Healthy Israeli-Style Breakfast Salads

A Low Carb and Refreshing Way to Change Up Your Breakfast Routine

Lee and Keith wanted to switch up their eating, starting with making the first meal of the day as healthy as it could be. Eating vegetables first thing in the morning was a new challenge, but Lee had heard of the culinary tradition in Israel of having salad for breakfast.

Thinking this is somewhat like the chopped cucumber and tomato salad Keith loves at Greek and Mediterranean restaurants, Lee tried an Israeli salad recipe. Keith loved it. Along with a healthy protein, this low carb salad makes a nutritional, filling, low carb breakfast.

After a few days, Lee decided to create variations so they wouldn’t get tired of the one recipe – making it easier to keep the healthy eating going. 

Taste Test Kitchen  

We began with the basic recipe for Israeli breakfast salad. It’s surprising how ‘fresh’ it tastes. We’re so used to vinegar-based dressings, but discovered how lemon juice tastes really light on veggies. Just like vinegar, it brings out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and other vegetables. In addition, parsley – a natural breath freshener – adds a clean taste.

One change we made from the basic recipe is to leave out the onion (except in one variation below). Red onion is delicious in this salad for lunch or dinner but a bit much in the morning. In the Mediterranean version below, we did add onion but macerated (soaked) it first to cut back on the strong flavor.  

The Basic Salad 

This is one of those throw it in until it tastes right recipes, so we had to go back and measure what we actually put in it. We encourage you to play around with the quantities and variations and create the taste you like. 

We found 2-to-1 cucumbers to tomato is a good combination. Then we take a handful of parsley and finely mince it. You don’t want big pieces of parsley leaf, but instead let it mix subtly in. We add just a hint of salt and squeeze half a lemon right over the salad followed by a drizzle of olive oil. We mix it, taste and adjust ingredients or seasonings.  

We’ve added ways to change it up for flavor, color and texture like adding a bit of crunchy jicama (also a low-carb veggie). This is Keith’s new favorite. Other delicious additions are daikon radish, sweet peppers or avocado. We also tried different herbs. We liked thyme but think it’s best in addition to the parsley, not as a stand alone. Basil is good, and we liked cilantro.

We make the full recipe ahead and it’s good for two breakfast servings for two people. That’s why we switched to cherry tomatoes, so it will last a couple of days. Chopped whole tomato can get soggy. Also, if we add avocado, that goes in just before serving.

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Healthy Israeli-Style Breakfast Salads

by Burnt Toast Food Blog September-14-2018

Change up your morning with a low carb, healthy salad alongside your breakfast protein. The lemon juice and parsley in this quick and easy, make ahead dish bring out the vegetables’ natural sweetness and taste so fresh and clean. A great wakeup call to your day.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole cherry tomatoes, or 1 large tomato
• 1 English cucumber or 2-3 Persian cucumbers (about 2 cups chopped)
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, minced
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1/2 of 1 large lemon)
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Basic Salad: 1. Rinse and dry the vegetables. Chop the cucumbers to about 1” size pieces. Leave the cherry tomatoes whole, or if using a large tomato, remove the seeds and cut into 1” pieces. 2. Place the cherry tomatoes and cucumbers in a medium bowl. Be sure the parsley is finely minced and add to the bowl. Stir well. 3. Salt to taste and stir. Add the lemon juice and olive oil to the salad and mix well. Adjust seasonings. 4. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Store in a nonreactive container (non-metal) in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Easy to make ahead the night before. Variations and Additions: - Mediterranean version: replace the lemon juice with 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar; add 2 tablespoons minced red onion to the vinegar and macerate (soak) for 5 minutes; add 1 large, chopped tomato and salt, and let sit another 10 minutes; stir in the remaining ingredients – olive oil, cucumbers, and parsley, and serve. - Additions – to the Basic Salad recipe, use any of the following: replace tomatoes for yellow cherry tomatoes, add 1/2 cup chopped jicama, 1/4 cup chopped radish, 1/3 cup chopped daikon radish, 1/4 cup chopped sundried tomato, or 1/3 cup chopped red or yellow sweet peppers. When ready to serve, add 1 chopped avocado. - Other herbs: add 1 tablespoon minced thyme along with the parsley, or replace the parsley with 1/4 cup chopped basil or 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Notes: - It’s fine to use regular cucumbers, although we recommend partially (stripes) or fully peeling to remove the bitter flavor. - Get creative and change up the salad using what’s in season – choose vegetables that add color as well as taste to ‘wake up’ your morning. - Vegetables can be chopped larger or in a smaller dice, according to preference, just make them all similar in size.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: none Total time: 15 mins Yield: 4 servings