Jerusalem Salad

Basic Tahini Sauce

Makes enough for Jerusalem Salad, plus extra for drizzling over falafel
1/4 Cup Tahini (paste)

1/4 Cup Water

2 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Tbs Olive Oil

1/4 tsp Salt

Mix water and tahini until smooth with a whisk. Whisk in remaining ingredients and set aside (or chill).

Jerusalem Salad

Makes enough for 4-6 falafels in pitas
1 Medium Cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups total)

3 Firm Plum Tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 1 cup total)

1 Handful Parsley, roughly chopped

3 Tbs Tahini (sauce)

Fresh Black Pepper

Extra Lemon

Extra Salt

Toss cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley in a bowl. Add tahini and toss to coat - salad should not be soupy. Grind fresh pepper over the top. Season with an extra dash of salt or squeeze of lemon if desired. Serve as a filling for falafel, or as a refreshing summer side salad.

My co-worker brought in ridiculously large cucumbers from his garden yesterday. The second I saw fresh cucumbers sitting in our company kitchen this recipe popped into my head. I didn't have any tahini (for those of you who don't know - it's pretty much sesame seed butter) so I picked some up at Whole Foods and DANG! it's expensive. A container of tahini the size of a peanut butter jar ran me about $16.00!! I guess you need a lot of sesame seeds to fill a jar that big? Or Whole Foods knows they are the only tahini source in a 50 mile radius...a monopoly I tell you!

But this is such an easy recipe! I whipped it up in about 10 minutes total (only because I'm not the fastest chopper and de-seeding tomatoes isn't the most graceful operation). As for taste, it was nice and light and summery but it was missing something. Duda suggested red onion, which is exactly why I keep him around. Next time - red onion for a little kick.