An easy and fresh alternative to traditional green salads, this chilled North African-inspired dish combines potato, bell peppers, cucumbers, and olives with a light and tangy vinaigrette. Simple to prepare, it's great to double or triple for potlucks or group meals. Serve with the salad spread out on a large platter to let the colors and shapes of the ingredients shine. Make extra dressing to reinvigorate leftovers the next day. For a pretty variation, serve the salad garnished with sliced or diced cooked beets.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4–6

　　1 large cucumber, thinly sliced

　　2 cold, boiled potatoes, sliced

　　1 each red, yellow and green bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

　　2/3 cup pitted olives

　　Salt (optional)

　　3 garlic cloves, chopped

　　3 scallions, sliced or 1 red onion, finely chopped

　　4 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

　　Juice of 1/2 lemon

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

　　

Step 1

1. Arrange the cucumber, potato and pepper slices, and the pitted olives on a serving plate or in a dish.

　　

Step 2

2. Season with salt, if you like. (Olives tend to be very salty so you may not wish to add any extra salt.)

　　

Step 3

3. Sprinkle the garlic, onions, olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice over the salad. Chill for at least 1 hour. Before serving, sprinkle with the chopped mint leaves and cilantro leaves.

　　Reprinted with permission from Mayim's Vegan Table: More than 100 Great-Tasting and Healthy Recipes from My Family to Yours by Mayim Bialik with Dr. Jay Gordon. Copyright © 2014 by Mayim Bialik, PhD, and Jay Gordon, MD. Photos by Denise Herrick Borchert. Published by Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.