should take 15-20 minutes to cook through nicely, with a good amount of caramelization and flavor building. Remove from the heat once done.
- While the quinoa and mince cooks, prepare your salad and dressing. In a large bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onion, one large handful of freshly chopped parsley, and one large handful of freshly chopped dill. Season generously with salt and pepper, and a dash of olive oil. Mix well and set aside. To make the dressing, simply add all ingredients into a small bowl and mix well. If the tahini is hardened, add this first with the olive oil, and mix it well with a spoon to help smooth it out. Once smooth, add the remaining ingredients.
- To assemble, portion out your quinoa, mince, and salad, topping with some crumbled feta, fresh chopped parsley, the dressing, and an extra squeeze of fresh lemon if you like. So easy and delicious! Enjoy!
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: Lunch/Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Israeli
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